New-York tribune., 1912-02-18
'POL|CE CONFESS THAT
. THEY ARE HELPLESS
Frequent TaxiCab Robberles and
Other Crimes in the Highway
Have Department 0azed.
TALK OF WALD0'S REMOVAL
The Commissioner Keeps Under
Cover, and 1t Is Believed Ter
rorism Will Continue Until
Real Bandit Is Arrested.


in their efforts to run down the aulohho-
bile bandits who held UP and rohpea '"o
hank messengers in a taxicab on Thurs-
day in broad daylight, within a soo'e
throw of Wall street and Broadway es-
Gaming with $4,000 in $40 and 80 bills'
and of the second gang who black1acNeH
diamond merchant in 35th street near
Sixth avenue. on Friday night, stealihs
wallet containing $4,000 In uncut
precious stones.
The police are dazed They are run
ming around in circles. The hrst OF 'he
recent automobile robberies they star'eu
TO work on was the robbery OF lFNlhs
Rreokerman. He was blackjacked at the
Rowerv and Great Jones street week
ago Yesterday and robbed of Satib by two
men, who escaped in a black automop'le'
Both Charles Rothe, of NO so bast
f4th street. and Abraham Sabel, chaui-
feur, of No. 46 Sheriff street, who the
police believed was the man who drove
the automobile. were discharged yester-
dav by Magistrate OConnor, the ev'-
Gence being insufficient.
This left the police where they started
| in the Breekermau hold-up, hut thanks
| to a sauabble in court between Roths
and court attendant. due TO Rothe's
contempt for orderly procedure, the gun
man was committed to the island Tor
five DAYS on a diserderly. conduct charge.
This places Rothe in the hands OF the
police for at least that length of time,
and probably longer, for Rothe, who
was discharged from Bellevue little
more than a month ago, where he had
been since October, suffering from bullet
wounds received In a gang fight. was re.
turned to Bellevue shortly after his COM
mitment, ailing from an effection of the
right lung, caused by one Of the wounds
Shout in Derision at Police.
The contempt in which the criminal
element hold the police to-day was hest
shown when Sabel was discharged. Half
dozen or more gangsters gathered OUT
side of jefferson Market Court and
shouted derisively at the police. They
then drove off in a touring car, with
farewell shout of Good nightr'
Gipo Montani, the taxicab owner who
drove the two bank messengers on
Thursday, will be arraigned in the
Tombs court this morning en- a charge
of completely In the robbery of the
$4,000. This new move on the part Of
the police came as surprise to those
who are familiar with the case. as Mr..
Dougherty, the Second Deputy Police
Commissioner, on the day Of the rob
berry said no suspicion pointed to Mon
tani, who has always horne a good repu-
! tation.
| Mr.. Dousherty admitted last night
that the -pelice had ne evidence against
Montani beyond the fact that he drove
the taxiesb, -..,,.-...--,'. o.. IT, 80.
You have no ether evidence than
what you had on Thursday" he was
asked. g.,
mo, only his actions"
Have you broken down any of Mon
tani's original statement"
No he has stuck TO the one story
throughout.
Have yeu verified that Mentani took
the same roundabout route several times
before the day of the -obbery-te avoid
the Equitable Building ruins. as Mon
tsni put it?"
Yes, that statement we have ver-
fed"
Mr.. Dougherty does not believe the
numerous taxieab outrages are the work
| of one gang. He is inclined to think that
there are several gangs at work. But
he admits the police have no clew as to
who they are, whether they are New
York crooks or marauders from out OF
town.