Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1916-01-10
Federico
ROBBED HOME AND
HELD Up WOMAN
Victim Identifies Picture of
Slayer of Policemen as
CuIprit.

A man answering the description
OF Antonio Federico murderer of two
policemen in Cedar Grove. robbed tho
home of Mrs. William TomplSins, of
Roosevelt avenue, Livingston, ON
Saturday afternoon. With a blow of
his fist he sent Mrs. Tompkins
topping down the stairway leading
To the cellar and locked the door
after her lie then made his escape
The description of the man which
Mrs Tompkins gave to County De-
tective Sergeant Walter Godfrey. of
the prosecutors staff, and Plain
ciothcsman Victor A. Tortariello, of
this city, tailed identically with that
of Federico Mrs. Tompkins also iden-
tilted a picture of him. \ search of
The neighborhood was made Satrr-
day night and yesterday without re-
sui.
Mrs Tompkins had every chance to
nAserve the man as for more than
ion minutes he forced her to lead
him TO different rooms in her home
While he ransacked every possible
hiding place for money lie obtained
sac in cash While searching the
house. the man kept Mrs. Tompkins
constantly at the point of an auto
matte revolver and when he was salts
eod he had got possession of all the
money in the house forced Mrs.
rompkns to the top of "A flight of
stairs leading to the cellar of tho
house and struck her on the head,
knocking her down the stars. lie
hen locked the door at the top of
the stairs and made his escape.
Outside of fright and shock Mrs.
Tompkins, who is over sixty years
I1tr nd
within "A few minutes had made her
way from tho cellar by an outside
doorway. She went at once to
neighbor's house, a short distance
away, and notified Chief of Police
John Harkey. Of Caldwell, and the
prosecutors office Of the robbery at
he same time giving as her belief
that it had been committed hy
Federico.
Threatens Woman with Gun.
Mrs. Tompkins said yesterday she
was positive il was Federico that had
robbed her. She told the details of
the robbery as follows:
81 was alone i'm the house about
o'clock Saturday afternoon" she said,
"and had been on the second floor do
ng some work. When | came down |
noticed that the door between the
sitchcn and dining-room was closed
upstairs,
"I opened it and found "A man ran
sacking the drawers of the sideboard.
As soon as he saw me ho pulled an
automatic revolver from his )cket
and pointed il at me. | noticed at
once that he looked like an Italian,
end. remembering that the newspa
aers had said that Federico was
Eighty pocllmarked. | looked at his
ace closely The man who robbed
ne was slightly pockmarked.
Searched All the Rooms.
"As he produced the revolver |
asked him what he wanted. lie said,
] want all the money in the house
He had a dollar bill that had been in
he sideboard drawer in his hand and
told him ihat was all the money in
the house. lie replied L know better.
You come upstairs with me-
''At the point Of the revolver he
forced me TO go upstairs and here
he searched every room, pulling
drawers entirely out of bureaus and
dressing tables and scattering their
contents on the floor, paving over
them with one hand. looking for
money, while with the other lie kept
the revolver steadily pointed at me.
H. one drawer he found n $40 tiil and
in another S25 in bills
after a search that lasted fully
much longer time to me, the man
apparently was satisfied he mad found
all the money in the house, for he
nlotioned me with the gun to SO
downstairs.
"When we reached the diningroom
The man noticed a telephone on the
wall and went over to it, Dulling
something from his pocket as he did.
SO, | could not see what il was, but II
did not look like knife. With what
ever it was he clipped the telephone
wires in two and pulled them from
the telephone
During all this time he had s. oxen
but very few words forcing me to go
where lie wanted to by threatening
motions with the revolver.
II gave no thought to making any
outcry for assistance as | realized
the man was a dangerous character,
and also knew our house was too far
away from any other for any outcry
10 be of avail in summoning assist
ance. After the man had cut the
telephone wires he walked up TO me.
put one hand on my shoulder and
turned me around, placing the muzzle
OF the revolver squarely between my
shoulders.
Thrown Down Stairway,
'"Then gently pushing me with the
revolver barrel he forced me to the
top OF the cclldT stairway. AS l
started to go down the stairs I got
a blow on tho back of the head from
his fist. | think, for | do not believe
he struck me with the revolver. |
toppled down the stairs and the fall
stunned me.
when l recovered I found the
doorway at the head of the cellar
stairs locked. ! got out of the cellar
by a door leading to the yard and
looked for the man, but he had dis
appeared in the woods near my home.
Then ! went and telephoned to the
Caldwell police. who told me to call
ZIP the county prosecutors office,
which | did"
She explained that she knew the
difference between an automatic re-
Nolver and other types of revolvers.
Mrs. Tompkins was still nervous
after her experience yesterday, but