The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-04-16
BANCROFT CLERK CONFHSSES
THIrIES ROBBED AARON BAN.
,ROFT ON BiRRETT''S TIP.
discharged Employee Describes the Job
a>uWas Done by Yates and Murphy
p,ass Tci,s How O'ReiIly Got the
p,s u,,is changed and They Divided.

\, Tho end 0' days session in the
or,a Of Inspector Russell AT Police Head-
quarters. Harry II. Barrett. who was
once clerk in the employ Of George
Bancroft 4 Co. of 10 Beaver street, con-
tossed Yesterday that he had had hand
in tho theft Of securities valued at SIS. 600
from Aaron Bancroft on the afternoon Of
March last.
was that ms TWO years with the Bancrofts
had made him so familiar with the habit 8
nj the aged part ner that he was able 10
tell two professional thieves how to rob
HIM. Barrett had had the full trust of
the firm M to the middle OF last summer
Aaron Bancroft had thought so much of
him that he had entertained the young
clerk and his wife for three months az
hi. house in Brooklyn and had given
him a 10 per cent. interest in the profits
Of the firm. But last fall reports which
had been coming into the Office rejecting
on the habits Of the young man were
confirmed and he was told that he would
have to look for another Job on January I.
Rarrau went to Police Headquarters
yesterday morning with his brother.
Inspector RUSSELL who says that he has
been wa atching the discharged clerk for
some time. sent man to him. asking
that he come around to Headquarters
for talk. When the two Bancrofts
arrived william NJ. Sullivan. who has
been lawyer for the Bancrofts in the
matter Of the missing securities. was
there.
Inspector Russell and Mr.. Sullivan
said that the confession came volun-
tarlly. The talk lasted most of the day.
and AZ the end of it the brokers' clerk.
who is about 80 years old. came out
with full story Of how the plot was
ha'ched. He hadn't got cent out of il.
he said. though a share had been prom
ised to him. In this respect il may be
that he was the dupe Of Cy Yates. paroled
from Sing Sing last summer. and the
active spirit in the robbery. Frank j:
Pass. previously arrested in the case.
says that Yates took two shares. one OF
which was to 90 to some one whose name
Pass didn't know. This was probably
Barrett's share.
The confession ran IN about this way:
After Barrett . discharge from the broker
age firm on the first day Of the year he
got q job with Haskins 4 Sells. expert &C.
countants. His record with the Ban
crofts had been such that while his morals
had been called into question nobody
doubted his ability as an accountant.
He had met Cy Yates through friend.
whose name Inspector Russell does not tell.
The friend had taken up with the ex-
convict. believing that he had reformed.
and had undertaken to pass his acquaint-
ance around. One OF the men to whom
he introduced Yates was young Barrett.
Yates and Barrett became good friends
aud little by little the former convict
suggested to the accountant that the
Bancrofts were easy money.
Yates learned that Aaron Bancroft
went 10 the vaults of the Produce Ex-
change Safe Deposit and Storage Company
Oh certain days. that he was little infirm
and mat it wouldn't take much to throw
him over and in such a way as to make it
appear an inadvert ence on the part OF
his assalant They talked il over again
and again
harley Ross, alias Charley Murphy,
was let into the secret. and 40 was Plass.
On the day Of the robbery. March 2. the
four me, IN cafe on Beaver street near
the Office Of George Bancroft Il Co. Yates
and Barrett talked together, and Plass and
Murphy stayed apart by themselves.
Presently Barrett got up and walked
over 70 the brokerage Office. Aaron
Bancroft had recently returned from
Bermuda, he knew. and he wanted to
md out If he had come down to business
again The pretext OF his visit was the
payment of a telephone bill amounting
10 81 %, which had been owing since his
dScharge. Aaron Bancroft was there.
and Barrett reported accordingly to
Yates
hen Ross left the cafe He too went
10 the brokerage Office and went in to
have talk with Aaron Bancroft. He
n'd books 10 sell. he said, and so passed
IN" clerks and had an interview with the
senior partner
After the talk he too went back to the
'a'H and the four waited until Mr.. Ban
'u' AZ dDOlt = ID CLOCK WIN MS
envelope of securities for the Produce
Exchange Building. Yates and Ross had
n""n rlcked to do the job. As soon as
W Bancroft was seen to pass the window
N" two "H-convicts hastened out and
'h'"r"! the Produce Exchange Building
aW0'' 'olncidently with the broker
Nh"n the three reached the passa ge
,"adlng TO the vaults Yates was ahead
t''' had dropped behind leaving Mr.
'nl''7't N the middle. Yates walked
on as though he were in a great hurry.
~ an angle in the passage he turned
NU''vand ran fun tilt into Mr. Bancroft.
u" nrok"r fell down and blue envelope
Nhoh h" carried in his hand shot ACROSS
Ut" Moor Yates picked him up with many
"I""S.rs Ross reached for the envelope
a. 'N"Hgh h" were restoring it to its owner.
'' d"ltly substituted another. prepared
d.. '"a'hg TO Barrett's suggestions. Then
'' ''p brushed him off and sent him
H. way 10 the vaults. He thanked
'h" .udly.
h'II"'t seems TO have been dropped
soon after the Job was done. He said
''' ia'"- had offered him split of tho
- 10 "~ when the thieves expected that
,''' iHlEh' b" able TO get rid of them.
'' ''H' suC" they had resolved to make
-''I"W"nt with the Bancrofts he had