The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-09
OWN OVERRUN BYTHIEVES
,co CoMPLAININTS BEFORE THE
uizEr Committee.

,,,,i.bcd All but undergraduates
u.coxcrcd in Two Instances Only.
NM hundred ard sixty New Workers WAC
,,,o suffered from the depredations o.
,n,oves some II them two or three times
,,,,hin the past few months. appeared be
,ors the Ma2et Committee in the County
court. house yesterday morning to tell o.
,.,ir losses and what has been done fol-
,hom nv the police. or these fifty were
c,amined and their testimony showed amaz
ing holiness among the criminals OF the
c,,y md a dcporHbc lack OF interest on
tho part Of the police in robberies, bur
pIarics, AMI street hold ups.
m, OF all the witnesses examined but
,vo we're found who had got back any part
NJ the property stolen from them. and one
=, those found his goods himself. All OF the
,,c,,rs save one declared that they had
M hope Of ever getting their property back,
and almost all said that the police had
shown utter unconcern. The testimony
showed also that New York thieves arc not
letting bars or bolts keep them away from
their plunder In a number OF the cases the
thieves effected entrances by tunnelling
through cellars cutting their way through
brick walls, and saving holes in floors and
ceilings.
At the opening OF yesterdays session Mr..
Moss. addressing the committee, said:
at is my purpose to-day to take up the
matter OF robberies aud burglares in this
city, and to show that the police, by their
viie-ope policy. are responsible for the
prevalence Of these crimes 1t has been
found utterly impossible to tabuate the
cases, for the books of the police stations
and those at Police Headquarters do not
agree at all, and in many cases names arc
misspellod. apparently on purpose. To illus
trate We found the entry OF a robbery OF
the firm of Kelley See, and after much
investigation learned that this referred to
the firm Of Carey G. Sides
Mr. Moss called C. c. Miller OF Port Rich
nloni who. with a friend named Swinton,
spent an evening at resort in Forty
fourth Street, short time ago. They
started down town in cab at eleven
o'clock, and stopped at Houston Street and
the Bowery TO get a drink While they were
inside. the Cabman, who had been paid in
advance, drove away. They stood on the
corner waiting for another cab There
Miller said a man struck him in the face
and made grab at his watch Two other
men tackled S"irton and got his $500 worth
Of Jewelry. Miller managed to hold on to
his man until policeman came UP and
arrested him.
And when this happened tho neighbor-
hood was ab!aze with lights and dozens of
people were walking to and fro, were they
no; asked Mr. Moss.
Yes, said the witness. ut was as light
a. day, and there were lots OF people
around"
After examining several other victims,
Mr., Moss read letter from Mrs. Walter
Bentley. wife OF a clergyman. giving the
details OF robbery which occurred at her
home PIG Eas' Twelfth Street, two weeks
ago, on Sunday evening Besides
stealing lot OF silvcrware and other valu-
aSIes, the thieves got away with the entire
church collection. They have not been
caught nor has any OF the stolen property
been returned.
number Of letters from others who had
'Vhered were read. In each case, the po-
lice had made perfunctory investigation.
but bad accomplished nothing.
David a. Doyle, dealer in trunks and
bags testified that two truck-loads OF
dreSs-sut cases and valises valued at
S'V'o were stolen from his place at Four
teenth Street and Fifth Avenue in May last.
Ihe police didn't succeed In finding thieves
or goods. Doyle remarked to the detec-
yves that 1t was strange that two truck
loads OF goods could be removed from his
place at night They replied that as a
number OF dirt carts had passed in the
heighborhood that night the man on post
couldn't hear the trucks
q Did you suggest the possibility of the
oticer seeing the trucks?
" Yes; but they thought that he couldn't
De expected TO see them as he had long
beat,
FIVE east-sde merchants were called in
succession, and each told OF a robbery that
h"p been reported Immediately TO the po-
nee win no return. Thomas B. Chrystal.
newspaper writer, OF 30 West Eighty
fourth Street testified that his apartment
was r"hhed, two months age, of $500 worth
VI J'Neiry. One Of the detectives who were
assigned 10 the case found his watch In
pa"E-Shop and took him down to the place
" set H. lie ha. to give the pawn broker
y" oeioTc he could get the watch. and he
H'So Paid the detective So for his trouble"
''e 'o'd the detective then and there. he
eU''' mat II any more OF his property was
iou"u IN Ea"n-S shops, he wasn't going to
p"S 10 get II out He never heard from
'He detective after that, and has never
'0uAi any more Of his stun
DAVID FoN of Fox q Hine VI 125 Blocker
street was called to tell about the famous
'0OoeFF IN his place on July 4, when $4,000
nor'h OF silk was cartcd off in broad day
"t".' ms was the robbery that citizen
A'eu 10 call Cart. Chapmans attention to
"""e 'hN' officer was explaining police du-
"'S TO new captain, and whilc the rob-
'eFy was going on
'. hav" YOU ever recovered any OF this
property \, No. sir.
v And have any arrests been made? A.
i'S' one Of the men was caught yesterday.
~ soIa t"enty-onc rolls OF the silk valued
~ S'''o in Long Island city, for $500.
M0h aN CIUii OF l2O West One Hundred
Suu lhlr'y-ti'h Street said that his fat