The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-12-07
COMMERCIAL BANDITS.
An o. gsnisation OF Ne W York Grocery
Clerks for the Purpose OF laundering
Their Employers.

New YORK, Dec. 6.-All the grocery
stores In the city must have been deserted
yesterday by their owners, and majority
OF them by the clerks, judging by the stout,
burly forms and stolid German faces which
filed Justice Powers court. They had
the secret, oath bound A b c Union Of
grocers' clerks, banded together for the
purpose Of robbing their employers. Her.
man Tietzer, Is years old, clerk for Henry
Fuller, No. 1923 Second avenue, and a
member Of the A B c Union, was the first
witness put on the stand. He said that
some time last year KroosZ asked himwheth-
er he had any chance to take any money.
He told him he had, and In June committed
bis first theft OF 81. Since then he had been
stealing iron his employer. On November
2S he took $40 90, which Is the specific sum
which KrooSz is charged In the indictment
with having received. Kroosz asked him
whether that was
ALL HE HAD FOR HIM
that time, and witness told him 1t was. He
made memorandum on paper every time
be gave Kroosz money, and handed four
such lists TO the justice. They were marked
Exhibits l TO L." He stole all the money
marked in the exhibits at the dates set
down and gave it TO Kroosz. He had to
give him $25 for every 500 he gave to the
union. Kroosz promised to give him back
the money less the commission whenever
be needed 1t to open store. On the 18th
Of November Kroosz invited him to attend
a meeting of the A. B. c., to be held the
next afternoon, on the foor over the groce.
ry store of L. Anderson, at No. 81 Second.
He and Kroosz were present at the meet.
ing. Henry Precht, Anderson's clerk
and
SECRETARY OF THE UNION,
was there. A clerk of E. Ahrens OF 719
Second avenue, whose name witness did
NOT know, entered, aud Kroosz asked the
latter how he was making out. Ahrens'
clerk gave Kroosz Sl25. Shortly after.
ward two clerks Of K. Pappenhausen of
800 Second avenue entered aud Kroosz
asked them the same question. They
harded him S125 each. KrOosz put the
money In his pocket and then stated
that the capital fund was $4,000. Secre.
tary Precht had three or four books in his
possession. In one of them witness read
the entry about the 500, 900. In conclusion,
Tietzen said that every time he gave Kroosz
money he told the latter that 1t was stolen
from Mr.. Fuller. Witness was first &C.
cused of stealing by his mployer last SUM-
day. After he made his confession he was
allowed the run Of the premises, and
NO ATTEMPT TO LOCK HIM UP
al ko uo r,c
aware that Fuller's nephew, Meyers, was
also stealing from his employer, that be
had kept that knowledge secret, and that
he had never told any one about the A G
Union exec pit his employer and Myers.
II will prove,' exclaimed Col. Spencer
at this point, "that these two boys were
plundering their employer and invented
this ghost story 10 clear themselves. |
never heard Of such thing in my life. 1t
would make good plot for novel;
GLOW O ten did you take money from
the drawer in the coarse Of dayr' asked
Col. Spencer.
"When ever had chance. -
Witness never played fool. He sometimes
went to theater and drank beer, but paid
for this with bis own earnings, which
amounted to $12 month and board. He
always
KEPT THE STOLEN MONEY
separate, as be means to open 3 store.
While the disposition Of the sum Of 5000
was being traced by Col. Spencer, witness
stated that he had stolen about $500 more.
This seemed to surprize the counsel for the
prosecution and the Justice as much as the
counsel for the defense.
"We'll get at some more new facts, "
said Col. Spencer, and shortly thereafter
obtained an admission from the witness
that after revealing all about the A. B. c.
Union to his employer he burned book be
had received from the Union.
"Why did you burn that bookF'
ave were sworn to do so whenever
there was likelihood Of the objects Of the
union becoming known. Every member
burned his book, and so l did,
Tietzen could not remember the contents
Of the book, except that there was in it
list Of the A. B. &. members. The cross.
examination was brought to temporary
close by the witness saying that he would
not have stolen at all II Kroosz had not
asked him to dos