New-York tribune., 1895-10-27
ARSON PLANNED BY THIEVES
rr,,s CRIME INTENDED TO CONCEAL A
HEAVY SILK ROBBERY.
TIMELY p1scovERY-ARREsT OF THREE MEN As
,,,. p,-pct.ARs AND OF A FOURTH AS
THE RECEIvER-A CONFESSION BY
ONE OF THE PRISONERS.

THE RECEIvER-A CONFESSION BY
ONE OF THE PRISONERS
nlo, ~ commit arson by burglars who robbed
,bs silk house OF F. A. Strauss at NO s5 Greene
6, on the night Of September %. has been reVealeo
hv the confession Of one OF the thieves VINO ! nov
lacked I'D in the Hudson County On J) jail lie 'olu
,na detectives on Friday that IL was his intention
,a that Of hts accomplices burn the building.
f.a~ having stolen silk worth at least $2o0V They
cot away with property worth 5000. but their pan
- commit ars IN to up their crime was fruS-
tratel because they were interrupted by the ehgl-
neer employed in an adjacent building
Mr. Strauss went to Police Headquarters on the
morning OF September 3O and told Acting Captain
OBrien that on the night previous burglars had
robbed his establishment OF silk valued at So'""
Detectives Rynder and Rogers were detailed on the
case. and got their first clew 10 the thieves from
an engineer in the building No. lOi Woosier-st~'
which in the rear Of the place that was roOoeu'
DISCOVERED By AN ENGINEER.
The engineer said that at about o'clock on the
rorning of September 30 he was in the cellar Of the
Wooster-st building attending to his boiler. when
he heard noise on the third floor. He stole up
stairs and listened. heard footsteps and cried
twice: Who Is there" He got no answer, put
his voice evidently frightened the intruders for
they ran downstairs and out Of the building. He
saw three men. and gave a pretty good description
OF the burglars 10 detectives The latter learned
that John Bergen. porter who had oeen dischatsel
the day before by Mr. Strauss, had been seen oit-
ering around the building that night They went
10 Bergens home at No. % Greenwich-st.. but
failed to find him there and his wife said she knew
nothing Of his whereabouts. The detectives learned
that he had shown a friend ticket for Boston, and
said he going there.
AN ARREST IN JERSEY CITY
on October IS the detectives received Information
that Bergen had been arrested and locked up in
the Hudson County Jail for robbing candy store
al No SO Frankn-st.. Jersey City Heights. De
,ectve Rynders visited Bergen in the jail. Rynders
managed to Bergen indicted in NewJersey for
me robbery of Mr. Strausss establishment, and OBJ
tanned from him a confession Bergen said that he
and two confederates had planned and executed the
burglary. HIS accomphces, ne sald, We're imam
sternborn. alias Billy Balls, and John Lyons.
alas Lawrence. Bergen also confessed that c. r;
Rsher. silk jobber at No. 432 Broome-str had
The mater was laid before District-Attorney Fel-
lows. and the Grand Jury indicted the four men
steinborn was arrested on October ls at No 3l5
East Twelfth-st. Lyons taken into custody at
No 305 West One-hundred- nd-eighteenth-st. four
days later. and keiher, who lives in Paterson, y.
ness
THE PLOT FULLY CONFESSED.
The detectives visited Bergen again on Friday
az the Hudson County Jail. and obtained further
confession from him that startling Bergen said
that his plan and that of MS ellow-hieves to
rob Strauss of silk worth $4,000 and then set fire
the building in order TO conceal the robbery.
1hey TOOK with them 10 the Du4lulHs DO.ue CON
tanning cylinder oil mixed with kerosene. This bot
tie was placed in waste box In the building. to be
used when the silk had all been taken from the
place They were interrupted in their work by the
engineer. They had gained access from the Woos-
tsT-st. building TO the they robbed After being
scared away BY the engineer. they jumped into
covered wagon that waiting for them and
drove of with their plunder before the engineer
could alarm the police
Bergen said positively that the building would
have been set fire II he and his accOmplces had
been left there undsturbed for short time longer
Bergen told the detectives that be and two other
had also planned 10 rob the six house OF Civ
ernaud Brothers at No. Al Greene-st., and intend
police have succeeded I'm recovering part Of the
plunder taken from Strauss.
a SIGNIFICANT LETTER.
When Reiher was arrested letter found in
his possession which is regarded significant in
view OF Bergen's charges that he was connected
with the burglaries. II written TO him by F.
reads.
Il am counsel for Lyons Please hand bearer
money spoken OF a. retainer. and oblige
Bergen viii be brought 70 this city as soon as e%-
tradition papers prepared The charge against
Keiher s receiving stolen goods The three ofhtr
prisoners will probably be indicted for attempted
story Yesterday the detectives visited Strauss build
Ing and found the bottle OF oil in the waste box, as
described by Bergen. The detectives took ~ 10 To-
Ice Headquarters and turned 1t over TO Acting Cap
tain O'Brien
Bergen has an uncle living at No % New-Cham-
nsrs-st. and the detectives watched that house Tor
INTO their hands there. They we-e stu keeping me
house under surveillance when they learned OF Ber-
gems arrest In Jersey City.
10 IA alleged that Reiher paid the thieves WITH
cnecks on the Second National Bank or Paterson,
and that he them q "a pound for SILK yarn
"nlch was worth s. 30 pound. Reiher was tak"p
TO the Tonbs Later he vas admitted 70 bail In the
sum of 100 and left the TOnbs