New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-02
A CRAFTY BURGLAR CAUGHT.
THE TERROR OF WEALTHY HOUSE OWNERS
lie TELLS HOW HE CARRIED ON HIS WORK.
CHA-ED BY GEORGE T.. RIvES.

| HE TELLS HOW HE CARRIED ON HIS WORK
CHAsED BY GEORGE L. RIvEs.
| coil and crafty burglar, vino had been robbng
| houses occupied by wealthy persons in the dis
! trlct bounded by Fourth and Sixth aves, and
| Twenty third and Fitty-ninth SITS. caught
early yesterday morning by detectives of the Cen
tral Office, after systematic search. Complaints
about the burglar Were made TO Inspector Nc
| laughlin at the Detective Bureau several months
ago. and were renewed at intervals of a week Or
! two weeks. The invariably got into a house
| ly breaking the glass of window near the
fastening and then raising the window. Once in
| a house, de took his time in selecting what he
wanted TO carry away rejecting all plated ware
| and choosing the best of the solid silver. lie
even took time TO eat drink and smoke in the
| houses
The police of the precincts not able to de-
tcct the burglar at his work, and the complaints
of the burglaries became so annoying that In
spector Mclaughlin lately detailed twenty-five OF
the detectives In his command to keep watch for
tie burglar at night i'm the district where he had
been working
Early the morning Of May Is he entered the
house No. II West Thirty y-eighth-st, occupied by
George l.. Rives, the lawyer, and packed up
number Of things for removal. lie helped himself
TO food in til" kitchen. and smoked of the
lawyers cigars. About } a. m ne went into the
bedroom where Mr.. and Mrs. Rives sleep
ing, and began to rumnagr about there. Mrs.
Rlvcs awObe ard called TO her husband, who sprans
ont Of bed at sight Of the thief. Ii was light
enough TO enable the lawyer to the face of
the burglar plainly. Mr.. Rives chased the fellow
around the twice in the effort to catch him.
The thief was bewilderpd at first, and could not
find the door, but when he managed to get out Of
the room he darted down the stairs and out of
the front door quickly that Mr.. Rives could
not oNcrtakc him. The police got from the law
yer good description Of the burglar.
About | a. IN. yesterday Detective-Sergeants
Heard and Price were watching in hallway in
Nadsonave., near Fiity-siXth-st., and a man
walk slowly up the avenue The man stopped
in front of IA vacant lot tho west side of
the avenue and climbed a fence, as to
get to the rear of house in Fifty-siNth-st.
When h. ont of sight the detectives lett
their place OF conccamcnt. and Heard climbed
over the fence in pursuit Of him. while Price
went irto Fifty-siXth-st.. with the design of
heading the man of if hc escaped through n
house. HE man at Heard, and began
10 scale the fences in the rear of houses in
Finy-siNth-st. at lively rate. Heard fired two
shots by way Of warning to the police IN the
nclghborhood and then went around TO Fifty
siXth-st. believing that the thief would soon
make his appearance there. Price ran TO Fifty
-rventh-st.. and collected policemen on the neigh
boring pests 10 surround the block. Presently
Heard saw the burglar walk ont of the honsc
Of A. B. Graves. president Of the 81. Nlch"ias
Pank at No East Fifty->ixth-s. AS Heart
20, rear ~ him and ahou: 20 arrest h'h' ln'
thief drew from his pocket loaded f'Voi'c'
and raised it as if intending to shoot, Du' Ihe
detective knocked him down and disarmed Nun
Price and other policemen soon appeared anu '"e
burglar WAS handcuHed and taken TO the
Central Office.
Tho nrisoncr said he was Frank Davis, shoe
maker. fortv-ono years DID, and lived in Chicago.
I'm his pockets were the tools Of his trade as
burglar. One Of them was hammer. whi"h ne
had used in breaking the glass OF rear WINDOWS
,uothor was a candle with which h" had llSh'e"
his way through rooms in moi' than one ho"sc
in a small bottle was som" nitric acld WHICH Nv
had used TO tcs, silvcrwarc. Some Keys dh"
rle completed the ontht. Iile d"tc'N's WIZ
nlcascd to find in his pockets also some oil III"
things which he had stolen. \ fine eoid repeat
ing watch. made fy Tiffany N Company ana
cold knife were recognized easily as articles WHICH
had been stolen IN" night of January Il lr'm
tLe honso of Charles Ianicr, No. 30 East Thirty
snvcnth-,t \ silver match safe. in the form of
an Egyptian mummy, hal belonged 10 Mr.
Riy.s the lawyer In addition 70 thos" there
were two Charms Of gold and silver, "A gold ring
with the inscription From Grandma on the
inside. and a scarfpin with setting of pearls and
diamonds
The burglar was taken 10 a police court yester-
day and tcmandcd until to-day. IL" admitted 10
INSPECTOR Mclaughlin that he had committed
number of burglares in the city, ami had no CON
fcdcratc IN the business MIR. and Mrs. Rives
recognized him as the man who was III their
house The burglars picture was taken Tor the
Rogues' Gallery, az he had not been arrested III
this city before. lie is an eX-convIcr, however
INSPECTOR Mclaughlin said last evening that
Davi, doubtless the man who had committeh
all of the recent burglarcs in tho fashionable
district Of the city. Davis had said that he
always cot into house through a rear window.
and took his time collecting things which he
could carry in his pockets without detection. rs
a rule the burglar SAID, he had waited until day
light before leaving house, Is the" was then
little danger of attracting the attention OF u
policeman on the street wien he walked out OF
front door.