The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-02
A CLEVER CRACKSMAN.
BERTIN NOT DEAD, BUT BUSY AT
HIS PROFESSION"

y
Engineered by Him.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 22.-New Orleans
great burglar and hghwayman. Pierre
Berth, is again in prison for sand-bagging,
burglary and other crimes. According to
the newspapers, he has been dead for several
years. He was dismissed from the peniten-
tiary in dying condition. his death was
reported and long and interesting obituaries
were published, recalling his romantic and
desperate career, but in spite of his death
and obituaries he had sufficient vitality to
knock j. N. Dufour insensible with we'll
packed sand-bag few days ago and walk
of with all his csSh.
Berlin is no vulgar, ordinary burglar,
but a criminal with a romantic and thrill
ing historY-a criminal of high type one
reads of in novels. You can fad his proto-
type in Lecocq's pages. but no where else in
this country. He was a man of original
ideas-cunning in his schemes-who
planned greaS burglaries and clever escapes
from prison; and, withal. of so desperate
courage that it took a dozen policemen to
capture him. he is pretty we'll filled with
lead by this time from his various escapades
and little lame from several bullets Ia his
leg. but he is still active enough to waylay
aud overcome vigorous and strong man.
Berlin came from the land of D'Artag-
nan, and in fertility of resources and des-
perate courage he is, in his way, as great a
man as Dumas Gascon hero. He landed in
New Orleans some thirty years ago, a good
looking, polite and intelligent young man
OF II he was a waiter in restaurant at
first, and an excellent waiter at that-quick.
intelligent, polite, and universally popular
1t was not to oe suppos ed that the police
should keep their eyes on simple waiter In
French restaurant. They never inquired
into Der tins friends and associates; they
never noticed that he frequently changed
from one restaurant to another-a change
which his reputation as a waiter enabled
him to do readily-and that this change was
always coincident with a cleverly executed
burglary in the districtinto which he moved.
AS matter of fact, although the police
were ignorant of it at the time, Pierre Ber-
tin was waiter by day and burglar by night,
the former position greatly aiding him in
his maraudlng operations. He had made
the acquaintance of Jean Capdeulle, a cele-
brated French burglar who, after pursuing
his profession in Paris until that city grew
to- hot for him, moved to New Orleans, and
Of Bordelaix and other professional cracks
men, and had sought to organize them into
a sort of burglars guild. He met with some
success in this, but his final failure was due
to treachery. The French criminals are
nearly always on friendly terms with the
police and W. ling to sell their comrades;
and Bertin'S fate was twice settled by this
treachery.
HOW HE OPERATED.
His manner Of operation was simple and
successful. Berlin, the waiter, secured a
position in restaurant next to a store.
bank or other concern, where there was
money or other va!uables stored. At night
Berlin, the burglar, lej his pals into the
restaurant, and they went through the walls
which divided it from the neighbcrinp
house as though they were paper Thus
from restaurant il Custom House street.
between Royal and Charles, where he
worked as waiter, he bored through the
brick wall separating it from the esta blish-
ment of Fernandez q Where, entered that
establishment, blew open the safe with care,
and walked off with the valuables without
leaving trace or a suspicion behind.
He moved then to another restaurant
about block away, bored through the
brick wall IN the same manner, got into
Herzog's variety store and made off with all
the contents.
1t so happened, however, that the store
was under seizure at the time, and the rob-
berry was investigated. The stolen plumber
was tracked and found in the possession of
Paul Touro, to whom it was given by Ber-
tin. Touro was arrested and convicted,
but Berth, the principal ia the burglary.
escaped for lack of evidence. Touro's CON
fession, however, let the police know of
Bertin's profession, and they began to
watch him more closely. But, desp to the
fact that the police had him constantly
under their supervision, he managed to
carry to success a number of burglaries
and robberies. He burglarized the ware
house OF w. II. Bredenbrug, on Bienville,
near Rampant street, and robbed Spanish
saloon-keeper on the corner OF Bourbon and
Toulouse. The police, who now recognized
his work, arrested him on both occasions.
but he was too smart and slippery for them.
The manner in which the burglary was
done proved that Berlin had hand in it,
but there was not clue, and although he
was brought to trial. he was honorably ac-
quilted.
These, however. are small affairs, and
Berlin was ambitious of making big coup
that would make him famous. He had sue
ceeded by this time in organizing a gang of
burglars after the Paris fashion. Among
them were Jean Capudelle, Henry Petrie.
'Kinch" Mallue, Tom Poole and some three
or four others. Berlin was the acknow-
lodged chief OF the organization, both on
account of skill and courage. He ALWAYS
went armed, and was ready with pistol,
knife or slung-shot.
On Saturday night, Oct. 20, 1870. the
store of MIR. A. Rochereau, on st. Lolis
street, was entered and robbed by thieves.
Mr.. Rochereau was the agent in New Or
leans Of nearly all the large absentee creole
property AT that tins, ami to
this day, several thousand creole families
lived in Paris on their New Orleans rents
Their property here was administered by
Rochereau & Co., the rents collected and
forwarded To France, and spent there. The
property thus administered amounted to
exactly how much Rochereau held for these
absentee landlords at the time, but it was
certainly over $2O0,0O0 The burglary
bore all the evidence of Bertin's work Tne
store had been entered in the same way as
he always operatei-bY cutting the brick
wall from the neighboring house-the safe
had been blown open and
ALL THE vALUABLES EXTRACTED.
The police at once pronounced the bur-
glary Bertin's WORK and started to look him
up. For two days they searched in vain,
and it is probable that he might have
escaped with his plumber but for Ie treach-
cry OF an accomplish. Two days after
ward the police made a sudden descent upon
a house on White street, four or five miles
away from the scene of the robbery. They
caught Berlin for once mapping. They
sprang upon him, giving him no chance to
resist, and overpowered him. Papers of
the value of SAG SIT and casa to the amount
of $4,000 were found on his person. To
tk.,e - 4hn A.