New-York tribune., 1909-06-27
FIGHT ON HIGH ROOF |
DETECTIVE SHOOTS MN
on BROADWAY BUILDING.
Desperate Struggle ujtb AUeged
Burglar Ten Stories Above Street
an Viezc Of Hundreds.

As result OF desperate hand d-to-haEd strug-
gle on the roof Of a ten story Broadway build
ing, while hundreds in the street below looked
on. George Clayton, twenty-three years old Of
No z01 East 66th street. was taken to St Vim
cents Hospital yesterday afternoon with a bull
let wound in his leg. The man who fred the
shot and who narrowly missed being hurled TO
the street was Detective Toner, of the Central
Once. who was trying 10 arrest Clayton and
two companions for attempting TO break into
one Of the lofts in the building,
Early yesterday morning Detectives Toner.
Nugge and Gaynor. standing at 4th street and
Broadway on the lookout for pickpockets saw
Dave" Reiner. now out on bail for q safe JOB.
and "Bennie" Miller, alias "Bennie" Francis.
walking along Broadway paving particular at
tention to the various loft buildings.
There go a couple % guns said Toner,
'1=rs give them a traH" And the three de-
Tectives. separating set cut afrer the men For
hours they followed thera up and down Broad
way. seeing them inspect Nos. 656 627, 423 and
391. Just before O'Clock the pair were Joined
by CLAYTON. and they went up into the building
at No. 627 Broadway. Mugge ran to the rear to
cut off their escape and the other detectives
waited in front
Finally as they were about to lose patience
Reiner came out and was seized and handed
over to a patroln1an of the Mercer street station
Then the detectives entered the building On
the second floor they found Clayton and Miller.
who has only one arm ar work on loft door
with jimmy At sight Of the detectives the
two guns ran UP through the building, with
the detectives in hot pursuit
The roof reached Miller hid behind a water
tank while Clayton climbed a ten-foot cornice
which overlooks Broadway and defed the de-
tectives to come after him. Toner took the
dare, and in 4 moment both men were struggling
on the cornice. Toner trying 10 get his man 70
the roof while Clayton was doing his best TO
throw the detective off the building. Seeing
that he was getting weaker and likely any min
ute TO lose his balance. Toner drew his revolver
and fred at his assaiant. The bullet lodged in
Claytons leg and he dropped 70 the root.
Meanwhile the excitement il the street was
intense and uniformed policemen were sent on
the run to the scene. Word reached Police
Headquarters that 4 detective had been killed
and a swarm Of plainclothes men were rushed
to the spot Clayton, groaning and vowng
vengeance on the detective put into
ambulance and taken to the hospital where it
was said that his injury while painful, was not
dangerous.
Miller and Reiner were sent to Police Head
quarters and examined by Lieutenant Funston
According to the police Reiner is now out on
bail for robbing safe in West Broadway, for
which man named Harry Cornett is now serv-
ing a sentence of four years in Sing Sing. Nil
Ter they say is also well known, and the police
believe that by the arrest they have cleared up
the mystery surrounding a number Of loft rob
berries which were committed in the spring.