The Penn's Grove record., 1905-02-10
BOLD ROBBER CONFESSES
Man Who Has Terrorized New York
City For Weeks is Caught.
WISHED TO EMULATE "RAFfLES."

Christopher Smith Tells Acting Inspector
O'Brien at Police Headquarters That
Money Was Not the Cause of His
Thefts-Laughed Mt His Many Victims
Left Valuable Jewelry Behind,
New York City.--Following his iden-
LITIGATION Christopher Smith, alias
Sand Rock" confessed in his cell to
Acting Inspector O'Brien that he was
the 'hold-up man," who for weeks has
created terror ON the upper east and
west sides Of the city.
According to Inspector O'Brien. he
not only admitted the bulk of the hold
ups with which he is charged, but also
confessed to a daring hold-up, which,
although committed last November,
has never been reported to the police.
He denies, however, any knowledge
either of the entry into General Nc.
Cooks home or of a recent Fifth ave.
Tue stage robbery.
He disclaimed any desire for plum
der and asserted that a wish to emulate
w. E. Hornung's "Raffies. the Amateur
Cracksman." which he had seen played.
largely inspired his acts.
AS proof that he was not "out for
the dough-" but mainly for the story,
lie cites instances in which he ignored
diamonds lying in plain sight, and also
the case of the unrecorded ''hold-up,'
in which he says lie returned to a
woman a marquise ring worth several
thousand dollars. Inspector O'Brien
estimates that OIL Smiths confession
the value of the articles he has stolen
is only $120.
les Of hold-ups he never once ran
away. He derides the utility of certain
policemen on post duty, declaring that
on several occasions, after emerging
from houses he had held up" he
stood or walked in plain view within
a few feet of detectives. He boa $
that his work was easy and that he
could have held up banks had he SO
wished.
1t was at his W instance, Captain
O'Brien says, that Smith told the story
Of his crimes. He seemed particularly
amused at the fears he had excited,
but expressed sorrow that Miss Eva
Shipman had been unnerved and made
i'll by his visit to her fathers house.
He said he had tried to emulate the
exploits of Western bandits in add.
ton to those of "Raffies."
Captain O'Brien is having Smith
watched day and night. MS when he
u-oc fo 70 Hoo Il ,+o,o H. oo.l
when asked if he wanted something
to eat that he would prefer carbolic
acid.
Smith began by saying that he want
ed especially to clear up inaccuracies
that had appeared i'll the published &C.
counts of his exploits. He boosted that
he could hit a f%ifty-cent- piece at fifty
yards ninety-nine times out of n hun
dred with a revolver.
At the house Of Mr.. Woerz, he said.
after he went into the house he had
backed Miss Hoffman, Mr.. Woerz's
niece. upstairs into the room where the
other women were, and had demanded
money.
They were all so frightened" he
continued. that they had TO sit down.
| sat down. too. l had to turn my face
away SO that they would not see that I
was laughing"
Smith denied that e had confeder.
ates. Besides the $S5 that he got from
Mr.. WOerZ, he Melted all told 81 at
the Delta Phi Club and $50 from pawn.
ing Heighe's watch, which he got in the
Delta Phi Club house. He told with
great gusto of telephoning to an even
ing paper which had offered $1,000 re-
ward for his capture.
"'Will you pay me the reward if l
go down to the office? I asked them.
They wanted to know who 1 was, and
l said, I'm Raffles. I'm the man you
want They said they would pay the
money if l went down to the Office.
but l never went"