Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-26
BAREFOOT BURGLAR
PLACED UNDER ARREST
Shrewd Negro Is Accused by Police
Of Many West-End
Robberies.
WROTE NOTE IN POLICE COURT
Wanted Two Negroes to Como For
ward and Testify in His Behalf.
Said to Answer Description of
Man Long Wanted Here.

The barefoot burglar" who is said
to have been responsible for many bur-
glaries committed In the West End and
central sections of the city. has at last
been arrested. The man was arrested
IN Police Court yesterday morning by
! acknowledgements krengel and At
kinson, just after n charge Of being
| disorderly on the street had been dis
| missed. He was taken to the Second
Precinct Station. where he is now being
held on charge of breaking into the
| nome or >. A. Neal 1921 Floyd Avenue
and stealing s25 in money and $50
watch. The negro gave the name of
James A. Johnson. and will he ar
raigned In the Police Court to-day.
Detective Krengel has. been working
on the burglary cases for some time
In an effort to land the man RESPONSE
BILE for them. lie last night said that
ne had known the man for some time
having secured excellent descriptions
been unable ITO put his hands upon
MIN. According to the detective, this
man Is the one who during the late
| iall and throughout the winter has
| broken Into a number of residences.
stealing money. silver and clothing.
ENTERED BEDROOMS
| AND RIFLED POCKETS
! He is said to be one of the boldest
az well as one OF the most shrcwd
! burglars who has operated in Rich
inond In years. The police have
| learned at number of houses which
nave been entered that the burglar had
no hesjtuncy in entering the bedrooms
or persons in the houses or I'm striking
ilShts In various portions of tho resi-
uehce "hiie he worked In one place
the rooms and Railways were literally
covered with burnt matches In most
cases the man would take coats and
trousers from the bedrooms into the
lower hall and there rifle the rockets
/ e
STAR rail-, but sometimes stole an over
coat or suit OF clothes IL IL was mar
ticularly valuable.
UP to the time Of his arrest his name
was unknown to the police He was
known to have pawned an oyercoat in
| n West Broad Street pawnshop and
later to have attempted to pawn the
watch stolen from the Neal reside nee
| at the same place. At that time n pa
troiman barely missed catching him,
TOT the man became suspicious after
Offering the watch 20 the pawnbroker
and lied from the place before the Of
ficer arrived. He left the watch on the
counter, and this was recovered and
returned TO the owner. From persons
In the shop ut the time, Detective
KrenEel secured description OF the
man. and learned that il Tailed exactly
with the description Of the burglar who |
had robbed the house of w r. Hill. |
lo4 North Elm Street. about the middle |
VI huRu RE was SGen by MIS- Hill |
as he fed from this house.
JOHNSON SAID TO
ANSWER DESCRIPTION |
Patrolmen Patterson and Hord saw
the man on the street Thursday night |
and recognized him from the description |
given them They at once placed him
under arrest and sent him TO the Second |
station on tho technical charge of be-
Ing dlsorderly in the street. This
charge was dismissed In court yesterday
at the request Of the detectives who !
Immediately rearrested him the
burglary warrant At the pawn shop. |
when he attempted TO pawn the watch. |
the man gave the name OF James Page |
9o3 st. John Street. On previous oc-
casion the detectives learned he had |
given a residence address of AIS South |
Adams Street. However. there is no |
house OF that number.
After his arrest In Police Court yes |
terday morning, the detectives conveyed
the man to Police Headquarters, where |
he was questioned by Captain of Detec- |
tives Mcmahon and Detective Sergeant |
krengel During the interview Detec- |
tive krengel noticed that the man was
making an effort to toss cigarette box |
into n waste paper basket and stopped |
him. The officer took the box, and, upon |
opening It,. found note concealed be-
tween tho inner and outer cases
WANTED TWO NEGROOEs TO
TESTIFY IN HIS FAVOR |
The note In thought to have been !!
written by the negro while he vas |
being held In the pen at the Police !
Court. In 1t the negro asked two other |
negroes to appear at his trial and swear |
he had not been seen with the watch !
he longing to Mr.. Neal. lie asked them !
to swear that Il fourth negro had the !
watch. and furnish ed them with de- |
scription of the man whom they were
to charge with attempting to pawn it. |
He offered to make ample payment for
this service. and said that he thought
the case against himself would fail if !
they did so.
Detective Krengel Is of the opinion
that Johnson, whom he said Is we'll |
educated and shrewd. anticipated his |
arrest on the charge of stealing this |
watch. and was preparing for a trial OF !
that case. The note is being held by
the police. and Will be used as evidence |
against the man.
Johnson is said to have established |
his identity in the minds of the public
as the barefoot burglar after the |
burglary of MIR. Hills residence. At
downstairs during the early morning |
to secure milk for a young child when
she was startled by seeing lights burn
ing in the lower part of the house.
She went into the dining room just in
time to see n man climb through side |
window. She was able to give the |
police a description OF the man. nj
though he succeeded in making his
escape. Mrs. Hill found a quantity of |
silverware wrapped i'm a small crib |
cover on the floor of the diningroom
after the burglar had disappeared.
"BAREFOOT BURGLAR"
TOOK OvERCOAT AND MONEY
Parthia Joynes, colored. 1017 st.
James Street, shortly after that re-
ported to the police that a man had
attempted to steal m overcoat from
her brother Henry's room in her house.
The woman gave a description which
tailed with that given by Mrs. Hill
she said that she had caught the negro |
as he was about to leave the place. and
that he had told her he had called to
secure his own overcoat. He walked
out of the door before the woman could
stop him. and escaped. She later went
to her brothers room and found that |
his trunk had been broken into and
that $3.50 had been stolen.