New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-25
Singers Picture
And Damaged Ear
Land Vito in Jail
Confessed Thief, Forced by
Villistas TO Retreat, Is
Captured Here

Two gentlemen from Mexico were pa
irons Of the Hotel Aston few weeks
ago. They represented themselves as
commercial agents, but there wasn't a
bellhop or clerk in the house who be-
lieved they were other than Villa mu-
nitions buyers. The romantic surmise
was well corroborated one morning
when a pistol shot brought a rush TO
the Villistas' ROOM In the hall one Of
the pair was struggling with a dark
stranger, and both were jabbering eX-
citedly in Spanish.
When they were separated, the
stranger. after a futile effort 10 dash
back into combat, disappeared, leaving
behind a tiny portion of his left ear.
1T eez noting" protested his OPP
ponent. when he had found his English.
eve have disagree pouf!"
But he wasn't fooling the hotel staff.
They knew they had just seen about 60
cents worth of standard $3.50 dolce far
niente novel on its way to the pub
fishers
Young Woman Followed
The next day two men took up the
trail of blond young woman as, alone
and mysterious, she hurried from res
taurant across the square. They fol
lowed her to Philadelphia, on to WASH
ington and back 10 New York. IL was
last Saturday she returned to her start
ing point.
Yesterday afternoon, she went to the
Winter Garden. A red-halred man met
her.
Red" exclaimed one. "Can it be
Nito?"
The color means nothing Whispered
the other. "See the ear"
And so, by his damaged ear, Dominico
Vito was uncovered and undone. NOT
Dominica Vito, Carranzista superspy
nothing Of the sort. Alas far dolce FAR
niente, the lotus, the cactus ana the
rest of IL, Vito was Just hotel sneak.
The regal blonde who had business IN
Washington was cabaret singer who
had won his heart, and the mysterious
men who Swallowed her were Messrs.
lIAiA anu +hdlllIs htNNNNA'N'f
Second branch bureau.
When the Mexican had protested. III
eez noting" he had been talking for
particular audience. To the police ne
and his companion complained of the
loss Of 81 500. Walked at an early hour
they said. they had found a third man
in their room, working with tiashlight
over the satchel that held their JOINT
resources One Of them had fired the
shot which grazed the intruder's ear.
In the following struggle they had rec
ognized him As a fellow guest who had
made himself most agreeable to them
the day before.
Photograph Identified
DAILY and Martin thought of Vito, who
had been paroled few months before
after serving part Of a tenyear sen
tence for similar robbery. The Mexi-.
cans identified his picture. In it also
clerks at the Belmont, Vanderbilt, Nc
Alpin and buckingham hotels recog-
nzed the likeness of a missing patron.
In each of the hotels Vito had left
some belongings among them, invari-
ably. the photograph of the singer. So
DAILY and Martin took up the job of
trailing her.
Vito. accused also Of having stolen
$4,000 worth Of jewelry from the room
Of John T. Robinson, Of Hartford, IN
the Belmont on March 3. was indicted.
After the detectives had persuaded him
TO admit his identity yesterday he
pleaded guilty before Judge Rosalsky,
duplicating Second Avenue jeweller
80 roca;,yor &c tho stOiap proDortv