New-York tribune., 1912-03-14
AN OLD FR|END|
Greets DOugherty with
"Howdy, Commissioner"
SHOTS FLY BEFORE ARREST
Detectives Also Get Woman in
Following Up Capture OF Al
legged Forger in Boston.

OiiN
legged Forger in Boston.
When Deputy Commissioner Dougherty
of the Police Department looked up from
his work yesterday morning at the man
whom three stalwart sleuths ushered into
his office after a little pistol play up in
Harlem, his eyes rested on famillar race
Hello. joe" said the Commissioner.
"Howdy. Commissioner" replied Joe
"Joe" had been taken into custody
earlier in the morning at No. West losth
street. On receipt of a telegram from De-
tective Frank Allen In Boston. announcing
that he had arrested man described as
Chester l., Errico of No. 102 West 1Gd
street, this city, on a charge OF forgery,
Central Office Men Morrell, birmingham
and T,Heureux, attached to the West Tooth
street station, hustled around to the l0Sth
street address, as advised by the telegram,
10 see whether there wasn't some one there
who might know little something ABOUT
the crime. Knocking at a door on the
Fourth floor they announced that they
were officers Of the law.
"Ouick, Get the irons" they heard
woman's voice exclaim.
within thirty seconds four shots crashed
through the wooden panels. Three pairs OF
husky shoulders soon had the door of Its
hinges and the detectives burst in, to find
man anu woman facing the opening with
smoking revolvers. When they arrived at
Headquarters the man gave his name as
lanes Elliott and the woman said she was
Mary Smith. II took only one glance from
the deputy TO spot james Elliott as Joe
Devine. member of the once prosperous and
effective Rough Oceans, gang OF forgers
most of whose members now langulsh IN
Jail.
The Rough Oceans, he explained. we're
originally founded by one William Ford
alias William Bradley, whose method was
to erase the name Of the payee from stolen
checks with chemicals, insert name that
would bring the money his way. and incl
dentally raise the check to several times Its
original value as a rule. In 1906 Ford was
sent to Elmira with an indeterminate sem
tence for attempting to pass raised check
in Brooklyn.
With Ford In prison. "Joe'' Devine, his
brother "Jim" and William f. Boland, bet
ter known as Little Memo" took up the
leadership of the gang. After being ar
rested twice in 1909 Boland was finally sent
to prison in May, 1910. for defrauding the
Peoples Trust Company, Brooklyn, with a
sentence of from four TO eight years. In
the mean time Ford had served his term,
pIeaded guilty TO a second offence and re-
ceived sentence of six years in June, 1909.
When Boland was sent up. the Commits
sioner said yesterday, joe Devine had
said to him:
well, you've got Ford and you've got
Boland. Let's see you get me"
The Commissioner remarked yesterday
that it looked as if he had him. The evil
dence collected by the detectives showed,
he said, that the man arrested in Boston
was in all probability subordinate men,
Der Of the gang, or what is left OF it. He
is charged with passing a forged check for
s.. go drawn OF the account OF Daniel -
Woodhouse, president Of the Woodhouse
Manufacturing Company, of No. 80 West
Broadway. I'm the Irving National Exchange
Bank
Arraisned In the West Side court yester-
day afternoon, James Elliott" and Mary
Smith were held in $1,000 bail each on a
charge Of grand larceny and $500 on a
charge of feloniOus assault p. G. Patter-
son, a lumber dealer, offered twenty-five
| lots in West 5jth street as security for the
bail bond, but was referred by Magistrate
| McQuade to the District Attorneys office.
Chester l.. Errico and Evelyn Curtis, with
whom he had been living for the last few
| months in a furnished room at No. 2lC
Ferdinand street, Boston, were brought
| back last evening by Detective Allen. Up
to six months ago Errico, who says he is
a Princeton man and the son of a rich
| Italian Of Stockton, y. j.. was employed
| by the Woodhouse Manufacturing Com
| pany as a clerk. Upon his discharge for
| falsifying the books of the company Errico
| obtained blank checks and a fac-simile OF
| Daniel Woodhouses 5 signature. and, accord
! ing to his confession. he and Devine forged
! the check. II was Erricos confession which
| led TO Devinc's arrest.
When Errico arrived last evening he was
! i'm a talkative mood and freely discussed
! his association with a dozen notorious
| forgers, many of whom are now serving
| long sentences. The police believe he will
/ give them information which will lead to
| the rounding up of some Of the most ex-
pert forgerS in the Eastern States. There
! is no charge against tie girl with whom
| Errico cloped to Boston. but she will be
! held as material witness. Errco is thirty
| five years old and has "A wife and two chill