Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-02-17
CRIME WAVE
IN NEW YORK.
HoldSup Said to be More Frequent
than in the Wild WoolIy
West.
POLICE ARE DEMORALIZED.
Observation-Disclosures TakinGMeasures
to Protect Their Protect Their Prop
erty ana Messengers areGuarded.

New York. Feb. l7.-"Holdups
in New York are more frequent to-
day than in South Dakota in the Wig
i1ants committee days"
This declaration. proclaimed in
the blacklist of type by big burg
larry insurance concern today brought
home 10 New Workers The prevalence
Of The crime wave which has swept
the city during the last week. And
the police could not deny the facts
with one hold-up reported from the
heart Of the uptown shopping dis
trict where 4 jeweler lest $4,000 in
gems: 4 man throttled in the Bronx
and a carpenter beaten and robbed in
Brooklyn.
So serious was the situation con-
coded that in the down town financial
districts. panic stricken because of
rhe fear that dozens OF thieves were
prowling there unmolested, mer-
chants, bankers and others took the
strongest measures TO protect their
property. Bank runners and messen-
gers for financial houses made their
rounds guarded by strong-arm men.
rounded up for the occasion. and we'll
armed. despite The concealed weapon
law.
The burglar insurance companies
announce today that rates OF insur-
ance against burglary in stores and
mercantile houses would be increased
New York. Feb. l7.-Terror strick-
en- by The crime wave which has SEEM
ingly engulfed the entire city. mer-
chants generally today took into
Iheir own hands The work OF protect
ing themselves and their property
from hold-up men and thieves. The
police force was freddy democrat
lied. Every man who could be spar
ed was put into plain clothes and
sent out to seek traces Of the mo
tor bandits" who in less than a week
have committed three of the most
daring highway robberies in the his
Tory OF the city. Old time detectives.
who had been relegated TO pound
ing the pavement" TO make way for
rhe srriplings with political pulls.
were back in harness and an earnest
effort was being made TO turn up the
bold bandits whose operations have
detied the entire force.
Last nights job. when George r..
Horth. a diamond dealer. was black
lacked into unconsciousness and then
robbed of $4,000 worth Of unset
diamonds in Thirty-sixth Street, just
off Broadway, and less than Is yards
from the busiest corner Of New York
with traffic policemen and detectives
on duty. was the climax of the crime
wave. 1t showed that the bandits
plan their game carefully and indicat-
ed more Than anything else TO the
old time detectives. that one of the
brainiesr gangs that ever operated
in New York is on the job today.
Indicative of the feeling that az
lists among citizens generally that
the police cannot be depended upon
in the present crisis is the fact that
some 900 applications for permits
TO carry pistols have reached Police
Headquarters since the hold-up on
the Bowery week ago. And about
one-half of them have been granted.
Horths description Of the auto
mobile in which the thieves escaped
last night duplicates that of the ma
chine the men who held up the East
River Banks employees on Thursday
and in many respects corresponds
to that used by the robbers Of the
paymaster on the Bowery a week
ago today. Old time detectives be-
lieve that the same gang was con-
cerned in all three crimes, although
Deputy Police Commissioner Dough
erty. who used to run private detec-
tive agency, says not. The accepted
theory is that this gang has look
out" men posted through the finan-
cal district who get in touch with
leaders when they locate good pros
pects.' Acting on this theory the
down town section was filled with
plain clothesmen today. directed 70
pick up every suspicious character
and bring them for interrogation at
headquarters