The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-21
Two Robbers Who Made
Big Haul Of JeWelry.
Fate of Porter and Irving who
Cracked the Safes.
Man In the Northern Metropolis who
Seeks Information.


made good hauls OF booty in this town
of Roger Williams, but 1t is doubtful II
they ever made a more complete sweep
than in the case OF the looting of the
jewelry store of 9. Robert Linke, then
numbered n Westminster street. This
jewelry establishment was at the corner
OF Westminster street and McNesl lane,
in the old wooden building which pokes
its not very imposing front out beyond
the line OF surrounding structures. Mr..
Bnke was doing prosperous business:
The savings OF frugal life were invested
in the stock In this store and he had
taken the usual precautions to guard II by
providing two large and well built safes.
But these proved to be little protection
against the assaults of expert cracksmen
as Mr. Linke discovered to his sorrow
and almost his complete financial ruin.
On the night of June 27, 1879 Mr.. Fink,
clerk for Mr.. Linke, placed the valuable
jeweiry, watches, etc, In the safes and
locked them up rs usual. The following
morning when he opened the store short
ly alter o'clock, he noticed the door OF
one OF the safes slightly ajar. hasty
investigation showed that II had been
rified of its contents. When the other safe
was examined, that too. was found to
have been emptied of everything OF value
II contained. The subsequent investigation
made ny the police showed clearly the
means by which the robbers had effected
an entrance. In the rear of the jewelry
store and fronting on McNeal lane there
was another store which had previously
been used as a liquor saloon, but for
sometime before the robbery unoccupied.
A few days before the cracking OF Mr.
Linke's safes two men had called upon
the agent for the property, and on the
plea that they were looking for place
in which to establish a barroom request
ed, and were given, an opportunity TO
examine the vacant shop. These men
were unquestionabiy the ones who subse-
quently robbed the jewelry store. They
did not appear to be satisfied with the
shop and told the agent they would not
hire 1t. That was the last he saw OF them.
Their subsequent course was made
plain after the robbery. Sometime when
favorable opportunity presented itself
they pried open the door of the vacant
old lock, putting in its place one Of the
sssnap" kind and from this they carried
a,stout cord TO a window in which they
broke a pane OF glass. BY reaching
through the broken pane and pulling the
cord they could unlock the
trolman would, while making his rounds,
lind il was secure as usual. Having thus
made IL easy TO get into the shop in the
lane they bided their time until con-
ditions were right for the more important
work of robbing the safes. This came on
the night of June 81, when there was
considerable noise on the street, due to
the parade of military band. Then the
robbers cut through the partition sepa-
rating the shop in the lane from the jew
elry store and we're soon at work on the
safes. These were ripped open, ana the
antire contents valued at between $12, 900
end s16 600 were carried Off. The detec-
tives discovered that Billy Porter and
Johnny Irving were in the city on that
torious crooks were the ones who had
robbed MIR. Linke.
Later, however. when Porter was sent
enced to the Kings county, N. Y, peni-
tentiary for burglary committed in Brook
lyn, Mr.. Linke went on to see II he could
identify him as one OF the two suspicious
characters ne had noticed lettering about
his store just previous to the robbery. but
he failed to do so. Prison garb and a
clean shave and closely cropped hair made
this impossible. At the same time a
watch taken from Porter at the time Of
his arrest in Brooklyn was exactly the
same in appearance and in make and
differed only in single figure in the
the broken safes. so neither Porter nor
Irving were ever prosecuted in this State.
Porter, however, came to grief in Europe,
ana Is now believed to be serving long
term, while Irving was killed some years
ago in fight in a sixth avenue, New
York, saloon, by criminal as notorious
and desperate as himself.