The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-01-19
Police Facing Hottest Fight
on Crime They Have
Had in Years.
BUSY IN FIFTH AVENUE
Robbers Smash Window of Le-
bolt & Co. and Escape
With $4,000 Loot.


New York giddy with extravaganza and
brought people here from all over the
country to make 1t the golden play
ground OF the world. has likewise proved
irreslstibly attractive to the crook. and
the chronicles from day to day Of safes
sacked are the outward evidence Of the
hottest fight against crime the New York
Police Department has had on Its hands
In years.
The neatness and despatch with which
these men work prove their expertness
and their source. There was time not
so long ago when Police Commissioner
Arthur Woods congratulated his men on
having chased over tho Hudson every
crook of brains and ability-men not to
be ranked with that certain percentage
OF sporadic criminals who help to main
tain the statistical average Of crime
from year to year. but men who make
Of their calling a profession and are the
thorns In the side of even the best po-
lice force.
Cleverest Of Their Kind.
AHc croohS VINO nave naQ the courage
| to come back are believed by detectives
| to be the cleverest of their kind. They
are men who have been able to 20 into
| well guarded office buildings on Broad
way near Wall street, below the dead
line of other days, and without leaving
| hngerprint or a mark to show how
| they entered have opened safes and ran
sacked them at their ease. The next
day the safes have been found locked
and the offices tightly closed. It takes
good safe man to do q trick OF that
kind.
! Yesterday there was another manifes-
| tation Of tho speed and skill with which
these men work. The window of the
jewelry store of Lebolt & Co., 534 Fifth
avenue, was smashed while there were
five watchrnen within a hundred feet and
automobiles were passing every few mo.
ments In Fifth avenue. Diamond rings
watches and gold trinkets worth $1,000
were taken. and the man or men who
did 1t got away without being seen OF
heard, although the robbery was discov.
| cred within fifteen minutes.
| The block In which this robbery took
| place Is probably one OF the best guarded
in the city. At Forty-fourth street and
Fifth avenue. two doors south of lie.
bolts. Is the Fifth Avenue Bank, where
one watchman alternates his time BY
spending half an hour on the sidewall
and half an hour inside, and three othe,
watchmen are constantly on guard withir
tho bank building. Diagonally across tn,
street is the Hartman National Bank
also well guarded by watchmen.
Automobiles in Front.
Frank Helm. watchman for the Fiji
Avenue Bank. made his regular round,
outside at / as o'clock yesterday morn
ing. At that time the Leholt window
was intact. He noticed two automobile.
drawn up in front of the store. with sid,
curtains on, but paid little attention 4
them. He went on and spoke to Police
man Doman of the East Fifty-first stree
station, who was standing at Forty
fourth street and Fifth avenue. Hal
way up the block they saw the othe,
private watchman.
Then Helm went inside the bank an
when he came out at 2:15 O'Clock h
saw Policeman Doman examining tn
window Of Lebolts. which he had foun
broken. A half brick. wrapped in
glove. had been used to break the glas,
and the thief had quickly grabbed every
thing ne could reach and then disap
peared. The two cars which had bee
In front OF the store were gone.
"f don't see how they could have don
II without any one seeing or hearin
them" said Mr. Lebolt yesterday. "It
incomprehensible. would have swor
that man who tried such a thing woul
have been caught before he could get hi
arm through the hole. But with tn
robberies that have been occurring,
suppose anything Is possible. There /
| kvx
fellows can't be driven out, / suppose"
Commissioner Woods looks at it fror
slightly different angle. He does nc
believe the crooks cannot be DRIVEN ou
and he does not believe there are 4
many here as some people think.
woods CONFIDENT.
1T is natural to suppose that tn
great prosperity which has brought s
much money and so many pleasure seel
ers to New York should also bring a fe,
Of the more daring thieves" he said.
= think we have proved that criminals ca
! be driven from the city, and they will b
cleaned out again. I know there ha
been no great influx Of criminals. Th
great majority OF them are afraid ,
come back.
r but when people come to New Yor
3 with moro money than they know whs
{ to DO with. It is not unreasonable to e,
pect that some few criminals will be vi
3 able to resist the attraction. That
about what has happened. Crime hasn
I increased in the city. 1t Is merely thu
: the last few cases have been such as
attract more than ordinary attention"
I The identity of the gang OF sal
3 crackers which is operating so success
fully and syste' .atically In downtow
New York is pushing the detective bl
reau. A safe Is blown about once
month. and then the gang lays low III
. til the money is gone and they al
forced to go out and do another 10
, This In the hardest kind Of crook Il
police have to handle. The work of tn
particular gang. they say. has all Il
n earmarks Of being the work OF a clev,
4 lot OF safe crackers who have probab
i, | come from the West. and they are col
a yinced that all the safe Jobs are Il
= work of one gang. That makes the
4 hopeful that when they are rounded ,
a the safe robberies will end.