New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-28
CAPTURED AT LAST.
ARREST OF A CLEVER BUNCo MAN.
MANY CRIMES on HIS REcoRD-Ay ALBANY
MERCHANT HTS LAST VICTIM.

MERCHANT HIS LAST VICTIM.
After many unsuccessful trials Inspector Byrnes he
at last succeeded in getting firm clutch on Thomas
o'Bren the most slippery Of all slippery crooks ara
"bunco stecrers.' As an around swindler and thief
o,Brien enjoys a national emlnencc His reputation
extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Is secon
only 30 that OF Hungry joe with whom he oce
associated. He and Inspector Byrnes arc old acquant
ances and have had many professional TIT at each
other and up to now the balance OF victory haf been
decidedly in favor Of o'Brien. But now-unlss he
almost miraculous good luck which has Offer pulled
him out of danger previous occasions shoid once
again intervene-Mr O'Bricn will probably md him.
self safely lodged behind prison bars for god many
years to come.
The latest exploit which brought him under The
notice Of THE New-York police was the robbery q
$4,000 from John NJ Peck, wealthy ctzn OF Albany
about eighteen months ago. About that timsoBren, %
companled by George Post another wellkpwn cook,s
left Chicago, where the temperature hal become un'
pleasantly warm for them, and went TO Albany which
they at once proceeded to "work' on 'be Bis' ar
proved methods. The combination soon discovered
promising subject for their attention, iatd o'Bnen
contrived to scrape an acquaintance vita Their 10
tended victim. Mr.. Peck was 50 confident
and unsuspectng that o'Bren did not Ind II necessary
to invent any new scheme Of robbery The worn-ous
old "buncon game amply served NECESSARY purposes
OF OBrien told his pigeon. who vas whole
sale dealer In CLOTH that he the representative Of
a New-York dry goods house, and invited him to his
apartments, whore he had some samples 81 cloth.
Equally Of course game Of cards Ovr which Post
presided, was in progress when the two reached
o'Briens rooms Just as usual, the victim yielded to
the fascination Of euchre and was presently made 10
believe that he would win $4,000 on the turn OF
card Then, following the customary plan. he ives
asked to prove that he had $4,000, and Idiocally
anxious to realize the turn Of the csrd the victim
rushed TO his bankers and drew out thai amount being
watched to and from the bank by Pos. Directly no
reentered the room he was knocked down and beaten
into nsensibity By the two thieves gho focibly toos
the money from his pockets and the vanished.
The Albany police were at once informed Of the
robbery, but as usual with provincial police when they
get anything beyond tramp 70 deal with, they
Numbered at every step, and finally gave up the hunt
in despair. Inspector Byrnes then took hand In the
case, and quickly found that Post had fed TO South
America. while 0Rrien was lost IN the West. Ever
since that time the headquarters detectives have
been on the lookout for him. few days ago In
specor Byrnes found that OBren had returned to this
city and frequenting his Oh haunts A bench
warrant for his arrest was quietly obtained from Dis
trict-A Attorney Andrew Hamilton Of Albany, and on
this Detective-Sergeants McCIuskey and Golden pro-
ceeded to act.
O'Brlen follows the races. The detectives saw him
al bfdVc5cnu on AFTERNOON, ana directly
race boat from Bay Ridge touched the whtehallst.
pier they put the handouts on him. O'Brien took his
arrest coolly, and did not seen to be at all surprised
To-day he will be taken to Albany.
Although not than thirty-eight years old
OBricn has long career OF crime behind him. lie
Is small and slightly built, bit when driven 10 bay
will fight like tiger. lie has been imprisoned IN
the West but thus far has contrived TO keep out Of
penal institutions In the East, although he has had
many narrow escapes. One OF his rObberies,
curlousy enough led TO the discovery Of wholesale
defalcations by Percy Randolph Hatch, cashier Of
the Baltimore and Ohio Express Company. About
four years igo O'Brien met Hatch in dsoriery
house kept by Mrs. Gray, at No. lib West Thirty
first ST., and stole from him $1,000 bill. Imme.
dately after the robbery Hatch ran away and in de-
fault Of complainant, O'Brien was discharged from
custody An examination of Tatchs accounts showed
deficit OF Se 900, which was refunded by guaran-
tee company. He was traced to Canada where he
was arrested in 1888. The Canadian authorities
declined to extradte him, but no was subsequently
found in Chicago, where he was arrested. Being
brought 10 this city, he was tried and convicted,
and is now serving q term In Sing sing.
When O'Brien was discharged from custody on
the charge OF robhihg Hatch, Officers from Newours
bany City bonds from T. c. Ring, treasurer OF
Ne yburr savings bank. That prosecution failed on
a technical flaw. Mr.. O'Brien's portrait does hot
adorn the "Rogucs Gallery but every one VINO
has seen the famous crayon sketch OF crimlhsi
whose photograph is being taken ubder aii ha in
The man with the horribly contorted face, hed III
position by detectives, is O'Brien.