New-York tribune., 1903-01-30
TRY TO ROB Mr.. PRENTICE
MAID FOILS BURGLARS.
There's Gather .SiIUer an Home o.
j. ID. RocketeHer's Daughter.

Two burglars well known according to the
police, made a bold attempt at robbery yester-
day in the home of z. Parmalee Prentice, SON.
in-law of John D. Rockefeller. No. West Fifty
thrd-st. Their attempt was frustrated by
maid, who discovered one OF them in the butier
pantry, the first floor, with armfui OF Sill
She called to the butler, who was In the
basement experimenting the work of some
carpet layers.
One of the men escaped through the front en-
trance ran to Sxth-ave., boarded southbound
car and escaped. The other was captured aIter
a fierce fight He taken to the East fllty-
first-st. station and locked up, charged Win
burglary He said he was Charles Beckett
forty-four years old plumber. of No $40 East
Thirty-ninth-st.
Mr. Prentice who is a lawyer, has been out
of the city for several days Mrs Prenuce was
In her rooms the floor above the dining
room confined to her bed. it is said by si1ght
illness
The maid who gave the alarm had gone up
stairs to about the arrangements LOT
family dinner party that was to have taken
rlace last night. Under a staircase lead1hg ~
the second floor and TO one side OF the iarse
dining is the pantry wheri the silver 10
kept. Seeing the burglar there the malo diu
not cry out, but quietly returned TO the pase
ment where she informed the butler, George
Helms He with three carpet layers. ran up 10
the first floor. BY that time the man IN tre
pantry had become suspicious, and was coming
ont of the room He sprang into the dining
room Helms followed. In the dining room ne
discovered that there were two men. The man
with the silver lodged into corner. and Helms
started toward the other The latter darted out
into the hallway. Then. probably thinking, the
police believe that by parleying he might AID
his companion to escape, he stopped and turned
hack He walked over to the butler. and began
asking questions.
In the mean time the three carpet layers had
followed into the dining room Then, tearing
that either Helms or of the carpet layers
would get between him and the vestibule en-
trance, the burglar suddenly brushed past
Helms dashed him against the wall. and darted
out.
The remaining intruder was at once sur
rounded and after a struggle was thrown down
and overpowered-
At the police station this burglar "a'
searched. but only a large brass skeleton key
was found The silver he had taken had all
been dropped on the floor of the dining room
in the Prentice house.
Mrs. Prentice was much frightened, it Is said
by the noise, but remained calm. John II.
Rockefeller, jr., her brother was sent for. he
came with lawyer who is TO appear IN 1ork-
Vile police court to-day. -.
detectives Burns and Heany at the police sta
ton identified the prisoner as George cory.
They say his picture is in the Rogues t1aliely
and that he arrested for attempting 70 a SIeat
from the home of Isaac Sheldon, No. IL west
Fiftieth-st, in 1897. They said they recosnlzeo
him as of two men whom they saw gS geSteL-
day afternoon at LeXington-aVe. ana 1hlft9
eighth-st They arrested another man., VINO,
they say, is John Dougherty an ex-conVlct, AZ
his hcme. No. 800 East Twenty-third-st. he ne
denied all knowledge of the other prisoner. The
detectives think he may have been lookout.