The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-05
CROOK FOR 81 YEARS,
IN JAIL 9 MONTHS
"Scootch" Thomas Killed by
Pal He Shot-Foiled Many
Indictments.
BAT BLOW ENDS CAREER
Old Charges Included Murder
Complicity-Trapped for
Carrying Gun.

The criminal career Of "Scootch'
Thomas. No. $3.50 in the Rogues' Gal.
lery. ended In Atlantic City on Friday
night. when ne was killed by the blow
Of a baseball bat welded by one Of his
partners. All tho men who were in the
automobile with Thomas at the time OF
the murder are criminals and all have
records
Thomas. with Frank D. Martini
Petite" Fitzsimmons. Germantown
White and two others were riding near
Atlantic City in q stolen car. The police
believe that all the occupants were In
toxicated for they had neglected to re-
move the license number OF the machine
Thomas was driving the car. and at a
place in the road he accidentally drove
into the ditch. This excited the jibes o,
his companions and the remarks, par
tcularly those OF Martini. caused
Thomas to stop the machine. He Jumped
from tho drivers seat, whipped out two
revolvers and told Martini to como on
and fight.
Martini, however. refused to leave the
car and Thomas fired. the bullet pene-
trating Martini's chest. Thomas then
resumed his seat and the party con-
tinued. Martini. who was In the back
seat, seized a baseball bat and struck
Thomas on the head. killing him. Al
this point the two unknown men fed
leaving Frtzsimmons. white" Martini
and Thomas in the car when found by
the Atlantic City police.
Long Criminal Record.
The murdered man had a criminal
record which extended from 1897 to the
present time. There has been scarcely
a year In which he has not been ar
rested, yet in spite OF that fact ne has
served only a short time in prison. He
paraded under the aliases Charles John.
son. Charles Thompson. Young Scotch
Scutch, Skuch and c. w. Martin He
is listed among the general crooks" as
were the rest of his party.
In July. 1897. he was arrested fol
burglary In Chicago. being acquitted
In April. 1898. he was arrested on the
same charge and was again acquitted
In December. 1901. he was arrested IT
New York as being a suspicious person
but dismissed. Again In June. 1902
suspicious character. but was moi
held. He was arrested In New York
in 1907. charged with grand larceny
but was dismissed. and In 1909 ne was
held in Fishkill as being associated
with tho murder OF Sterritt Keefe. a
prominent citizen. but this time also
was discharged.
In 1910 he was arrested, being
charged with completely in the murde,
of Frank Coulter In barroom a,
$50 West Forty-sixth street. and was
again discharged. In 1911 he was ar
rested In connection with the murder
OF Charles Rubbish. hotel owner al
col West Thirty eighth street, but was
dismissed. In March. 1912, his name
again appears on the blotters, beins
charged with felonious assault, case
In which q certain John Martin was
killed.
One Term in Prison.
His only Imprisonment came in 1918
when he served nine months, having
been found guilty Of carrying concealed
weapons. But on being dismissed he
was again indicted and arrested In
California, with a number of others. In
connection with the murder OF Murray
Hennessey. who was shot in a bar al
Forty second street and Seventh ave.
nue.. But In this case he was also
discharged. He then figured in a
holdup. In which the cashier OF Sacket,
Williams Company or Brooklyn was
robbed OF large sum OF money.
In June. 1915. he was arrested In
Montreal for the city OF Buffalo charged
with carrying concealed weapons. And
even at the date OF his death he was
wanted In New York on two charges. one
for assault and robbery and one for rob-
berry alone.
His accomplices also are we'll known
TO the police. Frank Martini. the man
who murdered Thomas. is known IN the
Rogues Gallery as No. B 1889. and had
used the aliases FRANK Keys, Raymond,
Big Frank" De Carlo and De earle.
He was known to the police as gen
eral crook" Although his record is not
as long as the one had by Thomas he
had served a year In the penitent!ary
for assault and robbery. and in 1914 he
escaped from the Jefferson Market Court
in connection with a grand larceny case.
A Regular Criminal Crew.
Germantown White" No. 1879. has
been known as William White and
George Clark. In December. 1904. he
was sentenced to three years in prison,
being found guilty in grand larceny
case in Philadelphia Petite" Fitzsim-
mons served a sentence in Sing Sing
lasting seven years for grand larceny.
But in this one case the police rounded
up all but two OF tho gang. The Allan
tic City authorities cannot account for
the presence OF the bat In the machine,
but have advanced the theory that II
was being kept TO use in case the ma
chine was to be held UP by the traffic
police near the city