The morning times., 1896-11-24
CAUGHT At AN OLD CAME
-Flammsr Lewis, Arrest Believed
to Be Important.
WORKED IN MANY CITIES
He Tried to BunCo Woman Shop
keeper and Was Promptly Ar
rested-POlice Say He Has an
unsavOry Record and Has
Done Time.

Charles Lewis. twenty-eight years old
Il man OF many aliases and long police
record, was taken into custody last night
by Policeman Mulvey, charged with iiiIn-
lidmIning Miss DdNs vrupe, proprietor OF Il
confcctioner's shop at No. Ill Pennsyl
vania avenue northwest.
-..'Is MS game quite
extensively in thts1city and Baltimore and
his arrest is considered an important one.
Lewis entered Miss Grupe's shop shortly
before s o'clock last night and asked po-
litely II She wouid change Il two-doilar Llil,
saying that he would make a small pur-
chase 10 repay her for her trouble. He
bought five ceuts worth OF candy and
pushed the bill across the counter. AS
Miss Grupe was making the change Lewis
engaged her in conversation, and When
she placed the change on the counter he
picked 1t up and made motion as though
to put il in his pocket.
1Len he hesLtiIel. and. withdraw wing his
hand, remarked that he had the change
and would prefer to keep the bill. AT
the same time he placed the change on
the counter and produced a nickel from
another pocket,
WAS THE OLD GAME.
When the man had gone out Miss Grupe
discovered that he had kept dollar and
returned her oni $ % cents instead uf 81 80.
She hastencd TO the door and called Po-
liceman Mulvey, who happened to b..
passing.
AS the Young woman was explaining
the case to the officer, Lewis looked back.
and, realizing that the theft had been dis
covered, started to run. Mulvey did not
wait to hear more but started In pursuit.
Lewis ran up the Avenue to First street,
lodged into Purdy's court and came GU,
OH Il street. The patr0lmdn was close
behind him and at Second and b streets
overhauled his man.
AT the New Jersey avenue station Lewis
gave his name as Harry Williams and said
lie was twenty-cight years old He denied
having been in the candy store ana looked
W III well assumed innocence when told
tnat he was arrested for flint lamning.
Later in the evening the man was iden-
tlfied by Detective Horne of the central
office as Charles Lewis. The detective said
that Lewis had a very bad record with tie
police OF this and other cities and was con-
sidered a very slippery character.
HAS A BAD RECORD.
He has only been out OF the Eastern
pcnitcntiary of Pennsylvania u few weeks,
nut has returned to his old tricks again.
He was sent to the penite ntiary by the Bal
timore authorities under the name of
Van Allen, and was connected with a noto-
rious gang in the Monumental City.
About three years ago Lewis appeared In
Washington and enticed a young woman
to Baltimore. The couple stopped at q
hotel and in the afternoon went for a drive
in the country. While returning to the city
they We're held up and the woman was
robbed of several thousand dollars worth
OF diamonds
The highwaymen were eventually cap
tured. and at the trial it was proven tina,
Lewis was In collrsion with them.
Last night he refused to make any state
Inent and resisted all attempts on the part
Of the police to pump him. They have a
very clear case against him, however, ant
there viii he no trouble about identifyin.
him. Lewis is well dressed and of neat ap
pearance and looks anything but thief
He protested his innocence last night