The morning call., 1893-06-04
THREE OF A KIND.
Capture of a Bold Trio of
Robbers.
TRAELED BY A PLUCKY BOY.
They Looted Neuberger & Reiss' and
at Another Place Were Driven
Away by Clerk With an AK.

Captain Lees, assisted by Detectives
Coffey. Whitaker and Seymour. last week
captured three of the boldest thieves that
have ever operated in this city.
They are the men who stole silks valued
at $1,000 from tile store of Neuberger,
Reiss & Co.. at 516 Market street. early in
the morning of May "a. and are known to
the police as Thomas King, alias Potato
Tom; Charles F. Moore. alias Cartwright.
and Dink Bernard, alias Henry Robinson,
alias Wilson.
At o'clock on the morning of the rob-
berry two of the thieves hired light wagon
at a Geary-street livery stable and drove to
tie store in which without doubt con-
federate had been concealed during the
night. The door was opened and sixty-two
pieces of silk were handed 10 the two men
in the vehicle. The doorkeeDer closed and
pretended to fasten the door behind him
and walked away. The wagon was driven
off, closely followed by boy who had seen
the transfer OF the goods and thought that
something was wrong.
The lad followed the wagon to the cor
ner of Sixth and Mission streets when he
notified two officers of what he had seen.
The policemen gave chase. hut the thieves
were speedy man and disappeared. The
Waterman of bank near the looted store
had seen the man in the wagon and his de-
scription of them with that given by the
boy gave tie police clew which they fol-
lowed most successfully.
They watched Kings house, on Bush
street just above Stockton, and few days
after the robbery caught Bernard as he
was emerging from the basement with two
pieces OF the stolen silk under his arm
The house was searched, and fifteen pieces
of the purlOined goods were found in a
q n in IN
custody when Moore entered. and he too,
was arrested. The three thieves were
lodged in the tanks, ard the work Of
Identification commenced.
A member of the firm declared that a
few days prior to the burglary, two of the
thieves had called upon him, saying that
they wanted to purchase line of silks for
n country merchant. They showed him
samples and prices, which they had oh
tanned from Hart, dealer In silks at %
Montgomery street, and said they thought
Hart was rather too dear. They were
shown through the store, and returned on
the following day for another inspection
of the goods and some samples. They thus
managed TO get an idea of the place and
the location of the most valuable goods.
Hart looked at the suspects and identi
fed Moore and Bernard as the men who
had obtained the samples from him that
were shown TO Neuhurger Reiss e Co.
They were also identified by Frank Heus-
ton, boy employed in the store, who told
q story that startled his employer. He
said that after Hart had left the store
the thieves returned and asked him for
more samples. He watched them closely
and saw a roll of silk disappear under
u CORES arm.
He told the man to drop it, but the
thief ran with his plumber toward the
door. The clerk ran through another
aisle and. Selling an ak, declared that he
would brain the thief if the silk was not
given back. Moore turned pale and
dropped the bundle on the floor.
Bernard feigned TO be indgE ant and de-
clared that he had no idea that his partner
was a thief
Get out of here" shouted the man with
the ak. 'I on are both thievesp' and they
tarried not on the order of their going, but
went. They Will be charged with burglary
tomorrow.
King was once in business as a potato
peddler at 1873 Taylor street and thus
earned the sobriquet Potato Tom. His
brother is notorious pickpocket.
Bernard Is an experienced thief, at one
time the partner Of joe Touhill. who was
recently shot and killed in Oakland, and
was at another time the pal of Jake
Rhinehart, who is now doing time'' in
San Quentin for snatching a box contain
ing 1915 from Mrs. 4. Y. Towne. presi-
Dent Of the Boys and Girls Aid Society.
Moore is pickpocket, who has served a
term IN the Folsom prison. The evidence
against the men is comnete