Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-08
A CATALOGUE OF CRIME.

The Proofs Agninst the Supposed East End
Burglnrs-Carefullv Tracked by the
Detectives.
Henry Webster, alias Davis of Allegheny;
John Hunter, Oil City, and w. ]. Gallagher,
Of the Hill district, arrested on the night of
November IL and sentenced to the workhouse
for 90 days, are supposed to be the burglars
who committed the East End robberies few
months ago.
These three young men were known TO be
prowling around good deal at night about the
latter part of October and early part of Novem-
Der, and while nothing could be traced to them,
they were strongly suspected by the police.
On the night of November s. W. D. Lewis
grocery store at Oakland, w. A. Nimick's resi-
dence and the residence of ]. D. Ferguson,
Esq, in the same locality, were all burglarized,
and considerable booty secured. After fruit
less work on the part of the police, Inspector
McAleese and Detective Coulson went at the
case. On November 16 they traced the three
young men to a deserted stable on Dinwiddie
street, and that night placed Officers Harris
and Scott in concealed positions in the stable to
await the return of the suspects who
had started out early in the evening They re-
turned about 2 o'clock in the morning, one of
them carrying a small brown leather valise,
which they hid under pile of stones and were
just about to depart when the officers Jumped
taken to Central station and separated. but all
refused TO give anything away until after they
had been kept in the station for several days,
when one of them made confession
part of which was found TO be true and part
untrue The young man, while making his
confession, was asked what was contained in
the brown leather satchel theywere seen carry
ing Without knowing that the valise had been
recovered the young man SAID it was a COM
plete kit of burglars tools, with which he could
open any safe in this city in an hours time.
70
was doubted by the police officials until he told
them in a remarkably clear and plain manner
how he would 90 about it
The valise contained what he said it did, the
outfit being complete, with braces, bits,
chisels, drills, punches, jointed jimmy
and all other instruments of that char
acter of fine quality. Another chapter
was added to the story yesterday by the arrest
of Frank Carmalia. proprietor of notion store
at No. So Washington street. The police bad
discovered that the goods stolen by the three
youthful thieves had been sold to an Italian at
No. LOB Wylie avenue. They arrested Michael
Grant there about three weeks ago. where he
and another Italian were carrying on cob
bling shop. Grant protested that he
brought there and was so mysterious
in his conversations that the police, investi-
eating further found that the shop in which
Grant was arrested belonged to another man.
Then Detective Coulson remembered that On
the day he went to arrest Grant a man in the
store when they entered left very suddenly He
was found to be Frank Carmalia, of No. So
Washington street, and yesterday morning the
detective found q witness who had seen Car
malta on the day of Grants arrest rush hur-
riedly into his house and out again by back
door TO privy vault with his arms full of
clothing and hat full of watches and iewelry
which be threw down the vault
Carmala was arrested yesterday and denied
the story. but after he was locked up the in
spector sent men with graphing hooks to
search for the stuff that had been thrown
away The men engaged in the search pulled
out a new overcoat, which was cleaned up and
afterward positively identified as one stolen
from Attorney Ferguson's residence. The
vault will be cleaned to-day or tomorrow and
the balance of the stolen stuff will probably be
found.
The matter is now cleared up as far as the
identity of the parties is concerned. Informa-
tions have been made against Webster, Gal
lagher and Hunter and lodged at the work
house. They will be taken to jail as soon as
their workhouse sentences expire, about a
month hence.
Grant is out on bail, charge of receiving
stolen goods having been sent to court against
him by Magistrate Gripp. Similar information
will be entered against Carmalia this morning
ana he will probably be bound over, SO that the
whole gang will be trie5 at the March term of
cOurt