New-York tribune., 1902-12-30
THIEF DROPS DIAMONDS.
CROWD PILES ON HIM.
He Breaks U1ndo7c and Seizes
Iray-FZ0u9ishes ReUOfUer.

It was about 6 o'clock last night when a
youthful looking stopped in front of the
pawnshop of r. Simpson & Co. at No. 143 West
Forty second-st.. and gaZed into the show WIN
dow, which contained jewelry valued at SlOoooo
AS he looked his eyes gllttered almost much
as the diamonds on which their gaze was fast
ened. For moment he stood there. motionless
Then he went away quickly. Soon he returned
a heavy object wrapped in newspaper in one
hand. His arm went back, and with swing
it drove that object. q paving block. through
the window The missile made a hole big enough
for a man 20 crawl through. and into 1t shot
the same arm that had swung. the hand seizing
a tray containing forty-eight diamond rings and
studs valued at over $4,000.
The street was crowded with pedestrians, and
the crash and tlnkle of the breaking glass were
heard high above the hustle of the street, AS
men and women stopped and looked. man with
white face shot through their midst, one
arm pressing something beneath his coat close
to his body.
stop thief
The crowd turned, and the chase after the
white faced man began. over piles of dirt
stone and subway debris in Forty -second-st
he ran to Sixth-ave and then to Fortieth-st., a
crowd of two or three hundred persons at his
heels led by Alfred Plumpton, clerk employed
in the pawnshop.
At Fortfeth-st the hunted turned and
ran west through that street. There he tired,
and in front of No. 265 the crowd began to
close on him. with Plumpton in the lead. Spe-
cial policeman Hugh Sheridan. who Is employed
TO protect property along the block. came run
ming from the opposite direction Morrison saw
him and tried to double on his tracks by dodg-
ing across the street. He turned, to see the
crowd right at his heels Then he jerked out
a revolver which afterward proved not to
have been loaded, and aimed it at the crowd
Don't touch mel" he yelled. I'll shoot the
first man that comes a step nearer
Plump.on ducked under the weapon that still
pointed at the crowd, and dealt it's holder
blow under the ear He fell to the ground.
PlumptOn top of him The downed man sue
ceeded in throwing Plumpton off He was on his
feet in an instant. and turned to grapple with
Sheridan. The two went down together in the
mud, and rolled over and over, fighting. Others
piled on top of them. and in the struggle the
thief received the worst of the deal. He
kicked several times in the back and on the
head. Then Detective Reid, of the West Thirty
seventh-st. station. appeared and arrested him.
An ambulance was called from Roosevelt Hos
pital. and the prisoner was taken there where
two three scalp wounds were fixed up.
Then he was locked up. lie gave ms name as
William Morrison. and said he was twenty six
years old. He does not look to be more than
twenty, and is mere STRIPPING in size and ap-
pearance. He Is smooth Shaven, and his face
and general air add weight to the story told by
him, that he out of work. hungry and had
money and tempted by the display of
jewelry in the show window.
He at first said he lived at No. 122 West
Forty fourth-st, and later said he came here
from Boston couple of days ago.
He was searched for the diamonds. None
were found on him. however but the side
walk between the show window and the gutter
in front of the pawnshop, were found four of the
stones.
Detectives went over the route which Morris
had traversed to try to recover some of the dia-
mOnds which had been dropped the side
walks.
Afterward the detectives said that the prs-
oner had told them he had given assumed
name He then said he Angus w. Nc
PhersOn head bellboy in one Of the principal
city hotels. Last summer, the police say, he
worked at the Hollywood Inn at Long Branch
They would not give the of the hotel
where he works
He told them, they said, that ne had got
heavily into debt, and that he pressed for
money. He served a private in Company
l.. of the G1st Regiment. in the Spanish -Ameri-
can War under Captain Austin, and was hon
orably discharged in November. 1898.
Up to II o'clock the detectives had not re-
covered any of the lost diamonds. nor had they
found the tray whichphad contained the tewelry.