Republican farmer., 1918-01-25
ROBBERY PROFITS
 $6O,OOO
Master Cracksman Ar
 rested Last Night By Detective Malone Ad- mits Has Stolen in Fairfield County Prop
 erty Worth a Fortune.
Saturday, Jan. 19

With the arrest of Joseph Gall alias Variag in Stamford last night, by Detective Malone of the Bridgeport Detective Bu- reau, the mystery surrounding the many robberies committed lately in the West End has been cleared up. When questioned by Detective Captain CrOnan this morning Gall admitted that the profits accruing from his burgIaries within the last few months in Fairfield County amounted to S60,000. He also admitted that he was an escap- cd convict from Trenton Prison, New Jersey.
 It was upon statements made by Frank Schondos, of AS Park street, Wallingford, who was arrested a few nights ago by Sergeant Cassidy for robbing the butcher shop owned by John Demirjin, 1902 Maplewood ave- nue, that Detective Malone trailed his man to Stamford, where he had fled after being apprehended by Sergeant Cassidy in company with Schondos. Three thousand dollars is consider ed to be a conservative estimate of the value of the hau1s made by the gang under the leadership of Gall during the past couple of weeks, but all that could be found by the police was a curious assortment of electric flash lights, wrist watches, rings, watch chains, silk hardk watch fobs, knives, razors cigarettes, a small flask of whiskey, cough lozenges and other gee gaws which the prisoner said he was tryiog to sell to Hungarians and Poles, using the pockets of his over | coat as a store.
 Referring to the capture today Cap~ tain Cronan said These men have apparently been operating from places out of town and many of the local l bad boys have been blamed for the work which this gang has been pull II, but if so we will have them rounded up in short order.'
 Among the many crimes laid at the door of the accused is that of poison ing watch dogs in the Fairfield section. Dan Phillips making the complaint that his watch dogs had been poisoned and his grocery store robbed.
 Gall admitted that the dogs were l poisoned. but said that Schondos was responsible for it. He also said that ! he was confined in the Trenton prison, | New Jersey, for 16 months, but the ] authorities said he was crazy and sent him to the prison hospital from which 1 he escaped. He has had no fixed
 place of abode since and has secured vast sums of money and valuable by plying the profession of cracksmen. { Another man taken into custody 1 with Gall is an Italian by the name of Masalos.. The police have no defi- nite charge against this man, but are holding him while an investigation is being conducted into his movements.
 Among the places which the pair
 have admitted breaking into are Frank Bolshazy, 349 Hancock ave- l
 this place amounted to $500. Joe Franklin's saloon, on Bostwick ave nue, $225 stolen and the cash register broken. They visited this place a 1 second time and made away with | liquor, cigars and small sum of 1 money.
 A saloon belonging to Frank Ce- bek, on Hancock avenue was also
 broken into, cigars, whiskey and
 money being the swag. Joseph Pelk' S
 saloon was also burglarized and a
 quantity of whiskey stolen and they
 did not overlook John Demenke's sa-
 loon where they obtained enough loot
 to stock a salon of their own.
 Their out of town activities em- braced Naugatuck, where they broke into a clothing store and made off with shoes and clothing. A meat market in Seymour, was footed of provisions and money, and upon second visit to Seymour a quantity of raincoats and other articles of clothing were carried off. Stores in Norwalk and Branford were also footed of a va riety of goods from silk handker- chiefs to rubbers, but the cracksmen came to grief when they ran into Sergeant Cassidy a few nights ago carrying the spells of their little party in Demirjin's meat market.
 John Demirjin was at police head I quarters today to identify his prop erty, but there was little of the four
 hundred dollars worth of property which he claims is missing for him
 to inspect. He recovered a valuable gold chain and a few other trinkets
 but said that the major portion of l his r,roDertxy ic missing,