Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1907-03-16
Were Routed by Father Otter
bein's Altar Burglar
Alarm.
Blew Police Whistle, Got Help
and Invaded the Dark
Edifice.
THIEVES FIRED As THVY Ran

Two burglars with a kit of fine
tools who broke into the Church of
the Immaculate Conception in New
York City. early Saturday morning,
will probably be much surprised TO
learn that burglar alarm attached
to the altar was the initial cause OF
their plans being defeated. Father
Henry ]. Otterbein, pastor of the
church, has practical views concern
ing thieves. He concluded that while
an ordinary thief might hesitate 10
rob a church, extraordinary thieves
would not be deferred by the sacred
character of the edifice, and conse-
quently it would be wise to connect
the altar with a burglar alarm in his
bedroom. Furthermore, the cautious
priest equipped himself with a police
whistle and had friendly patrolman
show him just how it should be blown
in an emergency.
The immaculate Conception church
is richly furnished and it's congrega-
ton is made up of German Catholics
living in the Bronx. 1t occupies nearly
all of a square block with it's school
and priory, the latter tenanted by
seven fathers of the Redemptorist
order.
At 1880 o'clock the burglar alarm
in Father Otterbein's bedroom began
to ring The priest was out of bed
in a moment and reaching out for his
police whistle opened his window and
blew three lusty blasts just as he
had been instructed to do. Tossing
in a few clothes he hurriedly aroused
Father Burger and Brother Bernard
and the three went down stairs to
the front entrance of the priests
house. In a moment Policeman John
Jansen, of the Dhirty-sixth precinct,
came running up, closely followed by
Policeman Leopold Michaels, of the
Thirty7fifth precinct, Father Otter
bein told the policeman that burglars
were robbing the altar in the church
and led the way down corridor
through the priests house and to n
door in the end of the hall which
opened into the body of the church.
Policeman Michaels first stepped
into the church. with the Others close
behind The interior of the big church
was pitch dark except for a small
Pickering light up at the far end at
the altar and the dim light from the
small lamp which always burns in
Catholic churches. Two men could be
family seen working at the door Of
the tabernacle which held the
gold communion service and other
gold altar ornaments. One of the
burglars held "a lighted candle in his
hand while the other worked on the
steel door of the tabernacle.
Michaels called TO the men 20 throw
up their hands. Instantly the flame
of the candle was blown out and the
big interior of the church resounded
with the crash of pistol shot. The
police and the priests heard the bullet
whizz over their heads and bury itself
in the wall behind them. Michaels
had his gun out in jiffy and turned
loose two bullets as he and the 9th
ers ran toward the altar. The
priests say the burglars fired sec
ond shot. but the police say they only
fired once.
Michaels, shooting in the dark, had
nothing to aim at. and his bullets
went wild, splintering the altar rail.
Policeman Waterman came running
into the church just as the shots
were fired, and at a word from
Father O-terbein dashed out into the
street again and around the block to
One Hundred and Fifty-first street,
with the idea of heading off the
burglars from the rear. The thieves,
however, had evidently planned a
means of quick escape when they first
got into the church. They had
gained an entrance through a rear
window opening upon the yard adj
Joining the school, and left it open.
The thieves had seemingly planned
to make rich haul. They had re-
moved jeweled crown from the head
of statue of the Virgin on the altar
and had placed it on the floor near
the tabernacle.