The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-23
HELDUPABANK, THURSDAY
ALL FoUR ca 90 MT AND sENrENo ED
ON FRIDAY.

for Ten Years. snd the laird. who
| Psaobed o.. Hts Pals. for seven-The
| Fourth Goes to Einirs-An Plead Gu,ity.
| Four crooks. John Decker. John Murphy.
| George Liddel and Max Davidson. whose pic
| tnres all In the Rogues' Gallery. met with
swift punishment At Justice Cowing's hands
yesterday for daring but unsuccessful attempt
| on Thursday afternoon to hold up and rob Henry
| Pinkus. who keeps a small bank in Grand
| street, between Mott and Elizabeth streets.
Iddsll. the leader. who 10 81 years old. and has
| just come out OF the Kings county penitentiary.
| when captured peachcd on his pals, turned
States evidence In the District Attorneys
| Office. and forced his con federates to join him In
pleading guilty.
| The attack or Banker Pinkus was made at
$3.50 O'Clock on Thursday afternoon, ana at $3.50
o'clock yesterday afternoon all four OF the
| crooks were in cells In the Tombs. three SEN
fenced to imprisonment In Sing Sing and one to
| the Elmira Reformatory. Each could have been
| sentenced as an old offender to twenty years
| Imprisonment, but their plea OF guilty sparing
| the State the expense Of trials also saved them
| the full sentences. Decker and Murphy were
! sentenced to ten years each. Liddell got seven
| years, his sentence being shortened three years
In recognition of the aid he gave to Capt. O'Brien
IN procuring the prompt capture Of his confcd-
| crates
|
| learned that the Job TO rob Banker PInkus was
| planned by Jonn Decker in his rooms at 90
| Melrose street. Brooklyn. Decker Is 81 years old
! and pretends to be n wood carver. He is known
| to the police under the aliases OF Dietzel and
Becker. In 1893 he was sentenced to two ana
| IA hnlf years in the Kings county pcnitentiary
| for grand larceny. His rooms were headauar-
tiers. according to Llddell. for n nightly rendsz-
| vous OF ex-convicts. Liddell, who Is a cracker
| baker by trade, met Decker in prison.
to which no had also been sent in 1893
| for burglary. He says that he lived at PA
Second avenue. Decker took into the plot with
| him both Murphy and Davidson. Murphy, who
| is % Year, old. lived Mt 10 Carmine street and
| worked occasionally a. truck driver. He got
four and q half years in 1903 for grand larceny.
Davidson Is Is years old. and by trade n plumb
| er's assistant. He was n vicious lad and Ave
| years ago his mother was mpelled to have him
| committed to tho House OF Refuge rs incor-
| rigible.
Decker had evidently made q close stady of
| Banker Pinkuss place, and he knew. too. appar.
| entity. that he had been held up once BEFORE
| about ten years ago. when he kept q bank near
hts present quarters. The robbers got away with
| their plumber on that occasion, and wero not
| caught. Their visit made the banker buy re-
| volver to protect himself against future rob-
| bers. The bank is in n room about twenty feet
| square on the ground floor OF hve-story tene-
ment A partition cuts this room into two
apartments, the rear OF which the banb-
er uses A. his private Office. Tho
front Is furnished with counter about three
aud half feet high. protected by high wire
netting. fitted with two little windows with
wicket gates. through which money 4. passed
| out to the customer. Decker had calculated
! that there vudlG hs about 81 200 to capture.
There WA. within $50 Of that amount Ia tho
| ssfe, the door OF which WAS open when the four
| crooks arrived tn commit the robbery
Having been burglar, l.iddcl was chosen TO
! revolver with u long barrel. All four men wore
| SLOUGH hats aud rough ovrrcoat. Lddell and
pretended not TO know each other. I.iddeii had
h.s hama IN hi, overeoat pocket Stripping
from the door, and asked for two two
cent stamps. Liddeli stepH"d up to the
with his back to his confederate- He planned
| to cover the door and keep any customers out
wilson stood on watch just outside the door.
| William h. Ksplan, Plnkus's clerk, was in tho
noticed Liddell just As he turned around To give
the stamps to Murphy: He opened the gate to
:" Your money" cried Liddeil: hold up your
hands" and he thru.t his revolver through tho
window at the bankers chest.
Pinkus didn't hold up his hands but al
| though he had revolver under the counter
sesd 81 r,ss% Win snIrnS ssoS 'If H. m
| dosp.rsIiocs. and then letting ont a shrlll yell
he turned aud dashed into the back room to his
They're robbers" he shouted in prolonged
| shrek.
Liddcll was apparently unprepared for. any
such action. Tie front door flew open and
Murphy and Decker took To- their heels. Liddeli
himself damned his revolver back into his
oyercoat pocket and Joined his confederates in
hleht
and shouting loudly after the four retreating
tgures. started In pur.nit Then pinkus sud
three robbers in lie hank might simply be a
ruse 10 draw him and his clerk away. ana leave
the fourth confederate Tree 20 ransack the safe,
shouting after his CLERK to pursue the fugtives.
The robbers parted at the corner OF Mott street,
aud two OF them disappeared In opposite direc-
t.ons. while L'ddell and Davidson kept on along
Mot, street with the clerk at their heels Yell
ing al, the top OF his lungs for the police.
in tailor store At Mott and Grand streets. and.
The two robbers ran To Brooms and thence to
Elizabeth street. Al the latter corner Liddell
post ran plumb into Rem. who grabbed him by
the arm and shoulder. Lidd-ll had seemingly
when ns IN has mot .snm
Joined. Rem and Kspian, brought Lid.
at n.Ss to the ns ySsns con-
tn. hank =, moment n,ei ,""t ads,l Into
| son. lie was sullen and refused to say any
thing. Capt. THOMPSON took him MP toCapt.
quarters. where he was recognized. Liddell,
who had given his name at the station as George
u. "
and later told the story OF tho attempted rob-
berry. He told tho Captain that he and the
others had arranged 10 meet after tho robbery
and divide the booty In the middle Of the prom
| enade OF the Brooklyn Bridge. In case the plan
failed. they were all IN meet at night at Deck
! er's house. lie gave Capt. O'Brien the addresses
OF all three.
-Four detectives FASTENED to BROOKLYN and
with local detectives surrounded Dccker's house
and captured him In company with John Cordes.
| - years old, OF - South Third street. Early
| yesterday morning they also captured Murphy
and Davidson. The prisoners did not know ut
| tho time that L!ddcll had pcached on them. Ho
| acquitted Cordes OF any knowledge OF the hold
up. I.iddell offered to turn States evidence.
and Capt. O'Brien sent him down to District
Attorney Ocott's office with Banker Iinkus.
| The Grand Jury was In session. and indictments
were found against all four robbers. Decker,
Murphy. and Davidson saw the game was up,
| and said ihey would plead guilty. When Dis
| trict Attorney Dcott heard OF this the indict-
ments were drawn 80 that the prisoners would
! be sentenced rs first offenders only. The indct-
| ments were found at o'clock. Just an hour
| later all four prisoners were arrngned before
| Judge Cowing. They put In their pleas OF guilty
| promptly. The Judge look ed at the men sternly.
"This crime was committed a 4 O'Clock yes-