Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-05-06
QUITS To TRAP
THE FLEECERS
Contractor Keeps $4,000
Which q Gang Sought.

New York, May 6.-Charles Melon
aid, Philadelphia contractor and man
of large wealth, whose home is in Cam
den, n. j., has caused the arrest here
Of thirteen men, some of whom are
said by the police to be the most no.
torious wire tappers and confidence
men in the United States. At least n
of the prisoners, the police said, was
implicated in the robbery by wire tap
ping of Banker Walker of New Brit
ain, Conn.
To run these men to earth Mcdonald
deserted his business for days and
lived in New York at his own expense,
associatIng with crooks, who expected
to get a lump sum Of from 100000 to
$4,000 from him.
Last Sunday Mcdonald met a man
on the ferry between Camden and
Philadelphia. He became suspicious
and figured there was a chance to land
q crook. The mar said his name was
Mccormick. His conversation about
wire tapping led to his arrest later.
Mccormick let Mcdonald In on a big
secret. He was a manager of the
Western Union, he said, and was also
a Spectator IN horses. His position
was such that he could hold up race
track news for as much as eight min
utes. Mcdonald agreed to meet Nc
Cormick the following Thursday in
front Of the Breslin in New York. Nc
Donald came to New York Wednesday
and had a talk with Inspector Russell
at police headquarters. The inspector
told him he would let him have as
many men as he needed and gave him
Detectives McKenna and Cassassa to
start with.
Mcdonald went back to New Jersey
and on Thursday came over TO New
York with a handbag, acting as
though he hadn't a thought In the
world but to get some of the 100000
that Mccormick told him he could
take out of the poolrooms. He met Nc
Cormick in front Of the Breslin as
agreed. Then the two went to a house
on West Twenty-ninth street where
there were q few men and a great
many wires, together with some tele-
phones.
Then they went TO a house on West
Sixty-sixth street where there was a
poolroom. A wary proprietor whis-
pered that there was too much head
quarters in the poolroom business just
now and they weren't doing anything.
He advised him to go to another house,
which was on West sixty-fourth
street, where they would let him play
If he said he was "a friend of Ma
honey's."
They met again in front of the Bres-
lin, and In a cafe Mcdonald showed a
check book Of the Bark of North
America with a stub made out for a
S21,5 500 check. Mccormick, who didn't
appear to know that the National
Bank Of America had been defunct
since Charles ". Morse's time, said
that looked all right, but he wanted to
see tho money. The contractor showed
a roll Of bills with $500 bills III evil
dence, but with the fairness made up
Of ones and fves. He declared that
there was his $4,000, and Mccormick
was satisfied.
Two taxicabs full OF detectives fol-
lowed the pair to a house at 20 West
Sixty-frst street and watched them
go into the basement. They didn't
wait for any action inside, but broke
In as oon as they saw the door close
behind the contractor and his guide.
Mccormick Is known to the police as
William Crane. His picture was taken
out of the gallery a year ago, but the
police remembered that he was a part
ner of Chris Tracy, the fast wire man
McDermott's picture is IN the gallery.
He is known to the police az Milky
Mcdonald, a safe blower. He gave his
residence as the Hoffman House. An
other Of the captiyes said he was
George Gordon, but the police know
him as George Condor. Among the
thirteen were several others known
as wire tappers and with pictures In
the rogues' gallery.