The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-31
CAREER OF A Detective
Sergeant Riley Caught Many Famous
Criminals in His Time.
NO CRITICISM FROM LEXOW
Run Down Embezzler Weeks at Costa
Riea, and Was Concerned in the Arrest
OF Ruloff, Notorious Murderer
and Organizer of Thieves.
BY the United Press.

BY the United PreSS.
New York, Dec. 3O.-There is one man
at least connected with the New York
police department, who has escaped
criticism at the hands of the LeXoW
investigating committee. That man Is
Detective Sergeant Phil Riley. He has
a record to be proud of. 1t was Riley
who was sent 20 Costa Rica to run
down and bring back Weeks, the en-
bezzler, concerning whom so much was
said in the papers about a year ago.
Weeks ruined a score of confiding vic
tins by his operations and got away
with hundreds of thousands of dollars
and then fled with his wife to Costa
Itica. Another remarkable case took
Riley to Chilli, where he worked for
eleven months running to earth a young
man who had been the confidential
bookkeeper of New York law firm and
had stolen $4,000. During his long
stay there, before he succeeded in en-
meshing the fellow, Riley learned to
speak Spanish with some fluency. In
the thlrty-one years during which he
has been in the detective work in New
York, Riley has made several trips to
Europe after criminals, three times to
london, twice to Copenhagen and once
each to Dublin Glasgow and Edin-
burgh, besides visiting every state in
the union.
Capture of RulOff.
One of the most famous criminal
cases in which Detective Riley was con-
cerned was that of Ruloff. 1t is now
twentyyears since he was executed, but
his case is famous in the police an
nails of the metropolis. Ruloff had a
fine mind and would have made his
mark in any other line of work. He
had an immense brain. After he was
executed it was found that his brain
weighed two ounces more than that of
Daniel Webster. Ruloff was the organ
izer of as dangerous gang Of criminals
as ever infested the metropolis. He
had his agents in many places where
one would hardly look for them and
was apprised of opportunities for theft
in the most direct and certain manner
He had had n long career. The case
which led to his conviction and eXecu-
tion was the robbery of a large dry
goods house in Binghamton, N. Y. Ru-
loft had an agent in Claflin's big store
in New York and through him learned
of the shipment of $4,000 worth of fine
silks to Blnghamton. He at once
planned to steal them. With two men
he reached Binghamton the day the
dc dol 4hapA 10 ba
plans to rob the store that night. En-
trance was effected and Ruloff re-
mained on the outside to guard and as
sist in getting away with the plundel
when 1t had once been secured.
1t happened that two clerks slept in
the store and they were awakened by
Ruloff's companions as they effected
their entrance. The clerks made a
game fight. In the encounter one of
the clerks was shot dead by the burg
lars, but not before both of the despera-
does had received serious if not mortal
wounds. The burglars made their es-
cape without booty. When outside Ru-
loft quickly discovered that both men
were badly injured and could not es-
cape. They We're compelled to cross
the river as the quickest way to avoid
pursuit and a boat had been provided
before hand. They embarked but be-
fore the other shore was reached Ruloll
had thrown both his cOnfederates over.
board and drowned them. The case ex-
cited an immense amount of attention
and the metropolitan detective forca
was put to work upon it. They finally
traced Ruloff to earth and fastened the
crime upon him in a we'll woven and
complete net of circumstantlal evil
dence.
Other proof was obtained to confirm
this and the arch conspirator was final
ly convicted and hanged for the triple
murder he had been directly guilty of
Doubtless II the truth were known he
was responsible for a score or more of
other murders for which no one was
ever apprehended