New-York tribune., 1896-05-04
A WILD NIGHT RIDE.
BICYCLE THIEVES PURSUED FOR MILES
BY THE MAN THEY ROBRED.

THE ALARM GIVEN by A ONE EYED DoG-AIL
THE WHEELS RECOVERED AND FOUR OF THE
FIVE ROBBERS CAPTURED IN HOBOKEN.
A ten-year-old black -and-tsn dog. which has the
misfortune Of possessing only eye. respon-
sble for the apprehension Of four bicycle thieves
and the recovery OF five wheels In Hoboken early
yesterday morning. Incidental 10 the arrest. the
owner Of the stolen. property chased the thieves
from Bayonne along the Hudson Boulevard to Gut
tenburg in his nightshirt, and on his return was
mistaken for one Of the robbers and was captured
by three Union Hill policemen
Anton Schefers,cin keeps bicycle agency at No.
1.05i Avenue c. Bayonne He lives at No 46 West
tifty-first-s. 125 feet from the shop, which Is a
one-story frame structure. Before retiring on
Saturday night. Schefersteia placed his blackand-
tan dog, which he never called anything but Pup,
in the store to keep company with an ordinary
watch dog, whose duty consisted in soaring away
robbers. The watchdog securely tied to keep
him post, but Pup allowed to around
at Will.
About o'clock yesterday morning five young
men. four OF whom subsequently captured,
pred open a window and entered the store
where they selected four 800 bicycles and s75
wheel which stood In their racks. They took the
machines to a vacant lot. mounted them and rode
off. while the two dogs Up a terrific barking as
a parting salute.
Pup the one-eyed dog, knew that the visitors
were not regular customers of his master and he
proved himself 10 be n wonderfully sagacious little
fellow. for he left the sAop through the open door,
ran to schefersteins house and yeped until his
master aroused from his slumbers and went
downstairs to what the matter. Pup
manifested the greatest delight at seeing his master
and barked all the louder. Schieferstein surmised
that something wrong at the shop and hastily
putting on his trousers and coat over his big white
q
everything In disorder five wheels missing and the
watchdog standing guard
He realized that there was no time to spare so
d!schargng his revolver twice in the air 10 inform
the policeman post that his services needed
Immediately. schiefers,ein mounted wheel and
started up the Boulevard In pursuit OF the thieves
He admitted afterward that he must have made a
funny spectacle he scorchei along over the
du"ty road. because. In his extreme haste. he had
neglected 10 properly his night garments away.
The bicycle man wears a black beard. which made a
striking his expane Of white linen. but
he did not think OF those things then.
lie first stopped at the Fifth Precinct Station
house In Greenville where he told the police to
send out an alarm, ard then resumed his Journey.
after meeting a Greenville policeman. who said
that he had seen a party Of bicyclists slowly maxi
ing their way up the Boulevard. Schieferstein then
knew that he was the right track and he re-
doubled hir energies speeding away Ike the wind.
pecting TO overtake the thieves but he did not
meet a soul ne says until he reached West New
ark ave- Jersey city. where he met two or three
small boys one of whom. IN answer TO a question
as 70 whether any wheemen had passed. informed
him that they had gone by some time before.
The bicycle dealer. who was by this time begin
ming to feel the effects OF his spin. encouraged
by this Information and got up extra speed lie had
the road all 20 himself until he reached Zabrskie-
q, when his heart was cheered by seeing bicyclist
approaching In the opposite direction The stranger
sped by and failed to obey schiefersein's admoni-
ton: "IIi there stop Instead the fellow eX-
erted himself ard worked the pedals all the harder
while Schlefersteln turned his wheel around and
gave chase The race only lasted for three or four
blocks when the stranger turned down side
street dsmounted and ran into open door. The
Bayonne man did not follow him into the house but
10 his d,ght found that Il was onc of the 1--WE
which had been stolen from his shop
TO and the thief schieferslcn did not lose much
time with the officer but simply asked him to take
charge OF his wheel while he resumed the chase on
the machine which had been cast aside by the thief
Il don't know exactly how far ! went up the
boulevard" said Scneferstein yesterday, 'but
guess Gid the limit | know | reached the end OF
Guttcnburg when decided to return In coming
said that was their prisoner protested nut they
accused me OF stealing wheel from bayonne
them | told them that was the one who had been
robbed. but they wouldn't believe me and took me
,or half an hour until a telephone ge
sent TO the Sixth Precinct. Jersey City. for de,
scrlpilon OF me Word came back 10 let me 30, ana
! mounted and was Off again.
II was pretty tired and 70 make matters worse
IL began to rain and found It hard work pedallins
through the mud. ! was covered with drt Dy the
time I reached the spot where missed the flrst
fellow There met the policeman who took charge
of my wheel and he told me that wouldn't have
TO look any further as he had Just received word
that four bcyclists had been captured IN iioDQken
| felt better. and came down 10 see II the wheels
were mine which proved 10 be the case
While Mr.. Scheferytein was exchanging MS "hee'
for the machine ridden by the th.ef whom ne inet
in ,he sixth Precinct Jersey city Heights, the four
other thieves left the boulevard and spun down me
Paterson plank road TO iIoboken. An alarm by TINS
time had been sent out to all the police stations III
tImdson County and the Hoboken police were in
readiness TO arrest anybody riding a wheel VINO
st,emnted 10 cross the ferrils 10 New-York
Inst before the $50 o'clock boat left the barclay
G, ain four wheelmen rode up and were hlrrylns
"a catch the boat, when Sergeant Flattcry, De-
tectve Fallon and Policeman Gcrken placei tneh
under arres, and took them to Police Headquarters
where they were booked as Henry Smith. twenty
one years old a tin-roofer. or NO 3-S west twenty
elrhth-st: Robert Ryan. nineteen years Ola;
decorator of No. 500 East Thirty-sixth-st; Stephen
Murphy nineteen years old. an express driver, OF
To acG Fast Thrty-sixth-st.. and Thomas Williams,
tweniy-onc years Old. printer OF NO SD west
Thirty -fourth-st all OF New-fork.
They were charged with breaking entering ana
,,rccnv The Ave wheels valued AT $40. were re-
n,areS and fully Identified by Schefers'en. The
Rayorr, bicycle dealer also recognized TWO or me
nrisone-s whose names he did not know. as feliows
who hired two wheels from him two weeks ago anu
forgot return them ,, .L.. h,,
Schiefersten never expected, ne sald tnat ms
on.-eved black -and-tan Pup would ever amount
10 ANYTHING He now declares he would not part
Win His dog detective for any amount OF money