The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-15
AFTER THE POCKET PICKTRS
BROOkLYN MAGISTRATES MEAN
TO STOP THEIR WORN.
Police TO Arrest Persons Acting suspicIously
on cars AMI Crowded streets-Organ-
lZed hand Has n scheme tO Prevent
Prosecution 0f DtDs Who Are Caught.

HeU htUUu htuk N ~cVfIut I'D HTfNftt
Prosecution Of Dips Who Are Taught,
The Board Of Police Magistrates OF
Brooklyn. of which Frank y. O'Reilly ia
the president, has decided to work
s~trenuously to stamp ont the pickpocket
evil on cars. This determination was
made known by Magistrate 0'Reilly in the
Manhattan avenue police court. Will
ismsburg, yesterday, when five young
men alleged 10 bc pick pockets were ar
raigned before him on "a technical charge
Of vagranCy and we're each held in $500
hail for a hearing Tomorrow. The pris-
oners were Solomon Goodman. Edward
Mahoney, Isador Geiger, Charles Grimm
and Charles Little. Their ages range from
20 10 rs and the addresses they gave were
found by the police to be fictitious.
Detectives Dryer and Tracy Of the
Stage street police station were on a
crowded car of the Bushwick avenue line
late on Saturday night when they noticed
the first four acting suspiciously and then
closing around an elderly man who had a
costly diamond stud. IL was alleged that
just az the four were going to rob the man
the detectives pounced upon and arrested
them. In the excitement following the
HTTehl the Ifldl Ntp WIS W IdNf ttth tilt
victim disappeared. The prisoners were
held at the police station on a charge Of
vagrancy despite their declaration that they
had not committed any wrong.
While the detectives were at the Brook
Ign plaza of the Williamsburg Bridge yes
terday morning watching cars from Man
haitian they saw four suspicious looking
young men on a crowded Bushwick avenue
car. The detectives boarded the car to
await developments. The car had pro-
ceeded only a few blocks when a man
shouted that he was being robbed. The
four men Dryer and Tracy nae been watch
ing made "a rush for the front platform.
The detectives started after them. Some
o. the passengers thought the detectives
we're also thieves and several got a tight
grip on Dryer and began to shout for the
police. Dwyer Tried TO explain who he
was. but the crowd held him and he was
also punched.
Meanwhile Tracy had freed himself from
the passengers who seized him and he con-
tinued the chase after the alleged pick
pockets. He succeeded in capturing only
the one who afterward said he was Charles
Little. Tn man whom the four had tried
to rob disappeared in the excitement.
When the tive were arraigned in the
Manhattan avenue police court and Magis-
trate o Reilly learned the circumstances
under which they had been arrested. he
said:
Il am going to do everything in my
power to rid our section Of the city Of his
gang Of pickpockets. Our district espe-
cially is infested with them. They ply
their profession IN crowded cars, and when
they relieve men and women of money
and jewelry they pass il TO their confed-
crates. When they are arrested friends Of
ehn1a Nt,LnnnlAfa no 10 chair xytlfixn. anI
tell them that If they will not appear against
these crooks in court they will return the
stolen property. Men and women who
are SO robbed are anxious to get back their
money and jewelry and when 1t is returned
they fail to prosecute them.
Il know of a case where a man had his
gold watch stolen on a car. The pick
pocket was arrested and on the next day
his friends called on the victim, returned
his watch and gave fim n $50 bonus not to
arraigned in court. The complainant failed
to prosecute and | was compelled TO set the
pickpocket free.
Another case was that OF a prominent
business man, a wealthy furniture lea ler,
by the way. He was robbed of his gold
watch while riding on a Graham avenue
car. The thief was arrested, but his friends
got to the victim and returned his watch.
The citizen. who should have appeared in
court. failed TO be on hand when the thief
was arraigned. He wanted to drop the
case, but | wouldn't stand for it. / sent
for him and compelled him to press the
complaint. But when the case went to the
Grand Jury the citizen failed to prosecute
and the p~ickhocket went free.
"The Board Of Police Magistrates il de-
termined To rid the community Of these
crooks, and every one of them will fare
badly when they are arraigned before US"
When the Magistrate finished hex com
mitted the five. Afterward he made il
known that the police had been inst ructed
to arrest all persons acting in n suspicious
manner IN cars or in rowde thorough
fares. Tn arrests are to be made under
section l,ti7 of the Charter, Laws Of 1882,
which make it a felony TO iostle or inter-
fere with persons in a crowded thorough
fare or in a public conveyance.