New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-05
ARREST or Il GANG OF BURGLARS.
THEIR CAPTURE BY INSPECTOR BYRYEs.

THEIR CAPTURE BY INSPECTOR BYRNES
RoBBGvG THEIR EMPLOYEES AND SENDING FALSE
FIRE ALARMs-rHEIE IDEA OF FUN.
The Central Office detectives under the direction
Of Inspector Byrnes on Saturday arrested the gang
OF men who have been for two years sending ont
false fire alarms They all young. their ages
ranging from seventeen to twenty-thrce years.
When taken 10 Police Headquarters and put
through what Inspector ByInes styled tho third
degree Of initiation" or pumping process they
all confessed thor guilt.
Ono of the gang is a locksmth bv trade and made
many duplicate keys In addition to sending out
tho false alarms thcy carrying on "A series OF
robberics throughout the city. The prisoners are
William VI. McCabe. "a professional thief and the
leader OF the gang. aye twenty thee. of No. 5OG
West twenty tourth ST.. ". II. hughes, age
twenty. Of no 2O9 West Twentiethsi.; NJ A.
ODonnell ago twcuty-threc of No. 100 West
Twent, -fourth-st: Johu Conlin. age seventeen, of
No. ~ West Nmctecnth-st; Edward Okeeio and
Richard OKecie brothers aged respectively nine
teen and twenty three years OF age, OF NO. BOB
fast Nv ent y second-st.: Dan al Kenny ago TWEEN
ty.two. OF No. Ia Seventb-ave; CALVIN Swift,
age twenty seven, Of No Dos West Fifty ST..
and IIoratiO :. Courtney, age twenty. OF No. l13
Baltic ST.. Brooklyn. Thoy were all well dIe7sod
ana would pass for respectable y0ung clerks.
About two months ago Fire Commissioner Van
Colt called on Inspector Byrncs and requested him
IA use every exrrtlOn to find out who WAS sending
ant the annoying false alarms. Tho Inspector says
that tns was the first tlmn his attention was ohci.
ally Gale 10 the case. In addition to seeking the
nld of the police the Fire Commissioners offered
reward of 800 for Information that would lead to
the dliccvery of the guilty persons. detectives
Rutland and Haley were detailed to work up the
case After some time they learned that McCabe
had bern TO a policeman uptown AID had told HIM
that he knew the fil SO alarm iend." He wished
T., make an arrangement itn the policeman to cap
ture the man whllo in the act of sending ont an
ALARM Thon he and the policeman would secure
tLe re- ward aud divide II between them The detec-
tiv,, owed M,Gaho for two weeks ana got on
the track of the entire gang On Saturday. fearing
that McCabc might induce some one to send out "A
false alarm either innOccntly or IN spirit oi ms
chef aud thus ATTEMPT 10 secure tho reward. the
Inspertor Determined TO arrest him and his accOmp
Ices Detectives Haley and Rutland sent aletter
To McCabe under as.um ed names, asking him to
Le at Twenty eIghth-st. and Broadway at o. CLOCK
m IN, evening McCabe went there without
pectIng anything. and was taken INTO custody by
tho officers They took him to Police Headquarters
aud after locking hun up there went to his home
and seized his trunk In his room were found a
dark lantern II shicld marked special police a
sani bag aud u pOllccmanS billy" HIS trunk
was taken to Police Headquarters and searched.
Al tho s4mo time that McCabo y rs arrested Detec-
Uyes Reilly Mcclure. Fink, ' Oh Gerlcben. kusch,
OConnor. Wood and LaDgan seIzed the other mem
brts of tho gang. Kenny, swift, Edward . heelo
and q Dpnnell were found playing cards IN red
Uoegrr barroom ut No. III Sevrnth-aNe. C"nun,
Hughes ana Richard Okeefe were arrested at their
homes Detective Farley arrested Courtney At his
AZ Police IIcaduuartors the prisoners gave the de.
tails of the nlinbeross false alarms that they had
nj ant i'm he
were together whenever alarms we're SEM out.
81 netmes they wOuln break OIL the doors oi the o
boxes aud leave nUtos III the boa one time
McCabe broke off the door of lire box nnd took IL
to the house of Morgan Thomas. policeman OF
the Sixteenth Precinct. lie left 1t there with IL
note telling tho policeman TOGO w anu repair
that door on box sos. Are you crazy I"
COnln narrated how, alter sendlrg ont eight
alarms on January - two men chased McC9Do,
ODOnncll aud Hughes through the tunnel at / OF
teth-st. The prisoners all SAID that tney SEM Oni
the false alarms because 1t was iun;" lney ult
It in n spirit OF pure CGssednosS.' McCaDe uIot
began sending ont false alarnls IN 49,. In thaI
year he sentenced to the Staio Prison Tor lar
sumed his fun with the Fire Department. lie
gradually formed the gang. All the prisoners heid
post iOns of lsss responsibility, ana aItor
sending IL number of false aaIms they began COM
hitting burgaros. McCabe made duplicate Keys
and planned all the robboiieS. -,
Courtney and Hughes are cousins. Inc former
WORKED for L. ). WheelOok. merchant at No. 500
Canal-st. In October last McCabe. Courtney ana
Hughes planned burglary IN the store Oh is'uolo
cessfully carried out aud jewery worth Tl.OOO was
taken Courtney was loft on the premises. TED
mn with "A clothes line and IA sand bag was thrown
aown on the lloor beside hun. When the police ais,
covered him he told plausible story oil DeinS bouhl
and gagged by burglars. HIS story was cIeulteu'
Hughes took the lewelry to Philadelphia. where he
sold some OF it, lie sold some also ut ash ngton.
The balance he took to Norfolk. Va. where he ired
10 sell It 10 jeweller but the latter threatened to
have hln arrested for peddling without license
Hughes was 10 much frightened that he lett the
iewelry in the mans store and returned to New
York. a.,
By means of duplicate keys made by McCabe, tho
ia, lor store OF Thomas j. Lee. No. 81 FOurth-ave..
where EdwaId O'Keefe was employed was robbed
of cloth worth $500 by OKeefe Swift and Hughes
a short time ago. Richard O'keefe wCTAed Tor
Bond * ONei. tailOrs at No. 252 Fifih-aye
Met abe made Keys, and there arrangement
TO rob the firms store and break into their sale on
some Friday night On those nights the sale was
known TO contain about $500 III cash. The gang
had been trying for than "a year To ROB 'hs
safe but the burglar alarms IL had hitherto pro
vented tho burglary. - o
Tho prisoners viii all DO ARA gned III Jh'e,foh
Market Police Court to-day. Commissioner van
Coti Ia behalf OF the FIo Department VIII appear
against them.