The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-01
AN EXPERT BURGLAR.
History of "Gil" YOst, One of the Men Who
Robbed Wallis Jewelry Store
at Laporte.
bet eotivo pinkerton in Chicago Tribune.

and l were walking on West Randolph
street, when we saw tall, stout man with
full red beard turn corner ahead of US. We
at once recognized him as Gil Yost, of whom
we had heard nothing for several months.
Knowing him to be one Of the most ex-
perienced and accomplished burglars in the
entire country, we resolved to follow him
and learn where he was quartereG. But right
here l might tell you something of his
history. He is now about fortythree years
old, and has a wife and two children, the
former being perfectly familiar with the
manner in which her husband gets the
necessaries of life. He was educated for
burglar by Alex McGregor and Jim Barnes,
who died while serving ffteen-year SEN
fences for a $50, 900 bond robbery in Pennsyl-
vania. Yost proved an apt pupil. He is
thorough mechanic, an expert lock-
smith and filter, and is one of the few men
who understand the use of the air-pump in
connection with dynamite for blowing safes.
When he needs a burglars tool he makes it
himself, and he never allows himself to be
seen in the company of crook except when
planning or doing some big job He COM
mitted some daring burglaries in central
New York several years ago, and served a
short term in the penitentiary for one of
them Then he went TO New York city
ard rented fine residence on Patchin ave-
nue.. About that time numerous extensive
burglaries were committed i'll New York and
Brooklyn, and no trace of the culprits could
be discovered for months. Finally the burg
lares were traced to what afterward became
known as the Patchin-avenue gang'-made
up of Gil Yost John Porter, Jimmy Irving
and Tom Draper. They were all arrested in
1osts residence. Draper was taken to
Northampton, where he was wanted for
taking hand In the famous bank robbery
in that town. The Others were confined in
the Brooklyn Jail. Porter and Irving broke
Jail before trial came off. The former was
soon after arrested in Philadelphia and sent
down for doing job there, and Irving was
recaptured and sent to Sing Sing, where he is
doing time Yost escaped through negli-
gence on the part of the prosecution.
ITO resume the story Bob and l Swallowed
Yost to No. 200 North Carpenter street, and
learned that he was living there with his
family, passing himself as a travelling sales
man. Feeling confident that Yost would
soon be wanted for some work, | took Detec-
tive Elliott, of the city force, into my conf
dence, and we resolved to raid the house as
soon as an opportunity offered itself Two
weeks ago Monday received a telegram from
e. Vail IL Son, of Lapcrte jobbing and retail
jewellers, announcing that their store had
been broken into and rihed OF $l5 00G worth
of jewelry. The jewelry had been left in the
safe and the safe had been opened by means
of drilling holes above the lock and then
driving the lock in. / sent operatives to La
porte and instructed them to make diligent
inquiry along the public highways leading to
the city for any mysterious men who might
have been seen by the farmers. One farmer
about twelve miles from Laporte told an OPP
erative that the morning following the bur
glary four men came to his house and
loafed about there the entire day.
They had small valises with them
and claimed to be surveyors, while
one of them said they were hunting stolen
horses. They took their departure as soon
as night came on. The description given by
the farmer of one of the men answered to
that of Gil Gost. Mr.. Vail also gave a de-
scription of man he had seen loungipg
about the store for several days preceding
the burglary, and this description likewise
answered to that of Gil Yost. Satisfied that
he had participated in the burglary, 1 re-
solved to arrest him at his home | found |
however, that he had moved about two
weeks previous from No 200 North Carpen-
ter street. and taken up mis- residence some |
where on Fulton stIeet-none of the neigh |
bors could give his new number. l sent
operatives along Fulton street in the guise of
dictionary canvasSers, and at No 672 one of |
the 'canvassers' was told that Gilbert Yost |
travelling salesman occupied the house. |
Then l put shadows on the house. Yost |
though, has been behaving very quietly. He !
seldom went out alone generally taking one
of the children with him. and never went to |
any crooked resorts. Finally l sent for Vail |
and gave him an opportunity to see YoSt |
He at once identified him as the man who |
had hung about the store. Then
decided to make the arrest, and Sunday |
morning Detectives Elliott and Wiley, ex-
Sheriff Fitch ID. Bowen, of Laporte, and To- |
Gated ourselves near Yost's house. Presently |
the shadow reported that Host was coming |
down the street, and at the next corner we
'pinched him. He was surprised, of course, |
but took things cody. We took him back |
to the house and searched it. Mrs, Yost |
seemed anxious to get at bureau. drawer |
ahead OF us, but we searched it ourselves |
and found a quantity of gold rings which |
were at once recognized as Wallis. In the
hair filling OF a sofa we found five handsome |
gold watches and another large bundle OF
rings, also identified as Wallis. Altogether
we got about 5000 worth of the plumber. In |
addition to this we found IN an upper room
one of the finest and most complete sets OF
burglars tools | ever saw, and the appl- |
ances used in connection with the burglars
air-pump. On YostS person was found Il |
receipt for package left at the express office /
the day before for transportation to New |
York. We seized this package and dis
covered it to be an air-pump. While we were |
searching the house there was a rap on the |
outside the door and who should come in |
but Bid Houlihan, the notorious Chicago |
burglar He was dumbfounded at meeting |
the officers He was arrested as a matter of |
course ard on his person we found some |
wooden models of clamps used by burglars |
both prisoners were locked up, and have
been positively identified by the farmer as
two Of the men who stopped at his house
the day following the burglary Neither
Yost nor Houlihan would say anything as
to their guilt or innocence. They will both |
be taken back to Laporte for trial
at is a singular fact that McGregor and |
Barnes Yosts tutors, were both captured in |
Laporte after they had done the $40, 900 job |
in Pennsylvania. The capture was brought |
about mainly through the shrewdness of
Hon. David Moves, then mayor OF the town.
Now seventeen years later--the pupil of the
famous dead crooks has drawn the net of the |