The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-04
HEIGHTS VIGILANTES]
AID BURGLAR HUNT
Citizens Organize to Help Po-
lice and Together They
Catch Intruder.
DOWNTOWN SAFE BLOWN
Thieves Get $500 in Bonds and
Jewelry in Rhinelander
Building.

From the arraignment in police court
yesterday OF man charged with bur-
giary developed the fact that Washing
ton Heights has q citixens vigilance
committee scouting for robbers and that
this informal method Of assisting the
police already has produced results.
Members OF the committee, on listen
Ing post Thursday night in West 146th
street, where thieves have been espe-
cially pestiferous. heard glass breaking
at No. 40. an apartment house. They
told the police. and presently Sergeant
Knowles and six patrolmen were on the
scene. Knowles and one OF his men
mounted to the roof OF the adjoining
building and found dangling therefrom
a rope whose lower end had vanished
through broken skylight OF the apart
ment house Sliding down the rope the
two policemen found a man crouching on
the top floor of the apartment house,
II won't rum" he said when they lew
elled their revolvers.
The police say they also found several
bathrobes in which jewelry, silverware
onef, describing himself as William
Tierney. q driver. OF 2707 Eighth ave-
nue., was held by Magistrate Schwab in
the Washington Heights court In $500
bail for the Grand Jury.
Near the other end OF Manhattan, In
the Rhlnelander Building at Duane
street. the Arm Of Lutz a Sheinkman.
photographers, discovered yesterday
morning that its safe had been blown
open In the night and relieved of $500
worth of Liberty bonds. q watch and a
pair OF earrings valued at $500. Bur-
glers had forced a basement door, gone
Up the freight elevator and jirnmied the
door Of the elevator shaft at the tenth
floor. Boring a hole In the outer door
Of the safe with an electric drill, they
had blasted the door off with nitro
glycerine and opened the inner compart>
ment with Jimmy. A member of the
lithographing firm said that until n few
days ago the safe contained $4,000
worth of bonds. which had been trans
ferred to q safety deposit vault.
over In Brooklyn Mrs. Ida Topp Of
1919 Bath avenue woke up at IS o'clock
yesterday morning and saw negro in
her room. She says she jumped up
screaming, whereupon the negro dlved
through q window to the lawn. Patrol
man James Long, hearing the noise,
drew near, and seeing q negro running
chased him. shooting into the air until
the quarry stopped.
The prisoner, Harry Cook. truck
driver, of Bay Thirty-seventh street and
Bath avenue pleaded In the Coney Island
Court not guilty of attempted burglary
and was held in $1,000 bail for examina-
ton to-day. Mrs. Topp Identified him.
Three hours earlier Miss Margaret Land
OF 1744 Sixty-third street had n similar
experience. and at A. NJ. Charles Lip
schitz OF 1875 Bay Thirty-hrst street
turned his fiashlight on a man who was
trying to enter through a window and
scared him away.
Meanwhile Flatbush saloonkeepers are
indignant because weapons with which
they may have intended TO repel invaders
but for which they had no permits under
the Sullivan law are being taken away
from them by the police. Five OF these
men were arrested by detectives from
Brooklyn headquarters yesterday and
held in $1O0 bail apiece for Special SEES
sions.
William Herman OF 1898 F1atbush
| avenue objected on the ground that a re-
! volver which he had was a war relic
| with the name Of the soldier who cap
tured 1t scratched on the handle. Gus
| tave Kursame of 1862 Flatbush avenue
insisted that the BILLY" he was accused
Of barboring was a piece OF rubber hose
! which had been behind the bar since the
saloon was opened. Joseph Fennimore
| 545 Albany avenue, was charged with
| having a dirk; Herman Albers. 8SS
Franklin avenue, with having a revolver
and Herman Eyrich, 945 Franklin ave-
nue., withdrawing blackjack.