The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-11-17
NERVY THIEVES
Five Men Lure Fifty From Their Camp,
Bind Them Securely and
TOOK ALL THEIR CASH

bed of Their Valuables, Spent
Five Hours Together After the
Thieves Who Had Deprived Them
Had Beat a Safe Retreat.
A dispatch from Ridgewood, N. j.,
says fifty Italians employed in build
ing a trolley road from Paterson to
Sufferin were held up by a few band
it's by night in this place, bound hand
and foot, and robbed Of all their
money and jewerry. The victims
were left lying tied in a snanty un-
til morning, when one OF them man
aged to free himself and inform the
police. The robbers, of whom there
were only five, got away with twenty
watches, many trinkets, and $1,4SS.-
81 in bills and small change.
Seldom has there been a robbery
in which the thieves were so tricky
or used such generalship in handling
a large body of victims. So skill
fully did they do their work that
at no time we're they in danger Of
being attacked by more than one
man. The laborers lived In a shanty
in the Bergen county %cutout, as Is
customary with gangs employed on
new railways. The gang foreman
was supposed to look out for their
welfare and see that they were amp
ly protected against thieves. BIT
with half a hundred men around
him, he had no suspicion that four
or five men could get away with
anything.
Foreman Tackled First.
Therefore, he felt no fear when a
man appeared at the door Of the
shanty in the night and said he
wanted to see the boss Of the gang.
The foreman went out and met the
bandits, all Of whom spoke Italian.
They informed him they were gov
eminent officers, and that they had
been sent to arrest him for selling
liquor In the shanty without a H.
cense. They led him away from the
shanty, and, keeping two pistols
aimed at his head, they bound him
hand and foot. They carried him
to a spot we'll away from the house
and left three men to guard him.
One Of the bandits then went to
the shanty and called out another
Of the laborers. He, too, was told
that he was arrested, led away,
bound hand and foot, and carried to
the place where the boss was lying.
The trick then was used to lead the
other workmen out of the shanty,
and, one by one, their captors bound
them safely and carried them away.
Those left inside the shanty never
missed their companions, most OF
them having prepared to go to sleep.
The ones lying bound with ropes did
not dare make a sound, for fear the
men guarding them would shoot.
II took more than an hour for
the bandits to complete the work
Of binding all the men. Then they
carried them back to the shanty In
pairs, laid them on the floor, and
went through their pockets. AS each
mans money and jewelry were taken
away he was bundled into a corner.
When the bandits were sure they
had all the money and jewelry in
the camp they warned their victims
not to make any cutlery, and leisure
ly departed. 1t was almost midnight
before they finished their work. and
not one of the victims had attempt
ed to resist.
Five Hours of Helpless Rage.
For five hours the workmen lay
bemoaning the loss Of their money.
The cords had been tightly. bound
on most Of them, with their hands
behind their backs and ropes pass
ed around their legs above and be-
low the knees. In vain they squirm'
ed and wriggled. trying to free
themselves, until S p. m, when one
of the men succeeded In slipping his
bands loose. He quickly removed
the ropes from his legs, and, disre-
garding the urgent pleas of his COM
panions to be freed, he fed from
the shanty. He ran all the way tc
the home of Chief of Police Fuller,
Of this place, and excitedly told the
story Of the hold-up.
Fuller called several patrolmen
and they fastened to the shanty
There they found 40 men still bound
securely, and quickly released them
When all the workmen were freed
they compared notes as to theil
losses, and the police were able te
find out how much the bandits got
Good descriptions of four Of the ban
dts were given to the police, bu'
there was not a clew to indicate who
the robbers were. Information o.
the hold-up was sent to seVera
nearby cities, and a search of the
| italian sections was made. but II
vain. The thieves had a clear mar
| gin of five hours in which to covel
| their tracks, and they used 1t tt
advantage.
Cax.o. Y-Infinac Rocorarad-