New-York tribune., 1908-06-23
"BILLY"BURKE Els RECORD
IN TROUBLE AGAIN.
Notorious Crook Has Been an Busl-
ness Quarter of a Century.

Billy" Burke notorious bank thief. husband OF
Sophie Lyons, both known to the police OF the
civilized world, is making more trouble, this tie
in Philadelphia. The first occasion when ne get
the authorities by the was In Defrolt III i"i'
His recorded activities began in 1882. and culmi-
mated with his last autumn in Philadelphia
when he and Charles Watson, with string OF
aliases almost long that of Burke sraooeu
5000 from Patrick Coonan runner for the frahh-
lin National Bank, while he was In the corrioor
of the Sub Treasury. The money was recovered
and the two thieves were sent to Eastern fehi-
tentiary for three years and fined $500 each.
The alleged efforts of Assistant Superintendent
C'I.eary to obtain the discharge Of Burke have re
suited in charges against the official in letter to
Mayor Rcyburn. 1t was also charged that two Ne"
York City politicians got Mr.. OIeary to use MS
influence in the thiefs behalf These politicians are
said to be Tammuny But Burke and his
partner in crime in the penitentiafy, and ac-
cordng TO the police here. their record VIII keep
them there until their term expires.
Burke. or Charles Bates. BILLY the KID
Murphy or Petrie-in England Frank Lackrose-is
an Engshman, plumber, Is hve feet SIX
inches tall and weighs about l15 pounds- ne ls VI
forid complexion, has a blond mustache ana sloe
whiskers He is said to be of good address, piausi
bic, but irreclaimabe thief He is suspec'eu Vi
having had something 20 do with the UdleSp"iS
bank robbery. and he was known as suspicious
character in Chicago and St Louis before he had
a record. In 1882 he started in to make a history
of non-successes. But it must be remembered 'hs'
there is record of his successes.
In Cohoes in 1882 he attempted to steal SlooU
from a messenger of the Manufacturers Bank.
He was the Albany County jail from "ilcn ~
he escaped The offer of reward of Si'e" causeu
his capture and he had to serve six-year 'elil' @
This was cut down by good behavior. ana IN 1885,
with Sophie Lyons. alias Levy, he went TO EUROPE,
In Geneva Switzerland, with Charlie Alien anu
George Harper he waylaid bank messenger ali"
got 5000. They were arrested. and the moheS va s
recovered in a ditch where 1t had peeh coi0e
He got two years for that job. AS soon Us he " " "
out he went to London, the faithful SOPHIE tfahIs
after On March o. 1890, with two others ne iliaue
a bold attempt to steal bag containing to'o" lioi'
a bank He got eighteen months Tor 'ms.
II was long way from England 10 hehtuchS'
but he next bobbed up in 1892 at Mount Sterling,
tried TO steal s 400 a bank was capluleu anu
sent up for three years In 1884, after leaving heh
lucky on good behavior, he was arresteu lol d
robbery in The Commercial Gazette oHlce "heie
he got $3.50. He sent up for TWO ana oile-lla'l
years In 1889 he was arrested on suspicion III De
troit let go by the superintendent and then burke
took another journey to Europe. landed III buoa-
nest attempted a robbery, failed, ana got '"o
wears in an Austrian prison
Burse did not show up again until l"oa "hei 'lie
Detroit police arrested him on general suspicion
19,,rl. cor q writ of habeas corpus, threatened 10
have the polce superintendent arrested but thought
better of it. A Circuit Court judge was saio 10
have used his influence in Burkes behall' ou' "e
said that he knew Sophie Lyons, who had once
been his client. i ne Juuse So4N '4'Ae "
+erest in Burke whatever. Burke "ah'eu |" iNo
IN Detroit and he did remain there so tar as IS
known from that time until his arrest III hilauei
phia.
1Iarn burke IS known as consummate bank
sneak thief He has served time in Sing sing ana
on one occasion revealed plot to murder keeper
as a preliminary TO a wholesale Jail delivery. lie
escaped from Sing Sing at one time at'eHp'eu d
burglary the same night was rearrested on the
Rowery and resentenced.
Watson's record is of pocket picking UP to the
Philadelphia job. He had never been sentenced
before excepting in New Orleans, where ne got
ten days and a fine of $50