New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-05-30
THIEF TWICE SHOT MAY DIE
DETECTIVES BULLETS STOP HIS
FLIGHT FROM MOB.
WITH COMPANION. WHO ESCAPES WITH
SO HE ASSAULTS FISH DEALER-BOTH
BREAK FROM -CAPTORS.

In pursuing q man charged with robbery last
night, Detective Sweet. of the East Twenty
secoad-st. station. fired three shots at the fugi-
tive two of which took effect and so seriously
wounded him that he probably will die. Sweet
appointee of Theodore Roosevet's when
he was president OF the Police Board. At the
beginning Of the Spanish-American War Sweet
was one of the few policemen who got leave of
absence to enlist, In the 18th Regiment he
served in Cuba with distinction and later went
to Manila. While there he was intrusted with
the organization of the Manila police. on his
return home he made a detective.
]. c. Smith shutting up his fish store in
Second-ave., between Twenty fourth and Twen-
ty-hfth SITS. about SIS o'clock, when two men
entered, one of whom asked for some Goldfish
Smith ordered one of mis- two men to go TO the
rear OF the store and get the dsh. Both went
Smith sitting near his cash register al the
front of the store. AS soon as the two men
reached the of the store one of the men
threw his arm around Smiths neck. and. chok-
ing him. held him powerless The other man
opened the cash register and extracted $50 in
bills.
Attracted by the scufTling the two men ran
from the rear of the store and pitched into the
who had the money, quickly subduing him.
Though he was nearly choked Smith held to
his assaant. and il appeared as though the
thieves we're caught. One of the two men be-
eving this be the case, left his companion TO
manage the prisoner with the money and started
on run for the East Twenty-second- st. sta
tion. Without hat or coat, he dashed down
Secondary 10 East Twenty y-second-st, and
then to the station, where he breathlessIy shout
ed that murder and robbery We're being done
With Detective Sweet he sprinted back to the
store, where they found Smith still holding to
the man who had assaied him. When the de-
tectve turned TO the man who had the money
the other broke away from Smith and darted
out of the door.
Sweet dashed after him The fugitive paid no
attention t" Sweets commands to stop as he
dashed down Second-ave., and the detective
drew his revolver. As they neared Twenty
fourth-st., Sweet fired. in the air, as he thought
but in the shooting he broke a plate glass win
dow in the saloon of Henry Biermeister, at the
southeast corner of Twenty -fourth-st and Sec
ond-ave The fugitive turned east into Twen-
lowed closely by Sweet and a constantly grow
ing mob which was shouting and crying stop
thief" About midway down the block Sweet
fired a second time, and then again, each time
aiming at the man. After the last shot the
fugitive continued on for about fifty feet then
staggered and fell
To an ambulance surgeon who appeared
the result of call sent to Bellevue Hospital.
the prisoner said he Charles Beaver, a
cook. of No. DDS West Thirty-ninth-st. Then
he became unconscious. 1t found that one
of the bullets from Sweets revolver had pierced
his kidneys, and that the other had entered
near the base of the spine. At the hospital the
prisoners condition said to be critical.
On going back to the fish store Sweet learned
that the thief who had taken the money had
escaped. Smith had collapsed after the hurried
exit of the detective, and the thief had given
the two men fight to which they were not
equal.