The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-05
THAT P. Q. STAMP FENCE
RECORD OF CHARLES n. MoRsoN As
COSEY ISLAND DETECTIHE.

,,.a.- ,obp v. N~lrlknre's management OF the
p.,,cc Therc Nsorson WISE Supposed 20 Know
H,c,y Crook on tho Hsissd-Many stolen
watches Restored but Few Arrests N1ndc.
Since the arrest on Friday night byGovcrnment
| oa,ccrs OF Charles II. Morson, n Coney Island
bo,,, keeper, some interesting facts about Nor.
.on's cnreer have como to light. Morson was ar
rested by General Post Office Inspector George
n Waterbury Of Denver, Col, nftor a fight.
The specific charge against him is receiving
eooO worth Of stolen postage stamps from n
eonu Of Post Office robbers, who have recently
heen operating in the West. As a matter Of
toct. Norson is supposed to be the brains of the
gang. which, II the Government officers are to
ho belieyed, stole $4,000 worth of stamps
during the year 1896. Morson is now out on
~ 800 bail, and tho opinion has been expressed
that when the time for his examination comes
he will not be on hand.
For ten wears Morson has conducted the Park
House. which Ia little moro than q saloon, at
| Thirty fourth street and Breeze avenue. Coney
Island. During the days OF John Y. MclSane,
he and his brother Mark, who now conducts a
private detective agency in Brooklyn, were de-
~tectivcs on tho Gravcsond police force. Their
work was principally keeping track of the
movements Of crooks who went to Concy Island
and when robbcries took place the Morson
Olut "Nt PSSsS ~ AhA =" eOSN wv
rs to who were engaged in It.
IL used to he said Of Mckane that of tho hun.
drcds who went to him each year TO tell OF the
loss of watches and jcwclry there WIS n very
small percentage who didn't eventually get
their property back from the ruler Of Gravesend.
McKaue's ability to recover stolen property was
said to he due to the fact that no had the Nor
son brothers working for him. II was said they
had every crook on the island under their
thumbs and could send any of them to prison
on old cases that they knew Of, had they chosen
to talk. They preferred, however. II WINS OK
planned, TO keep their power. .
At that time the Park House was the resort
Of sporting men Of oT VEST nal repGtSnti 10 but but
Kane, the character OF the frequenters OF the
hotel changed. Negro and white toughs. small
OF the kid glove and silk hat sports Of the more
prosperous days. It was reported that gam.
license was never taken from him.
The Brooklyn police openly asserted yester-
day that they had long regarded Morson's
thieves. They also said that Morson was at one
time a crook himself, and was known to tho
police Of, several cities by the alias of Curly
Two years ago Inspector Jacob of the Post
Office Department went. to Brooklyn to look for
two crooks, Charles johnson, alias French
Louis, and Frank Sutton. The men had heen
looting Texas Post Offices, and had been traced
to Brooklyn. Morson at this time. in addition
- AsDNS't '"S ~ f'CAto ~ -
Willoughby stpeet, Brooklyn, and both of his
places were closely watched by the police at
the request of Jacob. -.
At about the same time Chief Reynolds OF
tho Detective Bureau was looking for some
burglars who had been operating on the Park
slope. He had Information that johnson and
Sutton were the men, and he finally located
them in n fiat not far, from Prospect Park.
They were found first in Morson's poolroom,
were followed TO Morson's hotel. where they
seemed to be on terms of intimate friendship
with everybody, and then to tho fiat they were
living in.
They were arrested one morning as they left
the fiat loaded with burglars tools. Both are
now in Jail in the West. 1t was a~ftcrward
learned that the men were regular patrons Of
Morson's hotel and that they sometimes
stopped there for u week at n time. Two other
notorious crooks who have been arrested with
in recent years have been caught at Morson's
They arc Herbert Steele. the dynamiter, and
Frank Loomis, the burglar, who became insane
in prison.
Inspector Waterbury,, who arrested Morson,
Is himself an interesting character. He used
to be Chief of Police OF Denver and Is well
known in the West for his courage. He was
warned not to tackle Morson himself. and q
squad OF police was offered to effect the arrest,
Waterbury laughed at the offer and arrested
Morson himself in the Park Hotel He drew
his revolver only after the frequenteTs of the
place showed u disposition to interfere.