The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-13

as the men at neither place are quite
sure OF the time at which the robberies
occurred At the Sherman Square they
found w. II. Stack. the night clerk. in
the cashiers cage working over the
books apd Arthur Prid, an elevator boy,
In the hallway. Prid was forced to put
up his hands without a word and then
the men thrust their revolvers into the
cashiers cage, the first thing which at
tracted the attention of Stack. 20 quietly
had they entered.
Scared Away by n Taxicab.
The men first took Stacks watch and
a dollar bill which he had In his pocket.
These they tossed back to him as they
were leaving, having found $25 in the
cash drawer. The men were alarmed by
a lookout who had remained outside and
left quickly when he told them of taxi
cab stopping in front of the house. They
drove off from the Sherman Square,
down Tenth avenue. in large car.
Their first call of Yesterday morning
had been at the Madison Hotel in
1weuty-seventh street, near Madison
avenue. There they found Paul Borden
on duty as night clerk. Borden said he
couldn't open the safe and while he was
standing with his hands UP Edgerton
Burnett, a colored bell bow. woke up
and came out of the checkroom to find
himself covered and to lose the $40
which he had in his pocket.
At the Madison, as at the other hotels,
the night clerk dissuaded them from an
attempt on the safe by assuring them
that he did not have the combination
and that the inside compartments, in
which we're kept the valuables of the
guests, were locked separately, the
guests retaining the keys.
At the Sherman Square and at the St
Paul the bandits verified this statement
The door of the st. Paul safe was not
locked. but when the bandits saw the
number of small boxes they evidently
decided that that job was not in theis
line or within the time limit OF the APP
parently careful schedule they had es-
tablished.
The saloon of Richard Grant was
robbed on Wednesday night. Grant has
been in business on the corner Of Tenth
avenue and Sixteenth street for twenty
years. He does business with the crews
Of the Cunard and French Line ships,
who dock near by, and with the men
who work in the warehouses and fac
tories of the district. A hard gang or
two has always frequented the neighbor-
hood, but Grant, though small of figure.
has a reputation as a scrapper and he
has been left alone He is confident
that the men who robbed him on
Wednesday night were not from the
neighborhood.
Grant and his nephew were sitting at a
table near the door and a bartender was
behind the bar when three men entered.
be ught a glass OF beer, chat tied with Che
bartender and then stepped into the wash
room, apparently for a conference. When
they returned one man covered Grant
and his nephew while one covered the
bartender and the third locked the side
door.
They then went through the cash
register getting about $500. Searching
Grant they found another $500 and =
watch and chain valued at 500. They
missed handsome watch which Crafts
nephew was wearing. Warning the three
men not to follow them they left by a
side door and departed in an automobile
Which ran swiftly over Sixteenth street
and apparently turned up Ninth avenue.
Arrests for Minor Thefts.
In connection with three other rob-
berries in the city reported within the
last three days the police have made six
arrests. J. ODonnell, 81, Of 24s2
Eighth avenue; Frank Caruso. 20, of
437 West Twenty-eighth street, and
John Succaman. "a, of aga West Thirty
fifth street were arrested by Patrolman
Gleason of the West Thirty-fifth street
station when he found them In the base
ment of a saloon at 261 West Twenty
ninth street preparing to cart Off bar
rel and five cases of whislxey In q truck
that was standing outside. Gleason
went into the cellar after them and
made the arrests only after stiff bat
Ito with his nightstick An ambulance
surgeon had to take half dozen stitches
In the scalp of each prisoner.
William Dietz, IS. OF 253 West Sixty
second street, and John Fitzpatrick, 81,
Of $50 West Fifty-ninth street, were
arrested in a lumber yard at the foot
of Sixtieth street, charged with the theft
Of 10000 cigarettes and nine dozen pairs
of silk socks from nearby railroad
freight car. The arrests were made by
Detective Harry Moss, OF the West Sixty
feighth street station and John O'Brien
OF the New York Central force. The
stolen articles were recovered in the
lumber yard.
William Thompson. 81. of 121st street
and Third avenue was arrested when
he could not explain his unpermitted
presence In the closet of the home OF
John e. Dwight, 33 Mount Morris Park
West. He was caught after a window
of the house, empty at the time. had
been forced and burglar alarm
turned in.
Mayor Suggests Motor Squads.
In the meanwhile Mayor Hylar
rushed to the fore with the means fo'
stopping such banditry. ASSUMING
Presidential 'verbiage he wrote to hi:
| friend, Commissioner Enright. saying
| May I not suggest to you the advis
ability OF having all automobiles or
the street late at night examined by
the police and special automobile squa s
az tactical points7 His letter was as
follows:
DEAR Com MISSIONER: From time &c
time bandit gangs in high powered auto
mobiles have made practice of holding
up people in apartments and hotels.
Would 1t not be wise at this time
to instruct the patrolmen on post where
holdups OF these kinds are liable e
occur, after IL o'clock at night to max,
| an investigation as to the occupants Of
the cars, and II anything suspicious
appears to take the number of the car
examine the license number of thu
chauffeur and question the occupants
of the car as to their business in thai
immediate neighborhood?
"May-I not suggest to you the advisa-
bility Of having a special automobile
squad detailed at points which you may
select, SO that immediate attention may
oe given to any car that looks as though
1t contained gangsters who are out fol
unlawful purposes. Should any chauf.
feur refuse to stop his car at the request
OF the police officer instruct the officer
to take the number and description of the