The sun., 1916-12-28
Members Of Respected Brook.
Ign Families Confess to
Series Of Crimes.
TELLS OF MURDER
Robbed and Killed to Have .
Good Time With Women
Companions.

born. It would seem, of . lack Of full
comprehension Of thei' situation. two
young mon Of respected South Brooklyn
families sat in the office Of Assistant
District Attorney Conway In Brooklyn
all yesterday afternoon and spun long
tales Of their misdoings.
Holdups and assaults for money COM
prlsed most Of the list, but II was .
murder that had led to their undoins.
AZ one OF them corrected or supple
mented the details volunteered by the
other II seemed ~ II they did not desire
to appear vainglorious over their mis-
deeds. but raved q reputation for bear
ing modestly tho great henors which
their crimes had brought them.
Desperate characters they have been.
they vowed, and they were In great fear
lest the detectives withhold from them
credit for some OF the holdups they have
performed. Thry were careful at all
times to wear the same air OF easy cool
ness with which they have been I'M
pressing the bartenders Of South Brook
lyn INC the dance hall walters when
they were u spending the profits from
their midnight occupations.
Both Are Ysung Men.
John Harold Cantweli. Jr.. one Of them.
Is Just past his twenty-third birthday.
and he lives with his father in %0SA
Clinton street. His father II chief clerk
In the Municipal Court. Brooklyn. and
a Democratic politician OF Importance
In his homo section.
OF somewhat less social prestige In
that district n the other. Frank Kelly.
who IL Is years old and the son OF an
employee of the Highways Department.
Kelly Ii q member Of Company A. Four
teenth Regiment. and Just returned from
The border a few weeks ago.
Their %neighbors would have DESCRIBED
them both as CLASSY fellows and there
is no other wort that fts them so ex-
actly. In this regard Cantwell was the
leader: his tiny mustache, the English
shoulders OF his custom made clothes.
his cordovan shoes, all lent glamour TO
the trace OF an English accent which
now ana then adorned his ~pronuncla-
ton.
Kelly's clothes fell Q tribe short from
| the pace set by J. Harold Cantwell. Jr.,
but his appearance was just as pleasing
to their n%eighbors because OF his hand.
some face, his rosy cheeks, his strong
build and soldierly bearing.
Good Times the Casse.
When Kelly returned from the border
he and Cantwell. previously friends. be-
came i~nseparable. Each approved OF the
appearance Of the other: each desired
pleasures that kept him up late at night
and abed In the morning: each was fond
Of the society Of the girls OF the district
and approved OF the choice OF the other
Drinks. dinners and taxicabs. espe'
cially when there are four In the party
cost money. md the boys stayed up &c
late at night hat their mornings were
marked By a strong disincllnation to &C
out and get work. So they conceived
the holdups: a gun. q blackjack. plenty
OF nerve and a late homegoer would
save them from other toll. they thought
Nearly twenty holdups were con-
mitted In The district In q short time,
sometimes as many as four In a night
The police could not catch the maraud'
ers, although the robbertes were thorns
that ruined the sleep Of John Cough'in,
acting captain In charge Of the Brook
lyn detective bureau.
Finally came the murder at 3 A.. NJ
December %. which redoubled the ac-
tivity OF the detective bureau. and a.
the result OF clever work by Detectives
Michael Meah. Clare and Asp the two
young men were arrested and signed a
confession.
KILLED when lie Resisted.
The murdered nan was Helmutt
Christy. who for more than twenty
years had owned a prosperous saloor
In 403 Smith street. He lived In ~
Fourth place. and when he was muir
dered he was walking home from his
saloon with his days receipts. 332S. In
his pocket.
T., rhird r,.,> r>,. c-,.h A.. A..
youths jumped at him and ordered hin
to throw up his hands. One OF them
Kelly. It was learned yesterday-had
gun Christy Grappled with him. bu
Cantwell raped him on the wrist with
q blackjack and Christy's hand fell I,
his side. Kelly fred once the bullet on
tered Christy's heart; he fell. A. h,
lay thcre Kelly fired again: the bulle
passed through Christy's brain-so thu
confession runs.
The two youths ran away withou
waiting to take the money from IN
dead saloonkeeper's pockets.
Al hour before this they had held u,
Salvatore Monxi of l5+ Conover street
an Italian merchant. In front Of II
Carroll street. He ran and one Of then
hit him on the head with q blackjack
Monxi escaped In spite OF this, althougl
q bullet whistled past his ear a. he ned
Two nights before they had held vi
Salvatore De Luca Of III Carroll street
at President and Henry streets. The,
blackjacked him. possibly In anger be
cause all he gave them was So. which
was all he had.
Had . Busy Night.
The night they held up De Luca wa
q busy one for them, for they held III
three other men. They caught Johi
Lannigan, so a old. OF 40 Degrav
street, walking through Carroll street
They knocked him of his feet with tn
ever ready blackjack. but he begee,
them not to Kill him. a. he had NJ
money, SO after they had searched hin
and found his story r u they let hin
20. They also held up Martin Kuntsai
Of B72 Henry street at First place an,
Clinton street, and Olica Kiland. 60
Henry street. getting small sums from
each.
These and a long list Of previous
crimes they ~recounted to Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Conway.
After the murder Detectives Meal
and Glare began to spend q lot Of tim
in saloons OF South Brooklyn. MAXIM
friends with bartenders and 'buzzinl
them about those who spent none.
there. Good descriptions Of the holduI
youths had been obtained.
Finally Meali found q bartender VIII
not only recognised the descriptions bu
said that Oh December 81 the youth
had been In the place m after q few
strong drinks had displayed q revoive
and said they were going out to re