The Portland daily press., 1895-07-17
WHOLESALE PILLAGING.
New York Invaded by a Gang Of
Skilful Thieves.
HOTEL GUESTS SEEM TO BE
THEIR SPECIAL PREY.
Police Are PowerIess to Detect the Crimi
nals-A Long List of Houses That Have
Been the Scene of a Robbery-A Dem
yer Sheriff Among the Victims.

AdlS-A Long 1A1SC Oh dOuSco 1ldb nave
Been the Scene of Robbery-A Dem
yer Sheriff Among the Victims.
New York, July 16.-Within fortnight
these hotels, in the heart of New York,
have been robbed by band of hotel
sneaks. No arrests have yet been made by
the police, and none of the property has
been recovered.
ST. Cloud Hotel, 42d street and Broad
way.
Hotel Metropole, 41st and 4ad streets
and Broadway.
Oriental Hotel, 39th street and Broad
way.
Hotel Marlboro, Seth street and Broad
way
Hoffman House, 25th street and Broad
way.
Continental Hotel, Goth street and
Broadway.
Aberdeen Hotel, 10Th street and Broad
way.
Union Square Hotel, 18th street and 4th
avenue.
St Denis Hotel. 11th street and Broad
way, near Bleeoker street.
There is every reason to believe that
within the last fortnight, certainly since
July 1,New York has been invaded by
band of..expert thieves, whose speciality
is the robbing of hotel guests.
.They have continued their harvest, ap-
parently unobstructed, going from one
hotel to another, and by. means as vary
ing as they werelingenious, looted to the
right and left
Tho police were informed of the thefts
at che beginning. The precinct comman-
ders were notified, and the detective bu-
reau at police headquarters was informed.
Detectives were. assigned to each case,
but no clews have been found and no ar
rests have been made.
So far as the police have knowledge of
anything save the bare occ urrences, the
thieves are apparently as safe as they
| were at the beginning of their depreda-
tions.
The hotel proprietors have done all il.
| their power to keep the losses of their
guests secret.
In many instances they have merely re-
| funded the value of the articles stolen,
and SO quieted their patrons But none
of them has been content with merely
notifying the police.
They have employed additional pirate
detectives, and have placed them among
| their employees. But the ''sneaks' have
been too smart to leave anything Elike
clew to their identity behind.
| They have robbed and simply disap-
peared, and the police are at loss.
| The significant part of this series of
robberies is that there has been no group
of similar depredations in This city for
more than two years.
1t was until recently the boast of the
detective bureau of the police department.
out of town and that, as they were we'll
known to the police, they were always
taken into custody as suspicious persons
upon their return, and held by the police
until their desire to ply their occupation
had entirely fed, #H
Some days ago Proprietor Barry of the
St. Cloud Hotel notified the police that
thre robberies had taken place in his
establishment. Mr.. Barry has taken spec
ial care that his guests should have not
only every comfort, but also that they
should be protected in every sense by pri-
vate detectives
Five orssix days ago Mrs. Commies and
Miss Commies of Albany arrived in the
city and took room on the third floor
of the ST. Cloud. The windows looked
out on fire escape. They retired early
and were not disturbed during the night,
but when they awakened in the morning
they found to their am azement that
their travelling bag had been cut open
during their sleep and pocket book, con-
tanning a considerable sum of --money,
had been stolen. On their dressing case
they discovered revolver, which had
been left by the thief and near it rusty
jackknife, which had apparently been
er bag.
Their room door was locked, the mar
auder having entered apparently by the
fire escape.
They notified Mr. Barry, and he at once
put his detectives to work, and again
called upon the central office, but to no
more purpose than had been achieved in
two other instances of robbery which
had occurred on the second and third
floors short time before. In each of
these instances money and 1ewelrie had
been stolen, and apparently the theft had
chosen the fire escape as his means OF
entrance.
Though the police promised to afford
some satisfaction to Mr.. barry Within
short time, nothing definite has been
heard yet
Propr ietor Purdy, of the Hotel Metrop-
ole, on July and 5, had two cases of
thievery in his house, which, in the
methods employed, differed somewhat
from the experiences at the st. Cloud.
"Bat'' Masterson is from Denver. and
he is known all through Colorado as one