The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-29
ON LETTING THIEVES GO.
HTS Br THOMAS n. CLARK,
THE NAN THEr ROBBED.

R.n-GAye Frteudiess CoFr SiK Months.
p.,,rder Coz let Perry Burns go yesterday
r,s,- suspension of sentence. Burns 10 the
-t.,eer at whose place in Columbus avenue
-r-r found the $500 worth of silverwRro stolen
lac, November from Thomas b. Clark. tho art
collector and club man, while he and his family
r,rs away from their homo at 203 West Forty
fourth street attending the big Yale football
r.ns At New Haven. Burns had pleaded guilty
70 receiving stolen goods with the knowledge
thai they were stolen. lie had been known to
the police as a receiver OF stolen bicycles, but
they had not known before that he took stolen
,i,v.-. He was arrested in his bed at = o'clock
IN the morning. and his wife told the police then
that abe had tried for years to get him to give
en- such business, warning him repeatedly Of Its
dangers
The Recorder had previously set free under
Suspended sentence John Barrett, who. with
George Corr, stole the silver and q 10o-pound
elo,k and some overcoats from Mr.. Clark's
house Barrett was so well known to the police
before the CLARK robbery that he was arrested
merely on suspicion. on the very night Of the
robbery, by Detectives Boyle and Pepperted Of
the West Thirty seventh street station They
found on him pawn tickets for two overcoats
which proved to be Mr.. Clark's. 1t was discov-
cred a little later that besides pawning the coats
ne nA0 luTuCl w Lhp ANoso - Aah ieA y PtSP
erty to Burns. Previous to this arrest he had
been in custody once for shooting . boy in the
back. 1t was said that the boy had told Of some
nj Barrett's misdoings. Neither Burns nor Bar
rett was locked up long on the charges made
agAirst them, both getting bail. With Corr,
who is a youngster and could get no bail the
Recorder was not SO lenient. He sent Corr to
Tie penitentiary for six months.
The robbery Of Mr.. Clark's house attracted
some attention at the time because Of the gen
eral knowledge that Mr.. Clark had in his house
q large collection Of American paintings and OF
edc-a.brac and other objects Of art ranging over
q wider field. Itsseemed odd that the burglars
hal passed over some of the valuable art OBJ
jects, especially those easily portable. This was
explained when Mr.. Clark found that the thieves
had worked only along q line about at the height
Of their should ers-"worked on the leyel," as he
said-as though they had been aided only by
the light of a small bicycle lantern which It
Ing beioW:or:above the line and even took some
plated ware that was on the line and overlooked
some solid silver that was just below II.
robbed when he got, home from New Haven
late on Saturday night Of the week. before
Connecticut. That day was the first time the
house had been left unguarded in twenty-one
years. Mr.. Clark got policemen, and they went
through the house, and reported the matter at
the Forty-seventh street station. 1t WAS, rs
has been stated, by reason merely Of Barrett's
enth street station nabbed him and happened to
end the pawn tickets in his pocket. Then they
went out and arrested Corr, who was known to
b an associate of his and SO got at the story of
the robbery and learned the whereabouts Of the
booty.
citizen in assisting the, prosecution Of the rob
bers. A resideptsof the same street. who was
robbed some time previously had felt that no
couldn't postpone o trip to India for the sake Of
appearing against q mai arrested for the crime,
and the prisoner therefore got OF. He was young
tering the CLARK house. Mr.. Clark stayed in
the city, ready for summonses whenever they
u have remained here for sixty.two days."
be said yesterday. when he learned Of Recorder
COTS disposition of the last Of the prisoners
business matters, not daring to leave town for
fear OF subpoenas, which como a few hours only
SsiG5s G 9o % %sss niSst Is Is r wSntss IN IN S %s +
the prosecution Of the men who robbed my
house. During this time have been called to
ended SO far as 1 am concerned. and / haven't a
word of criticism for the Recorder or the police
am in q state Of panoramic amazement. The dc.
manner that leaves me almost daEed. There
arc countries where @ man who is run over IL
people are punished for carelessness il their
ferent, but it seems that here a man is punished
for being robbed. while the robbers get Of.
Certainly, the apparent deduction is that l
shouldn't have como home at 2 o'clock in the
moorning after being out of town for a day.
As say. was called several times to court.
thieves a postponement was granted until Jan.
" vas finally agreed upon for the day of the
s sas The Barrett sass s slsftsd t S3m have we. a s separate to trial;
day. He had a choice array of witnesses to at
test his good character and to show that he
Witnesses was a big saloon keeper Of the neigh.
Dorhood where ne was arrested. The awkward
. moved HS tSSt Barrett sns,s t Ssd 9Se EicE Ess d that 4. t dsy
before the pawnbroker issued them. When It
became perfectly clear from a few little things
70 the charge on which he was being tried
e eaEif!af % r& tR .ae s Stolen d sG1ss, ths third to 5 Rlsad
In the indictment. This he was permitted to
do, and the 2lst inst. was set for the sentence.
decided to plead guilty to tho lesser count.
Burns sT,S pleaded guilty to r%eceivins stolen goods
PASSING wrsa sn Of seaisect se on tt 5hey tw weT w,s stolen Safsrrod The
Before the time fixed for sentencing Barrett
lame | received word from Recorder Con to
day morning. the 21st, and had a compensation
with the Recorder. He asked me If I had not
He said, that he didn't like to send Barrett 10
me Eimira Reformatory; because that would not
said that I sympathized with the affection felt
Tor the man, and that / had been obliged to abb
- romnv SoknLanC0 OF IL, as i nau Deen ap-
preached by different persons on the way to and
rom court. The Recorder said he disliked to
SEND Barrett TO the penitentiary, as that would
throw him among thieves immediately. ven
cured TO recall to him that the man was a self
confessed associate of thieves. To be brief, the
fecorder concluded by saying that ] need not
De IN court when sentence was passed unless /
wanted TO be. l was there. The Recorder leo
tured Barrett and told him that II he over came
before him again he would send him up for five
years. and then no let him go.
NOW he has let Burns go and sent Corr-the
only one who has been locked up for the last two
mSnths-t9 the peniteptiary, apparently for
~hat he did some time before he robbed my
mouse, as the Recorder said when he deferred
sentence in his case that he wanted TO find out
about some case in which Corr had previously
peeh arrested. The Recorder sentenced Corr 10
me feformatory, but Corr made a speech in
Which he said. am Informed, that ne didn't
want TO 90 there and didn't think that IL was
,ais to send him there, the others having got of, |
eha that he would rather 20 to the peniten-
tiary: The Recorder then consented to send
him 10 the penitentiary for six months. and SO
MS sentence stands,
! ! say, | have no criticism to pass, and
am done with the case, but / share In the amaze
ment such a state of things must cause. I'm
portahce was attached to the fact that my prop