The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-22
ROBBERS USE RACING HORSE
AND LOOT SCORES or HOUSES on
LONG ISLAND.
SIS o Worth OF Stolen GoOds Found In
Room Hcre-StaiI Conftsscs- Rural
sleuths Find Horse Here-The owner
Had offered O Reward OF OIL, 2OO

Had offered O toward OF Oh. 200.
How a gang Of Long Island burglars
who have robbed more than a score Of
houses in the last six months made a prac-
tice Of using chloroform TO stupefy their
victims and then driving away with the
loot behind a fast racehorse 10 the interest
ing story told 10 District Attorney Frank
lin A. Coles of Nassau county and his de-
~tectives yesterday by Christopher Schang.
10 years old, Of Freeport.
schang is under arrest on a charge Of
assault but has admitted that he was MEM
Der Of the gang. This is the gang which
had one batch OF loot valued at SIS 900
hidden in a furnished room at Az East
1?sd street. District Attorney Coles be-
lieves that the recovery Of the rlunder
in the Harlem house lie only a meagre be-
ginning and before he is through he will
have properly worth $50. 900 which has been
stolen from residents Of Suffolk and Nassau
counties within the last year.
The racer which the gang used in getting
away after they had turned a trick was
found In this city last night. II 10 a gelding
known as Parkville Prince and was stolen
from the stable OF its owner, William H.
Bovine Of Glen Cove. on the night Of Janu-
airy Is last. vile Prince lie g PAGER
with d record Of AIS and has often appeared
on the Nineola track, There has been a
standing reward Of 81. 200 for the arrest n
con viction Of the thieves ever since january
20 and Mr.. Bovine has spent a large amount
OF money in employing private detectives.
Park Vile Prince was sired by Old Pnrkville
Schang, the Freeport youth, gave Dis
trict Attorney Coles's detectives the tip on
where the racer could be found, He did
this after they had put him through the
third degree. Sohang said August Van
Fahrig, the Freeport hotel keeper who
has been arrested in connection with the
burglaries, stole the horse and that he kept
it in his barn until late in May. Van Fab
according TO Schang's confession, used
TO Ia Ike the PAGER out only at night. Whena
trick was TO be turned the PAGER, attached
10 n light road wagon. would be hitched
near the scene Of action and would light
out like q streak of lightning after the haul
had been made.
Sohang told the detectives that they would
find the horse in a stable In Fortieth street
near Tenth avenue. Detective Philip X.
Sweet, who was a Secret Service man before
he moved TO Nassau county. finally found
the horse in the stable Of James Mahoney
ut All West Thirty ninth street. He eaid
he was thinking Of buying Van Fahrig's
horse and lar come down TO look him over.
'Why, said Sweet when Mahoney showed
him the gelding. this lie a ringer; a skinner.
This can't be Van Fahrig's gelding,'
Mahoney assured him that it was. but
eet said he would just call one or two Of
his friends in the street who knew a thing
or W about horses. William E. Hults,
of the District Attorney'sdetectives
and Phineas A. Seaman. Glen Cove's con-
stable, we're the horsemen who were In the
street.
Seaman recognized the gelding At once.
although it's long black tail and name had
been dyed a sorrel. The detectives told
Ma Honey who they were and In & few minutes
Mr.. Bovine appeared on the scene and took
possession of the horse. The harness and
W agon which had been Atolen from Mr..
Bowne's stable also were found. The blue
stripes on the wagon wheels had been
s~andpapered of and yed ones substituted.
The Nassau county detectives dropped
in at the West Thirty-seventh street police
to break the news to the Manhattan
hlueooats. One Of the bills offering 81, 200
reward was tackled up on the station house
board.
You let 81 200 slip through your hands
pretty easily, considering that the stable
is only a block or two away" said one of
the Nassau county detectives to the ser
The sergeant reokoned that Ma
honey ought TO have told them about il.
Van FahriR. according TO Schang's con-
fession, had used this horse also In carry
ing some OF the loot from Freeport to the
storage rooms in Manhattan. The horse
had been sent to New York because IL had
taken sick.
Schang told the detectives that Van
and a mar named Montz Berk had
pulled of 80 many jobs on Long Island in the
last year that he couldn't remember them
all. He asked the police 10 name some
Of the places over that had been robbed 30
as to refresh his mind, and then he was
able TO fix thirteen definitely that had been
the work Of the Freeport gang, Van
became the proprietor Of the Free
lplt iONt opOub ~ ~ o8Os o'Ntl thC
proprietor had been sent up for
a disorderly house Berk and
one or two other notorious characters
hung around the place on the pretext that
they we're doing odd jobs. Schang said
that the burglaries had been going on for
about O year
The first one that he o uld remember
was AZ Merriok. the station beyond Free
port. He and Van Fahrig had been at the
theatre In New York and had met Berk.
Berk and Van Fahrg didn't tell schang
what they were going TO do when they
rode on past the Freeport station. They
told him 10 stand In front Of a house-he |
remember whose IL was-and a
while later they came back with their
Arns full OF swag. He told Of e dozen
other burglanes that he had knowledge Of, |
including the Job at the home Of William
], X. Kenny. They saw MIR, Kenny and
his family return in an automobile. and
then they gave the family an hour for re-
firing. Az soon az the lights were out
they began work and finally walked out
with about 5000 worth Of silverware and
l.