The sun., 1897-11-25
ART COLLECTOR ROBBED.
THOMAS y. OIARKE's HOUSE LOOTED
M BURGLlRS.

lAft Behind Thitsr or Greater value
Thieves CauEht and Piunder Found At the
Rrsuss OF q Fence, whe IL Aiss Arrestea.
The house at 203 West Forty fourth street,
occupied by Thomas b. Clarke, who IL widely
known as an art collector, was entered by bur.
glars on Saturday night and $500 worth Of sill.
verware, plate. and clothing was stolen. The
estimate Of the value of the plunder is conserva-
tive. as Mr.. Clarke is not inclined 10 magnify
his losses. although he, is mono the less deter.
mined to aid in tho prosecution Of tho thieves,
who have been caught. Almost all OF the stolen
goods have been recovered, through extrnor-
dinarily quick work by the police, and three
youthful housebreakers and . notorious fence"
are awaiting examination tomorrow. The
thieves passed by articles of great value, pic.
turos and objects Of art from various lands, con-
fning't their foray.to a.hasty but fairly complete
riding Of q horizontal sectionof two rooms which
they could readily compass with the Aid Of the
small light by which evidently they worked.
Tho career OF tho captured fence 10 probably
cut short Just rs he was on the point Of en-
larsipR his operations. Some of the young
burglars have reformatory records.
Mr.. Clarke Is Chairman Of the Union League
Clubs Art Committee, and he has served on
similar committees Of other clubs when art
exhibitions havo been got up. His collec-
tion Of paintings is known as being distinctivey
one Of American art. It Is exclusively Ameri
can. His other art objects represent n very
much wider range Of collecting. Mr.. Clarke
10 known, too, as the giter Of prizes at the
Academy.
Mr.. Clarke and his family went to Now Ha
ven on Saturday to attend tho football game
The robbery was discovered when Mr.. Clarke
came home alone late that night. He said yes
terday:
i've lived in my present homo for twenty
one years, and during all the time tho house has
been protected. myself or some Of my family re-
manning there winter and summer. Until now
Il has not been visited by burglars. On Satur-
day Mrs. Clarke and my daughter and went
TO New Haven, where my son is at college
When got homo after the reception. having
left the others up there 1t was about o'clock In
tho morning. saw at q glance from the ap-
pearanoe of the hall that tho house had been
ransacked. stepped outside. closing the door
gently, and waited for . policeman, with the
usual wait. Finally got hackman, who sent
q policeman to me. He raped for help, and
others came quickly. We went through the
house. making the usual inventory or estimate
of what was missing and the matter was re-
ported TO Capt. Schmittberger at tho West
Forty.scventh street station. Police Headquar-
ters were also notified
the hall, and whatever canes and umbrellas
they found. together with my sons yalise, which
TOOK from the dining room. From there they
got q number of silver articles which my wife
had received at our twenty fifth Wedding ami
How they got that out without attracting at
tention cannot see 1t weighed 100 pounds.
way, evidently having had some hooked ar;
rangement by which they opened the grated
nothing to s pass. They cid not break anything
had come in 5y Just pushed TO- and then ne
chief " work in the hall Naniiestly their main
CLOCK CLOCK Without the key, and ii took some little
hunting to find the key. They got it and took 1t
.These.feliows are really somewhat interest
ing: They @ work on the level. & It seems. =, MS Every
line about at the height OF their shoulders.
Or where man would ordinarily carry a light
Te s es vsr5 AfS SEs They ass s$s Fss9
along wRsh shsy Moa e
ried thnt In either room; In me dining room
didn't get it, but took plate that was above ii.
They cleared out all that was likely to serve
:"They didn't touch pictures or bric-a-brac,
completely ignoring my predictions in mat
ters of art. which may be Of some comfort to
feared visit from burglars. They spurned
them.
L DeaTu nOLnliiK IurtneT ITOul tuc pOuC0
until 5 O'Clock this morning when I was
aroused & BY tTo men: who said t they were oft ;
from the precinct in which live. Detectives
Boyle and Pcppertead. who said that they had q
quantity of my stolen property at tho station
house. | dressed and went over here. and, sure
enough, there was almost everything that
had been stolen, and four prisoners. Some of
of two of the thieves. some from pawnshop', the
tickets having beenfound on man arrested on
street, who has been known for years as a re-
seiyer Of stolen goods: The police. how,e'ver, S,',
OF late he has been. l am told, receiving bicy-
cles particularly, just as old Grady dowIs
You know some of these fellows stick by just
one line.
dating. or to have been about to graduate to an
other GLASS. His bicycle specially makes me me
think Of a story my my man n. Mons % De Morgan who
that in Paris when winter comes the people put
up their bicycles at the pawn shop, whore they
taken out at the slight advance required.
Some of the thieves have been IN the Re,
youngsters Of the wes. ives side. One Of them has asa a
particular proclivity for Forty fourth street.
H q @ there sna hss ssn IN
dents who have escaped him that they need not
that one Of these crooks, ! think it wa, this
in this street. The case was clear against him,
but Mr. Michaels wouldn't aid In the prosecu-
tion, as he wanted to sail for the West Indies.
and did So The Judge said he disliked to let
the follow of for he surely would be at some
more work of the kind but that. as there was no
one TO witness for the prosecution, there was
nothing else to do but TO discharge him. I'm
not going TO the West Indies"
The prisoners. who were arraignod yesterday
in the West Fifty fourth Street Police Court,
were: Perry Burns Of $40 Columbus avenue,
John Barrett of 421 West Nineteenth street,
George Corr Of 2l5 West Thirty-sixth street, and
Joseph Russell of $50 Eighth avenue. They
John Barrett was the first one captured.
The detectives found him Sunday night at
Eighth avenue and Thirty ninth street, and
arrested HIM as a suspicious. person, Pawn
tickets for two overcoats were found in his pos
session Soon after Barrett had been locked up
tho deteetives saw Russell and Corr riding
through West Thrty-ninth street on tandem
bcye,e The % %wheelmen were reeognized as
sued them In q cab to Corr's room, where they
were placed under arrest.
From Barrett the detectives got enough In
formation to convince them that he and the
other two prisoners had entered Mr.. Clarke's
house. and that Perry HuFna nj TaluIn m