New-York tribune., 1884-01-02
AN OLD TRICK OF THIEVES
SUPERINTENDENT CHURCH LOSSES $4,000.
ASSAULTED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT-THE ROBBERS
ESCAPE IN A BUTCHER CART.


Luther Church, the superintendent of the soda
water factory of John Dwight n Co., at first-ave.
and One-hundIed- d-and-twelVth-st., was robbed OF
$500 of his employers money ON Monday alter
noon while he was leaving the Elevated RalIWay,
at Sccond-aVe and Observation-Disclosures ST. lie
had Just returned from the Chatham National BANK,
with the salary of the comp, n}S employees
wrapped in brown paper. lie carried the package
in his hand. As he was about 10 leave the steps OF
the station he was set upon by two mon wearing
Jumpers, struck across the head with piece o od
lead pine and relieved of his money. The thieves
Jumped into butchers wagon standing IN One-huI-
dred-and- d-eeventh-st. and were driven by a man
dressed in dark clothing and wearing q. sloucnGu
hat down First-aye and thence ont OF sigHu. NJ
Church followed the thieves IN Slelgh 10 oiNtielh-
ST. and then told his story at the hl9'n otrecI
Police Station. Inspector ByInes detalled DeteGt-
ives Fisher Hickey and King to investigate the
case. c,,. ,,.o, .o,+rlor
that he had been in the employ of Messrs. Dwight
4 20 for seventeen years, and that he had been IN
fhe habit of getting off the Elevated Railway tram
at about the same time on every payday for SIX
years with large sums of money IN his hand lie al,
wavscarTied the money wrapped in npaper, ana
he never went armed. He had been warned many
times he SAID, by his friends, that he would De
robbed; out he dsTegarded their warnings. MI.
Church gave descriptions of the dresses worn by th
passengers who followed hun from the traln ana
The peculiar motions made by the thicvcs before the
robbery describing them as sweeping the STAIR
WAYS of the station as though they were not acGus-
toned to the use OF broom. Although i me nlOw U
from the leaden pipe, was a hard one IT leit no no
mark on his head He said that the mems faces
were familiar to him, but he was sure they had
never been employed in the factory. lie haGn the
remotest suspicion who the thieves were. The po-
lice of the Twelfth Precinct regard as the most
singular part of the robbery the G1onGss win
which il was accomplished. The butcher
cart in which the thieves rode away was an ordi-
nary one, with piece of tin painted BLACK over
the name 1t waited in One-hundred- land, eleventh
81 for nearly an hour before Mr.. Church was as
saulted. 1t was noticed by Miss Hencked, the
daughter of the owner OF a grocery7store at the
foot of the stationsteps She also had time to look
at the men. who she thought were elevated rail
way workmen. She described one OF them as be-
ing about five feet eight inches in height OF light
complexion, and wearing short, stub6y nous
tache. The other man vas OF about the the
agent of the station. heard the sounds of scuffng
on the stairway and saw the butcher wagon driven
through Observation-Disclosures and turn
down First-ave. The two men in jumpers were ly-
ing face TO face in the bottom of the cart, with
niece of meat between them. The man who was
driving had drawn his hat down over hls eyes. The
ticket-agent is the only emplOye of the road III the
station and he did not notice any person sweeping
the steps. Benjamin Ackeman. carpenter EN-
were sweeping the steps, and his description of
them corresponds with that given by Miss Hencken
Robert Gustave boy whose nome is ID second,
a vacant lot in Flrst-ave., and he saw the
butcher wagon turn into One-hun-dred and
tenth-st. from Flrst-ave, and go on toward the
river. , ~, .,,.;, A.. r.
was given to the detectives by ID; II. Helms gro
OF No. 4OZ 1QOSOu-St W llO AZ
headquarters that he had heard Of the robbery and
thought that the horse used by the thieves was the
ono Which was stolen from him six weeks ago. The
T horse was capable Of ma king mile in, 2;4o Yes
terday morning Mr. Helus called on on his brother
who has a grocery store IA No; 2,o62 Sec0nd-ave
Tn taking about his loss Mr.. helmss brother said
he saw the horse pass his store, haTncssed to red
butcher-cart; but the horse was being driven SO
hard that he was unable To stop IT,. An alarm was
sent out to all the precincts last night, describing
the cart and the horse. - $50 , .
have renortcd that they had a clcW. and that some
Interesting developments might be expected IN a
day or two.