The sun., 1919-07-24
THIEVES DRUG EN-,
THEN COPS GAG EN-
Five Victims Of Apartment
Robbery Told to Keep Quiet
While Police Work.
CASH AND GEMS TAKEN
Three Safes Looted by Bur
glars in Worth Street
All Escape.

After a full days investigation the
police had nothing to report in the case
OF the drugging and robbery OF hve per-
sons living in an apartment house at
142 West 113th street. The victims
were uncommunicative. explaining that
they had been advised to say nothing
and the police would surely recover the
stolen property.
The brief police report stated that
rome time after midnight yesterday bur
glars forced window on the second
floor OF the apartment and after ran
sacking the place went out the front
6oor. The FIVE persons asleep on that
floor all awoke toward morning with
headaches and dizziness and believed
they had been drugged. Mrs. Elliott
Merrill a widow, who leases the second
floor apartments, was the first to awake.
She aroused her son, Walter e. Merrill
who is buyer for the Western Elec-
tic Company, and found him affected
with the same symptoms.
They then noticed that the furniture
had been disarranged and discovered the
loss of some money and jewelry. Mr..
Merrill then visited the other tenants.
Lieut. John Cash, u. s. N. stationed at
46 Broadway: Marcus Weingolt,
printer, and John Marx. a Wholesale mil
liner. The condition of all was prac-
tcally the same and all the rooms had
been entered
been thrown into the hail. and weingolt
could not find his at all. A front room
window was wide open and seemed to
have been forced. The total losses were
| a bout 800 in cash and $500 in tewelry.
No theory of the drugging has been
given out by the police, and the tenants
ray they are very much n"stifed by
the whole thing.
Three safes were opened In a burglary
of the Newman & Schwelrs Company,
grocery dealers at IS Worth street, on
Saturday or Sunday, the police reported
yesterday. The loss was about $500.
Officers of the company minimized the
theft. but the police said it had evidently
been done by expert cracksmen. 1t was
the first robbery in the Beach street pre-
cinct since the removal of former In
spector Daniel Costigan to the West
chester precinct. Capt. Charles McKtn-
ney, in charge of the station. had been
on duty at headquarters in connection
with the police field day plans, 1t was
said.
Jewelry and wearing apparel valued
at $4,000 alleged to have been taken
from the home of II. A. Babcock. a
wealthy resident of Manhasset, l.. T..
early yesterday, was recovered here by
the police last night when an attempt
was made to dispose OF some OF II In a
| second hand store on Eighth avenue near
| l2bth street. A negro who described
| himself James Crawford OF Ma IN
hasset, was locked up in the West 1881
street station. charged with robbery.
| The police found 3s calibre revolver
| IN his pocket. and say he admitted the
! burglary after being questioned for two
| hours.
Detective England was in the second
hand store when the negro entered and
| sought to dispose of about $500 worth
| OF Jewelry he took from n box and a
bag. Becoming suspicious, the detective
| questioned Crawford. who gave evasive
| answers. His arrest and the grilling at
| the West 1891 street station followed
Crawford said that he had left con-
| siferabie stun with his sister. Ma y
| West. at $40 West l26th street. lie
| police went there and found rings. -. 4
and other jewelry, five gowns. two 50 :
| OF clothes, shirts and other wearing az
| parel, the whole estimated TO be wnt 1
| $4,000.
A telephone call to Manhasset elicit
the Information from Constable All y
| that the Babcock family was in y y
England and that the interior of =
| house had been wrecked by the burg pro.
| Mirrors and furniture had been brok n
| and walls wantonly defaced, the con.
stable said. The police assert tia,
| Crawford already has served one term IN
! Sing Sing for burglary