Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-10-28
ANOTHER BURGLAR CAUGHT
ONE OF THE NEWFANE GANG
FOUND IN BOSTON FRIDAY.
Harold Holbrook, Arrested by Hub OF.
fioials with Four Other Crooks, Was
Wanted in Vermont-Treasurer De.
Witt Identifies Him,

| VdroIo Tolprook, arrested by mud W.
foials with Four Other Crooks, Was
Wanted in vsrmont-Treasurer Do.
Witt Identifies Him.
In gang OF five yeggmen that were
nabbed by the Boston police Friday
night IL one Harold Holbrook, 20, 9TH
erwise known as Chopper Holbrook,
who Is wanted In Vermont for having
taken part in the robbery Of the
Windham County savings bank In
Newfane August 8. For about n
month past States Attorney Schwenk
and Chief of Police Il. s. Hall have
known that Holbrook was one of the
gang that operated In Newfane, his
Identity having been disclosed by j.
Il. Mccarthy. He was also supposed
to be in the vicinity of Boston, and
the officials of that city have had a
warrant for his arrest, although they
did not know that he was a member
of the Boston gang until after he had
been caught.
AS soon as Holbrook was found to
be among the yeggmer captured, In
spector william Watts telegraphed to
Brattleboro, and ON Monday morning
Chief Hall and f. A. Dewitt, treas
urer of the Newfane bank, went to
Boston to identify the prisoner. Mr..
Dewitt had no difficulty in picking
out Holbrook from the rest of the
crooks as the stranger who, shabbily
dressed and pretending to be deaf and
dumb. visited the bank few days
previous to the robbery and handed
the treasurer a pink card on which
was printed in verse a pitiful appeal
for help. In Holbrook's pockets We're
found several cards of the same color
and bearing the same verse as that
shown to Mr. Dewitt. In company
with the other crooks, Holbrook was
arraigned Monday afternoon. He was
bound over in the sum of $4,000 as a
fugitive from justice and his hearing
continued until Nov. q Request was
made that Holbrook be sent to Yer
mont in charge of Chief Hall but the
man refused to go without requisition
papers and steps are now being TAX
en- to secure them States Attorney
Schwenk is doubtful. however,
whether sufficient proof can be Sc
cured to accomplish this purpose.
The gang of which Holbrook was
a member was arrested Friday eve
ming while on its way to house on
Corning street to gather tools for
Job. 1t consisted of John Irving of
Chicago, Frank Nelson of New York
City, Edward Conlon of England and
James Rogers. one of these men Is
wanted in Providence, another in
Fall River, and all are thought TO
have been connected with IA safe
blowing lob which took place in Ev-
erett, Mass last week. When ar
rested, one of the men had a bag
which contained several revolvers,
one of them a Colt similar to that
found on McCarty, bottle of nitro
glycerine, drills, fuses and other TOOLS
of the trade. Three other members of
the same gang, George Balm, James
Franks and Laurence Cockrell, were
caught in West Roxbury, Mass early
Saturday morning.
Most of these men belong to
class known as yeggmen, term USED
to distinguish them from the swell
mob" or first-class crooks. Their
work consists of looking over jobs
as Holbrook did at -Newfane, and re-
naming on "outside" duty while the
"swells" attend to the skilled work
on the inside. The gang taken in
Boston last week is supposed to nave
assembled there from the west and
southwest in order to raise money
for the defence of McCarty and James
Howard, the criminal who was shot
by George Batchelder on the night
of the Newfane robbery
inches tall, with a smooth face, ana
weighing about 175 pounds. He and
a man named Murray were indicted
last June on the charge of murder
ing a man in Boston saloon, the
latter being sentenced for 20 years
and the former acquitted.
Yesterday States Attorney Schwenk
received from Chief Watts photo
graphs of all the gang together with
their measurements taken according |
to the Bertillon system. 1t is thought
that two other men were connected |
with the Newfane job, and McCarty
told Mr. Schwenk that one of them
was a crook named Balm, although |
whether the George Balm mentioned
above has not yet been ascertained'
Bains photograph will be sent to NC
Carly for Identification and II ne is
the one, efforts will be made to have
him brought here also. Chief Hail
is inclined to think that at least two
of the gang now held in Boston help
ed to rob the Newfane bank, and ne
is now bunting for evidence which
will secure their removal from Mas
sachusetts to Vermont. A farmer
recently told Chief Hall that two
living in the neighborhood of NeWfanee
suspicious looking men stopped at
his place a day or two after the rob
hery and the photographs will be |