Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-12-31
GETS $500
BY BOLD RUSE
Starts Fire in Garage and
Makes Haul During the Ex-
itemen That Follows

The police are today working on
another robbery which was staged
yesterday afternoon In tho Central
garage of Polkowitz Brothers at 2S5
New Brunswick avenue and resulted
In the thief getting away with 5000
In cash, checks and notes. The man
used a scheme in getting the money,
which was new to the officials here
namely. by starting a fire In the gar
age. causing a lot of confusion and
then getting way with the contents OF
the safe during the excitement
Shortly before noon yesterday a
man entered the Office of the Central
garage and declared he wanted to
make arrangements for the housing of
two cars, which his father was bring
ing down from Jersey City In the af-
ternoon. After talking the matter
over and making the necessary plans
he asked the clerk II she could give
him Ave one dollar bills for a five dol
lar bill. She went to the safe, opened
IL and gave the man the change. lie
then thanked her and went out
Early yesterday afternoon those in
the garage were by a small
fire which was, discovered in one of
the automobiles kept there. The Of
fee was Immediately deserted. all
rushing to help e~xtinguish the flames.
Inc ire was put Oub DCiOHC ~ AAaa
gained much Roadway and upon re-
turning to the office it was found the
safe had been rihed, sos in cash being
taken, together with s29S in checks
and $500 in notes. Payment upon the
notes and checks were Immediately
stopped.
When the man did not appear I'm
the afternoon. nor his father with
the two cars he had been talking
ohntf arfunfCfnn fNnn adiQfalE foil I'M
on him n Detective Sergeant John
Hun and Detective William Hartmann
were assigned to the case. No trace
of the man has been found as yet.
Detectives HUFF and Hartmann are
also still working on the Reynolds
case and that OF the Smith street
Boston confectionery store as well.
The latter place was brok into on
the night OF December 26 and s4e in
cash and considerable candy was
stolen. 1t is thought to have been
the work OF boys as entrance was
gained by crawling through a small
window In the rear Of the store. not
sufficiently large for a man TO get
through.
Robbers Plead Guilty
John LaFord and Henry Beller,
two of the three me arrested here
for the Sewaren postofice robbery,
pleaded guilty before the federal au-
thorities at Newark yesterday and
both are being held in $500 bail to
await the action of the Federal Grand
Jury. The men were taken to New
ark by Detectives Hun and Hart
mann.
The records of both LaFord and
Beller have been looked into and II
has been found that both are well
known to the New York police. La
Ford having the longest criminal rec
ord. He is known under aliases as
John Ffmbone and Vincent Cazaur-
ang. The first eco of his arrest
which the New York police have Is
in 1909. Since then his record shows
no has been arrested in 1918. 1914.
1916. 1917 and ono before this year
for petty larceny and burglary. Bel
ler's record does not begin until 1917
when he was arrested once. He was
arrested this year in Staten Island on
a burglary charge.
Jack Brady. the other member OF
the trio arrested in the Sewaren case.
Is known to have a long prison rec
ord but it has not yet been secured.
He admitted having been II of the
who broke into the store of
Henry Mccullough in Smith street IN
November.