Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-15
| HELD UP IN PARK
BY men IN AUTO
Alleged HighWayman Lost His
Life Trying to Escape. \
CURIOUS AFFAIR ALL ROUND
Dead Man Was q Chauffeur, Who
Bore Good Reputation.
STATEMENT OF THE VICTIM
Milton Roblee, the Hotel Man, Tells
How the Seven Alleged Motor
Car Robbers Worked.
Dead Man Was a Chauffeur, Who
Bore Good Reputation.
STATEMENT OF THE VICTIM

| OCVCH HIGH III d swirl automobile
held UP hotel proprietor and his
lawyer in Central Park early this
morning near the fashionable
Majestic Hotel. One of the alleged
highwaymen lost his life in an ef-
fort to get away when policeman
put in an appearance. The man
who was killed is a chauffeur, who
bore a good reputation at the
boarding house where he lived. He
refused to give the names of his
companions and the whole affair is
shrouded in much mystery.
| Special Dispatch to The Star.
| NEW YORK November 15.-Milton Rob-
lee, proprietor of the Hotel Bartholdi and
| formerly lessee of the Hotel Belleclair, and
his attorney. William ]. Chittick, jr., who
lives at 1O2 Manhattan avenue and has an
Office at As Broadway. were held up at
I'D street and Central Park west early
this morning while returning in cab from
the theater by party of seven in an au-
| tomobile.
| According to the story told by Mr.. Rob-
lee the occupants of the automobile sprang
out. seized the cab horse and then, while
three climbed into the cab and engaged in
a struggle with Mr.. Roblee and his friend,
| two clambered up on the box and one held
onto the reins of the horse. Mr.. Roblee
was convinced vtlais morning that an at
| tempt had been made to rob him and his
companion when the cab was stopped and
he cried loudly for help. policeman APP
peared on the scene. and at sight OF him
the autoists made haste to escape. One OF
them was run down by the machine. He
was removed in an ambulance tot Roosevelt
| Hospital, where he died at o'clock this
morning The police declare that the man
| refused to give the names of the resi- OF
the automobile party, who got safely away.
They were informed that the fatally In
jured man was Weggo Brandt, a chauffeur.
who, until yesterday, lived at boarding
house conducted by Mrs. Francis Parker at
245 West 46th street. The police say that
the man seemed to have been drinking.
When Mr.. Roblee was seen at his home.
600 West 18TH street, this morning, he told
this story:
| IT went to the theater last night with my
friend and attorney, William j. Chittich.
tr.. and afterward we went to a restaurant.
About / o'clock in the morning we hired
cab at 44th street and Broadway to return
home My intention was to first take Mr..
Chittick to his house. at 102 Manhattan
| avenue
Story of Victim.
| II am not a drinking man, and both Of
US were in full possession of the sober
senses when this thing occurred. The cabby
drove us up Broadway and then proceeded
north along Central Park west / was busy
| talking with Mr.. Chittick and took no par
ticular note of my surroundings. We were
| somewhere In the neghbo: lood of 10th
| street, perhaps, when a large touring car
| in which were seven men whose features
could not distinguish in the darkness, came
speeding down the avenue in the opposite
direction from that in which we were go
| ing.
They seemed in point of running into US
and the cabby, whose horse was jogging
along at an easy gait. yelled to the chauf-
| feur to turn out. They veered to one side
| Just when collision seemed imminent and
our driver shouted to policeman on the
street to get the number of the machine.
The policeman did not seem to take any
particular interest in the matter The ma
| chine passed us, going south.
I'VE thought no more of the matter and
were pursuing our easy way northward,
talking about the incident. when to our as
constituent the same car doomed up along
side This was about opposite the Hotel
Majestic, at I'D street and Central Park
west.
1.-The automobile party brought their ma
chine to a full stop. The chauffeur stuck
to hts place. but the six others sprang out
and one of them ran to the head Of the
horse While he held on to the bride 'wo
climbed upon the drivers seat and three
of them opened the cab door. They caught
hold of us and in resisting was kicked in
the abdomen by one of the men. yelled
vigorously for help and policeman ap-
peared, whereupon the men ran. Some OF
them got into the machine. The man who
held the head of the horse was the last one
to leave his place and he was run over by
the car.
The Utmost System
1.-THE whole thing was carried through
with the utmost system. and the men said
not a word during the proceedings. I can
not believe that the matter was practical
joke. because 1t had all the earmarks of an
intended holdup."
The policeman who appeared on the scene
was Patrolman Finnegan of the West 6ath
street station. The automobile party made
good their escape. with the exception Of the
one man who was injured Five OF them
leaped the park Wall and got away in that
way.
Policeman Finnegan had this to say
atout it,
= was block away when IT all hap