The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-03-25
DETROIT YECCS
ARRESTED FOR
$3O,OOOROBBERY
Joseph Hill and Bert Donaldson
Connected with Jewelry Store
Job in Rochester, ~.
GANG WAS SOUGHT IN
DETROIT FOR MONTH
Minor Members Under Surveil-
lance Here But Big Fish
Wouldn't Enter Net

VOuluu EutcI INct
Joseph Hill. Detroiter, known to
the local police as "yegg" and ALI
around bad actor. and Bert Donaldson
who claims to be q Detroiter. but Ia
not known to the local sleuths. are
under arrest In Milwaukee. charged
with blowing the safe in Philip Pres
ent's Wholesale jewelry store on the
third floor of the Chamber OF Com
nerce building, Rochester, N. Y, on
the night of Feb Is, and escaping with
+ $4,000 worth OF plumber.
" Five men were implicated In the
job. one of the boldest In police annals.
and there was just q touch OF disap-
>pointment In the Joy with which the
local police received the news OF the
arrests. They had been on the trail OF
the burglar gang for month. here.
and had q west-side house under sur
Vigilance. A Rochester detective spent
nearly a month between here and To
ledo, In the daily expectation of cap
turing the robber gang In this terri
tory. -
Detectives Reid, Larkins, Brooks
and Seymour had had the gangs local
"hangout" under surveillance every
minute of that time. They had made
many trips to the place, on informa-
ton that the "big chief for whom
they had patiently waited had walked
into their net. The man they must
first arrest was Joseph Hill, alias j. b.
Ford, and though there we're several
times when they could have "nabbed"
two other members of the gang. the
first move would have given the alarm
10 Hill. 10 the officers did not dare
strike.
! Meanwhile. the others. always under
surveillance. left the city. unhampered
by the police, as without the arrest
OF Hill. the capture of the others would
have been q mere fash In the pan.
Only through Hill could the other sus-
poets be connected with the big job.
The local sleuths still expect to get
the other members OF the gang, now
that Hill Is In custody. They are now
free to pick up any OF the gang on
sight.
An aged Waterman nearly met
frightful death in the Rochester Jew
elry shop as the result Of the burg
larry. The Ave men had twisted or
paddock on the inner side OF the
door. after boring through the door.
They were In the place and at work
Awhen the Waterman came upstairs on
his rounds. As he entered. he was
seized. bound. gagged, and roughly
handled. A young man in the gang.
a pleasant-voiced young fellow, plead
ed for the Waterman. He was evident
~ new to the ''yegg" game.
\ "Oh, don't hurt the old man." he
pleaded. Don't be so rough with
him. Look, you're making him suf-
fer"
That remark has connected the
gang up with another big job perpe-
trated In Chicago. when Ave men
raided a big department store, blew
the safe, tied up the Waterman, and
there was the same soft-voiced young
fellow in the gang, to plead for the
Waterman. In that job, they took
$4,000 in cash from the safe
After the Rochester safe had been
wrecked, the mob" fed, leaving the
Waterman gagged and bound. ana
helpless, close to the safe, while the
blankets which they had used to still
sthe noise OF the explosion, burst into
'\fame. and burned fercely, perilously
near the helpless Waterman. He was
discovered just in the nick Of time to
save him from burning to death.
The fleeing yeggmen had left a
satchel behind. It's contents furnished
clues for the Rochester police. There
were several addresses, there was
picture OF q woman. with a French
poodle dog In her lap. There were
circulars from Toledo and Detroit. and
many other clues. Another grip led to
the downfall Of the gang. They sent
for Il. The message fell into the
hands OF the police. The grip was
shipped as a decoy, and Detroit police
were notified. The local oficers traced
T, the grip to the west-side house,
Through a devious path, but while they
Wound the evidences that some Of the
gang were there, the man they wanted
was not present. and they were power
less to act until they got him.
One OF the burglars dropped lock-
et in the shape OF lions head, with
"a diamond in the jaws, and the picture
VI 4 handsome young woman inside
the iocket.
Rochester police got descriptions OF
the various members of the gang, who
had purchased burglar tools. a rope.
sledge hammer, blankets for muf.
fling the safe, and other articles or the
sort, and slowly and surely learned
the identity Of every member Of the
gang.
Circulars are now out all over the
country. with photographs Of the men,
their descriptions, and the story of the
big Rochester Job.
Detective Tom Lally says that he
knows Hill we'll, as an expert safe
cracker and general bad man. He
doesn't know Donaldson.
The other members OF the gang are
now believed to be In the south.
SECRETARY OF PEACE