Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1910-12-12
LAST OF BAND
is CAPTURED
Police Arrest "Coochie''
AsekWitz After Chase.

With the capture of Charles
"Coochie" Asokwitz early yesterday
morning the police have extermfnat-
ed as desperate gang of bad men as
have ever terrorized community.
Asokwitz was the third OF a trio to
be arrested for holdups, housebreak-
ing, store robbing and other crimes.
The leader of the gang, Robert
Stakaway, is now held at New Bruns-
wick awaiting trial and the other
member of the trio, John Haremza,
is serving a seven years sentence in
state prison. These two were appre-
hended last summer after several
gun fights, but 1t was not until yes
terday morning that Asokwitz was
taken, although he is known to have
been with Stakaway in the battles
with the police last summer.
Asokwitz Is held under $3, ,0a0 bail
for the grand jury and Michael
Mauras, tailor who was with him,
is held on suspicion. Mauras Is
twenty-four years old and gave his
address as 214 Tenth street, New
York city. Asokwitz's home is on
Catherine street. Like Haremza and
Stakaway, Asokwitz has a reforma-
tory record and In age is also youth
full, being only nineteen years old.
1t was About o'clock yesterday
morning, while patroling his beat in
the vicinity of Hall avenue, that
Patrolman Gutowski was informed
| that Asokwitz and his gang intended
! to burglarize John Zawilinski's sa-
loon at Hall avenue and Penn street.
| He called up police headquarters and
informed Sergeant Mulligan of the
situation Roundsman Morris and
Patrolmen Harding and Calvin were
detailed on the Job, and meeting
! Patrolman Gutowsh on his beat,
! they separated into two parties,
Harding and Calvin going through
Hall avenue to Penn street, and
Gutowski with Roundsman Morris
/ going through vacant lot to Penn
street. just at that moment Gutow-
ski and Roundsman Morris saw
Asokwitz running through the dark
/ ness with Mauras Gutowskf fred
| two shots from his revolver at the
| fugitives. MauTas stopped and was
arrested by Roundsman Morris on
! Penn street.
Asokwitz did not stop but contin-
ued running through a field, with
! Gutowski close behind. He ran
across the Central railroad tracks
and tried to climb over fence into
the New Jersey Terra Gotta Works
ward hut the fence was hioh and
Asokwitz was too fat to scale it.
Running down the tracks d short
distance, Asokwitz then attempted to
elude the pursuit by slipping under a
freight car standing alongside of the
terra Gotta works and hiding. Gu
towski saw him, however, and ar
rested him. He was taken to police
headquarters and searched, but no
weapons were found on him. This
was thought to be peculiar for man
In Asokwitz's calling, so Patrolman
Gutowskt, with Patrolmen Harding
and Rymarczyk, went back to the
scene of the capture and found a 38
calibre revolver, loaded for execu-
tion, lying near the point where
Asokwitz was caught under the car.
Before Recorder Pickersgill yes
terday morning Asokwitz was held
on two charges, for carrying conceal
ed weapons and for shooting at
Patrolman RymaFczyk during the at
tempts to capture the gang last sum-
mer. The bail was fixed at 81, 900
on the first charge and $4,000 on the
second
Chief Burke, in referring to the
capture yesterday of the last member
of the -Stakaway gang, said to
NEWS Representatives 'The officers
responsible for the cleaning up of
this gang cannot be too highly com
mended. Although there has been
frequent gun-play no one was in
jured, which is In itself remarkable.
Asokwitz could have easily killed
Gutowski Saturday night had he
been so minded. The pursuit and
capture was conducted in a binding
snowstorm. The fugitive was a
young man while his pursuer was
considerably older. Too much can
not be said of the officers of the force
who have taken their lives in their
hands repeatedly to round up this
gang of bad men,