The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-14
BONDS
AND GONE
One Brokerage Firm Misses
$178,000 and Another $45,-
600 at Same Time.
EMPTY BAGS ARE FOUND
One Youth Convicted of Simi-
lar Theft Before-Securi-
ties. Mostly CELEBRITIES"

Ties. mostly "LlDertleS."
Benjamin Binkowitz. 169 Eldridge
street, was sent Tuesday afternoon by
his employers. Richard Whitney & Co..
II Wall street, with bag containing
bonds worth s17s,0oo, with instruc-
tons to deliver them to the office of
Kidder. Peabody & Co.. II Wall street.
At about the same hour Simmons &
Slade, Nassau street, sent Harry
James Minhand, 1877 West 127th street,
with bag containing bonds worth
$4,000 for delivery to three other
brokerage firms in the immediate
neighborhood.
Up to late hour last night neither
OF the boys had returned, and they
had not appeared at their homes since
they left with the bonds, most Of which
were Liberty and Victory issues. There
also were some railroad securities
The Srokerage firms reported the
matter to tho police when both
Binkowitz and Millhand did not
come back to their offices. Late In
the same afternoon detectives found
the bag in which the Whitney bonds
had been placed in front of the Equita-
Bile Trust Company's building in 43
Exchange place, while the bag with
which Milihand started from the Sim
mons 4 slade offices was found behind
a counter in the Simmons & Slade
place. The police believe that both
boys rified the bags of the Securities.
secreted them on their persons and
then left the bags where they would
be found later.
Millhand Arrested Before.
Police detectives were set to work i'm
mediately. as we'll as private detectives
employed by the National Surety Com
pany, which had bonded the employees
Of the Whitney concern. but none
CT them has found any trace of either
Binkowitz or Millhand. The latter, the
police say, is really Harry William, who
was extradited from Los Angeles on
April 5, 1918. for the alleged theft OF
$4,000 in Liberty bonds from the
brokerage firm Of Suecthwayer & Cohn.
50 Exchange place, and who received a
suspended sentence when arraigned be-
fore Judge Malone In General Sessions
Although the two robberies are almost
Identical, the police do not believe that
there was collusion between the two
boys The thefts became known when
the numbers Of the missing bonds were
posted in Wall Street as having been
lost"
William J. Lahey. Deputy Police Com
missioner. who said that Millhand was
In reality William. denounced yesterday
the manner in which brokers send yalu-
able securities through the. streets of
lower Manhattan in care Of boys who
are not watched, or about whom little
effort Is made to learn anything.
THE Police Department" said Com
missioner Lahey, has repeatedly sent
cut warnings to the brokerage firms
against the danger of engaging boys as
n nessengers without first investigating
their references. We have also warned
them against the reckless manner in
which boys are given valuable bonds and
sent out in the street to deliver them.
Most boys are very careless in their
handling OF anything, and II is surpris-
Ing that so many big firms will intrust
them with valuable securities The DO
lice are doing the best they can. but
most OF these are inside Jobs, and n "a
impossible for us to suppress them un-
less We receive some cooperation from
the brokers'"
At the offices OF Simmons & Slada Il
was said that MIllhand came to them
looking for work about three months
ago, with excellent references, which
apparently were not investigated. Mill
hard IL 21 years old and lived with his
mother and his sister at the 127th street
address. Mrs. Millhand said last night
that her son was not overly bright and
that she believes he has been mlsled
by other boys.
"Crazy" over Dancing.
"He Is crazy over dancing" she said.
he did 1t because he thought he could
get enough money that way to go around
to all the cabarets and dance"
Mrs. Millhand said that her son was
brought back to New York from the
West last April, charged with having
stolen bonds. and received a suspended
sentence. He was described to the police
as a "fiashy dresser" about Ave feet
eight inches tall. medium weight and
light complexion. His mother said that
last week he received $12 bonus from
his employers, and that with that he
bought a pair of shoes for 50. a necktie
for 81 and gave her a dollar.
Binkowitz Is rs years old and, ac-
cording to the surety company records
he had been employed by the Whitney
firm about eight montha
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