Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-23
FREIGHT GAR THIEF HELD
 FOR SUPERIOR COURT TRIAL

Victor Frederick of New London pleaded not guilty of breaking and en- Hartford Railroad Go. freight car in the New Haven road yard at Fort Neck early Monday morning, when he was presented in the New London po-l ble cause was found by Judge Colt and Frederick was turned over to. the next term of the superior court in bonds of ,500 which he furnished.
 Paul Hammond yard clerk at the Fort Neck yard. testified that he had checked up freight car No.s 62,70o,
 which is the one that Frederick is charged with having entered, on Sat
 yard at 2.45 on Saturday. carried miscellaneous cargo, and was con
 signed to the freight house. He told of
 inspecting the seals of the car on
 Saturday and found them both to be fastened.
 W. A. Saunders, tally clerk at the yard, testified that he had chacked up
 the. contents of the freight car No.
 bags of coffee, valued at $50 and a
 200 pound box of candy. He said that when he examined the car both doors were sealed but the seal on one door differed from the seal on the op- posite one The seal that differed from the original had been placed on the car following the break by Special Rail- road Officer Martin Kane
 lLOWard w. Roach, head Of the rail- road police for the New Lopdon di- vision, and one of the officers who made the arrest, was next called. He testified that he and Special Officer C. T. Greene had gone to the freight yard at about 1230 Monday morning and as they approached freight car No. 62.70o, they heard voices and heard a dog bark The dog was or dered by gruf voice TO shut up," As they approached nearer to the car they heard a man walking between that car and another one. Witness went to the south end of the car while Officer Greene went to the north end. They both crawled in under the car l Mr. Roach said that while he watched | two men inside the car handed down | bag of coffee from the door of the 1 car to Frederick. who was standing l by the side of the car. The bag was l followed by a box Of candy. At this | point he (Roach) made a slight noise ] and Frederick started to run. He was tackled by Officer Greene
 Meanwhile witness had ordered the i two men inside the car to get out. l They did so and both attacked him. | One of them broke away. but he held {, to the other until he heard cry from | Officer Greene. Fearing that the offf- cer had been injured. he released his 1 hold on the man that he had and I, went to the aid of his fellow officer Officer Greene was struggling with Frederick, who had struck him over the head with a blunt instrument and | had partially stunned him. After a | desperate battle Frederick was over come and the handcuffs were placed upon him. He laid down on his back and called out in Italian. The officers, fearing that he was calling for assist 1 ance, helped him to his feet through the of their clubs and brought him to the station house
 Officer Greene corrobated Officer T. Roach's testimony and added addi- tional testimony about returning to the freight car where the bag of cof- fee and the New England Go. candy were found. A knife with blade about eight inches in length was also found there. At the spot where he F (Greene) had the tussle with Fred | erick, Colt .38 revolver special army was found and it is thought that it was with this weapon that Frederick struck Officer Greene.
 Attorney George Curtis Morgan. counsel for the defendant, offered no
 Frederick is believed by the police to be the leader of the gang that has been engaged in freight car thefts for some months past. A search of his house and a grocery store that he Roach and Patrolman Howard Sloan keeps on Smith street by Officer revealed large quantity of merchan- disc that it is claimed has bNnn missed from freight cars. The stun has not | been checked up and the value of 1t cannot be known
 Special Officer Martin Kane, while making his rounds through the Fort Neck yard. few hours after the ar Of cigarettes that the second bag of coffee hidden among the bushes on the bank facing Goshen street. The cigarettes were stolen from a freight car. |,
 Frederick declined to tell who his companions were.