The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-05-17
Muhlfcldt, street Preacher. Was
Brains of Gang That Ter
rorizpd The Bronx.
FOR PATRICK BURNS DEATH
Big Bill Lingley. Indicted With
Him, Now Waiting Sentence
for Robbery.

as Big Bill and Harry Miller. has a
criminal record and was formerly pri-
vate detective. Muhlfeldt has been
known as an earnest religious worker in
Harlem for long time.
The two men are said by the police to
be members Of gang Of thugs and rob-
bers who planned and carried out many
daring holdups in Bronx saloons among
other crimes. Muhlfeldt was the brains
of the gang and its leader. He lived Il
Jekyll and Hyde life and only eight
months ago married a girl Of eighteen
who knew nothing OF his vicious side,
the police believe. She was attracted to
him by his activities in church work.
The two cousins split with their gang
not long ago. Muhlfeldt was the dis
tributer Of the loot and was accused Of
holding out more than his share. Ling
ley liked to pose as a policeman and
made use Of his private detective badge
too often to suit some Of the less intel
lectual strong arm men. They said he
was becoming too conspicuous and
finally they told the two cousins to beat
1t. Lingley and Muhlfeldt decided to
make the old gang jealous, and one Of
their first jobs was the holdup which re-
suited in Burns's murder.
In Harlem Muhlfeldt was a
street preacher and evangelist. He
has many friends in the Dutch
Reformed Church in 12lst street
and was active in the Christian
E:ndeavor Society. When he was ar
rested in Nineland. y. j.. few days
ago the detectives found him an at
tendant at the New Jersey Training
School. The superintendent said the
young man was working there while
pursuing his studies in criminology a
subject in which he was greatly in
terested.
The indictments yesterday are the
result OF a deal of work on the part
Of detectives under acting Capt. Sam
Price of The Bronx in running down
series Of robberies in that borough.
including a holdup in which the murder
" Burns was an incident. The detec-
tives ascribe the long list of crimes
to a division of the car barn gang
known as the Mob
On January II otto Cthoff Of Frank
lin avenue and l6Sth street was held
up by five or six men who came into
his saloon when ne was alone about
closing time. They tied his hands with
his own belt. tied his feet with cord
! took his watch and then 1925 In cash
from the till and got away in an auto
mobile.
on the night of February Ave or
six men went into Bassans saloon a,
l3sth street and Willis avenue anc
held up the bartender and three Gus.
toners, getting 5000 and two watches
one OF them from railroad detective
They allowed ono of the customers tc
keep ring, which he said had belonged
To his wife now dead one Of the
customers reached for his pocket hand
kerchief and two OF his teeth were
Knocked out on the supposition tina,
| he had gun in his pocket. The DO.
he" say that Big Bill LinCley hello
the crowd at bay with a revolver Will,
ne and his friends got away in ar
automobile
II was on this same night. the police
say. that Lineley and others tried &c
get Int" saloon at li9th street and
ST AIMS avenue. The proprietor be.
ll'N"d l-lngley was a policeman looking
for excise evidence and locked him
out
on the following Saturday night
which was February II. two men went
into the saloon of Patrick Burns az 1874
street and Forest avenue. The Bronx. n
little after closing time. Two Gus
toners already were inside and Burns
was there with his bartender, Frank
NcwburEer. The two customers went
out half an hour after the strangers
came in. few minutes later the
strangers, identified now as l.inglcy and
Muhlfeldt, produced rcvolvcrs and de-
manded the money in the place. The
shorter of the two, Identified as Muhl-
tcldt, went into the barr"om with
Burns. Will" the taller STAYED in the
back room with the bartender.
Burns gave the key to the cash regis
ter to the robbcr with him and while
the latter was fussing with the register
Burns threw heavy beer crock at his
head. cutting him on the scalp. The
robber then shot Burns twice, once in
the chest and once In the back. The
taller robber struck the bartender over
the head with the butt of his revolver
and the two ran out together. New
burger. dazed. got up from the floor to
ind Burns dead.
Then followed the robbery Of Giuseppe
de Lucca OF 3l5 East l20th street. n
jewelry salesman, on the roof OF 2l3
East Ninety-seventh street In the fore
noon of March Is. De Lucca, known in
the neiShborhood as one who made a
practice Of carrying considerable guam
titles of jewclry about with him. went
from one house to another by the roof
that morning to save walking to the
street Two men, said by the police 10
have been Linglcy and Ralph Russo,
were waiting for him on the roof. They
held him up, the man Identified as Lins
ley sticking gun into his face. DE
Lucca showed fight and was hit over the
head with "A blackjack In the hands of
the other man. one of the robbers. said
to bc l.inElcy, grabbed the handbag car
ricd by the jcweller and ncd. DE Lucca
in pursuit. On the street the man
dropped the handbag and DE Lucca re-
covered 1t.
Detective Quaine arrested the two
men. l.ingley was convicted N Gen
crai Sessions on charge of robbery
In the first degree in this case on May
10 and Russo Is now on trial. Ling
Icy was sent To Elmira Rcfurmatory
In 1904 for attempted grand larceny
In the second degree. and In 1907 he
was sentenced 10 one year and nine
months In Sing Sing for burglary In
the second degree
The detectives had made ,t habit
after tho series of rohherics In Tn,
Bronx to bring witnesses To court when.
ever man was up on "a similar charge
to look him over. Newburgcr. the bar
tender, Identified Linglcy as one Of
iiurnss murlercrs. The detectives
then began looking up LinSlcy and hi.
"a.