The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-15
BLOOD IN THE MURKY HARLEM
cops GIVE CHASE TO ROBBER WHO
DUCKS AND DIVES.
Patrolman on a String, Shots in the Dark.
FlashlIght OF Peace-BoatlOad OF Pur-
suers ROcked-Cruise OF the Non.
Siukable Scanion Duplicate Suits.

SllhdplN th''v
II SQUADS hadn't gone almost entirely
out of fashion since last year, when they
we're SO popular in dark blue with gold
trimmings, Police Commissioner Bingham
might establish a swimming squad to patrol
the banks of the Harlem as a ~precaution
against such an emergency as occurred
Yesterday morning, when a river thief
Jumped overheard and then rocked the
boats in which the reserves OF the Alex
ender avenue station embarked in pursuit
of him. Mike Thomas, the thief, was
CAPTURED after he had done aquatic stunts
for forty-fve minutes n furnished frills
Of crime on q great city's waterfront that
would make the posters OF a Bowery melo-
drama look as tame as the pictures OF a
large and happy family gorging itself with
the latest breakfast food.
unfortunately there was no heroine
with a child in this Harlem River produc-
ton, and IL would nave been better II Mike
had stolen gold or precious gems, or even
valuable furs, as a prelimira AIRY to his ex-
pIoits. for they were worthy of something
like that. AS it was, the list of stolen
property on the police blotte1 was merely:
Black and white striped trousers, coat,
vest, stiff shirt belonging to Charles Will
Jams, a painter; brown mixed trousers,
coat. vest, blue necktie, stiff shirt and
tan shoes belonging to William BishbG.
That was the prosaio loot; but shots did
ring out, the feeble rays of dark lanterns
pierced the gloom of a scow's hold, the
stiffness of the night was broken by one
soft and one loud splash as two bodies
doth alive) went overheard, and real blood
stained the dark waters of the Harlem,
flowing swiftly into the East River and
thence by way Of Buttermilk Channel and
the Narrows to the sea. The blood was
from the nose Of Policeman McKenna.
The loud splash was made when the SWIM
ming miscreant, Mike, pulled Roundsman
Scanlon overheard.
Williams and Bishoff, the painters, were
at work on the under side Of the Third ave-
nue. bridge which can't be painted oonven-
iently in the daytime because the draw
has to be swung open too frequently for
the Seeing New York fleet and the garbage
tows to get through. The painters were
In ~overalls and jumpers. Their Sunday
clothes were hanging up in a shed on the
Bronx shore beneath the bridge. 1t was
there that Thomas and three companion
providers found them accidentally after
breaking into the shed and ripping of
the hasps on the locker doors.
As the thieves were leaving the shed
Rishoff spied them from his perch on a
bridge girder and yelled. The thieves
hopped aboard the scow and disappeared.
One OF them, the painters said, went below
with the swag. 1t was not clear what hap
pened to the others. 1t was in the hold
that the robber was found by McKenna,
while Roundsnen Scanlon and Mcnamara
STAYED on deck and the rest Of the reserves
lined up on the pier or manned the rail Of
the tugs and other small craft tied up along
side.
The companionway leading into the hold
had been pulled down after him by the
pirate, so McKenna was lowered down into
the blaokness in a rope sling by the two
roundsmen, who could plainly see that
their duty was on deck, where they were
needed to command.
MoKenna's lantern revealed two CHASTITY
rows Of timber braces in the hull and some
cement barrels. but there was no sign of
pirates. He made his way forward with
his gun in one hand and the lantern in the
other till he went sprawling over a loose
stick. The revolver went OF accidentally
and the echoes of the hold made that one
shot sound like a volley. The ~roundsmen
on deck never finched. McKenna picked
himself up and resumed his cropping; then
a match was lit at the further END of the
scow and waved as a sort Of sign of truce.
Whoever was there didn't know that the
shot was accidental and couldn't tell how
coon there would be another one. There
happened to be four men there. They were
not armed. The mate with the match
sung out that there was no need of shooting,
and McKenna told them that they were
all prisoners. Then he ordered them to
put up the ~conlpanionway n ascend in
single file and in line with his gun. Mike
Thomas went up first, with a pair of brown
mixed trousers, a stiff shirt anda blue neck
ne. Without stopping to diveet hlmse1 OF
this tineryb elonging to Bishoff. the moment
he reached the deck he jumped between
the two roundsmen, not having time to go
around either of them, and went into the
river.
Then the real chase began. The thief
had taken a long, shallow dive and came up
yards way from the scow, unframed, by
Gny Of the half dozen bullets that splashed
the water at random, more or less wide OF
him. He reappeared beside q tug at the
next pier and was about to climb aboard
when two Of the reserves, who should have
hidden behind the smokestack for a minute
longer, ran TO the boats rail. brandishing
their pistols and telling Mike That he was
their prisoner.
Mike Owed gain and started. underwater,
upstream. DE was next epotteu cllhglnB
TO the rudder chains Of the stea mboat Port
Morris, two piers above the bridge; He
couldn't climb up because Of the overhang,
but a policeman, by lying fiat on the deck
OF the steamboat and leaning far over,
while another cop sat on his legs, got the
thief in range Mike simply slid OF the
chains, went out Of sight and started Tor
the Manhattan shore. .
BY this time Roundsman Scanlon and
Patrolman McKenna had embarked in one
rowboat and RoundsmAn Mcnamara and
the painters in another. Mike came to the
surface about a third of the way across the
nver, bobbing up within an arms reach OF
the first boat. Scanlon stood up and biffed
at him with an oar, but missed. The ma
In the river grabbed the side of the skih
and rocked it, Then there were two men in
the river.
Mike next got the car and drew the first
and only blood of the whole fight by wback-
ing the nose Of McKenna, who was peenag
over the side to ses il there were any
bubbles coming up from his ro~undsman.
Scanlon couldn't swim, but he couldn't
heip floating, 30 with the born sleuth's
quick wit in emergencies he rolled over
on his back and let It be known that he was
not under control. Then he drifted down
on the swift side and was swept under the
bridge without anybody having. to open
the draw. 4 line was thrown to him from
"a -I --I--.