The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-09
y.
BOY BANDITS TAKEN
| And DISGORGELOO
Confessions Implicate Five
!. Lads in Holdup Of Bro
" ker's Messenger.
f..
LEADER, 16, HIT VICTIM
Check and Securities Thrown
on Waste Pile, $4,000 in
- Bonds Hidden.
LEADER, 16, HIT VICTIM

The police made a speedy and thor
oush cleanup yesterday of the smuggling
ana robbing in the Adams Building. 81
Broadway. on Friday afternoon of Mil
ton Strohm, the boy messenger for L. NJ
Prince. broker. OF 90 Broad street
They rounded up five youths. ranging in
sges from 16 TO 20. obtained more or
less reluctant confessions as to parts
played In the holdup preliminaries and
recovered the stolen securities.
The member of the quintet whose cap
tAire ticltled the detectives most was The
ddcre Mignone, 16 years old, of no
fiatbush avenue. Brooklyn. Theodore
was charged with assault ana robbery,
following his admission that he alone
weiloped young Strohm on the head with
apiece of insulated wiring en the stair
way OF the Adams Rultding and ran
on with the messengers bag containing
$4,000 In Liberty bonds, a $1,000 tcerti-
Ned check and other securities.
The other prisoners we're Anthony
Mignone. Is: Gustave Mignone. 20: Les
tar Ostertag. II. clerk. 3s6 Humboldt
Greet. Brooklyn, and Edward Andreas,
~ years old. painter, 169 Anslie' street,
Drooklyn. They were charged with
Grand larceny and robbery. The MI
gnones are brothers. living at home. Z
\, Lads Sent to Tombs.St 4.
4 The boys were arraigned before Mag
fgkfate Simpson in the Tombs p0lioe
court. All admitted guilt with the ex-
ception OF Andreas. They were hold in
$4,000 bail each to await the action of
the Grand Jury. AS they couldn't give
bonds all were sent to the Tombs.
Tho detectives credited Theodore Mi
gnone with being the leading spirit in
the disastrous venture. Theodore has
had much "Wall street experience" as
a~messenger. making "as high las s12
q week." doing odd jobs when he didn't
have a regular one, and occasionally
6abbling in puts and calls" when he
had the spare cash. He knew all about
the careless fashion in which boys en-
pioyed as messengers for brokerage
houses tote around large amounts of
unsuitable securities from one house to
another. He had done it himself and
long had watched the other fellows.
Soon after Theodore and his pals
talked over the possibilities of a big
cleanup at the expense of some unhappy
eroker's messenger young Strohm found
thak he was being tagged around by a
boy. who iAsisted on being friendly.
otrohm didn't like the boys appearance
And repeatedly tried to dodge him. The
stranger" refused to be rebuffed and
repeatedly bodied UP alongside the mes
hanger in the crowded streets as he was
sop his way 10 various Offices. On the
might before the robbery Strohm confided
~ his younger brother Monroe the
istrange boys persistency' In making
friends' and said he didn't like him.
Trail Leads to Brooklyn.
i Young Strohm told Detectives Mayer,
BROWN and Hyams something about his
mysterious shadower, but he didn't
know even his first name. However.
smother Wall street messenger confided
10 the detectives some important in
formation concerning the identity of the
;fpllower" and the trail took the officers
10 the Mignone home at ITO F1atbush
avenue. Gustave Mignone, the oldest Of
the three brothers, was picked up first.
Then Anthony Mignone was taken under
the police wing. Persuasion on the part
;of the police resulted in information
.fhat made 1t necessary for the detectives
10, arrest Ostertag and Andreas.
: 1t was we'll into the morning that
Theodore Mignone. the youthful ring
Header, was uncovered in the Glenwood
where the boy had taken temporary ref
NGe. The rest was easy, because Theo-
idore made It so. although at first he in
sfuted that after the holdup he had been
robbed by another holdup man.
> According to Theodore after he
swetted Strohm on the head and seized
his bag of securities he Joined Ostertag
In the Adams Building, but not on the
moor where the robbery took place. The
pair walked through the crowds to the
Cortland street station of the Seventh
axenue subway. There they removed
the $40, 900 worth OF Liberty bonds from
the leather pouch. They dumped the
.pauch and other securities into a pile OF
rubbish. The bonds were taken to An
dreas's fathers paint shop at 1853 Aims
lie street and secreted in water trap
Detectives took Theodore to the subway
atation yesterday morning, where he
ipointed out the bag The $500 check
100 shares of New York Central stock
s,ad 81 900 Virginia. Carolina Chemical
bond were intact The Liberty bonds
were also found just where the boys
Raid they were.
{ It was generally understood all around
that Theodore intended to divvy VI
$40, 900 apiece as a reward for partici'
nation, advice and silence in connection
tesith tho astonishing "get rich quick
vescapade.
{ Charles Mignone. father OF the three
snfignone boys said he couldn't believe
.g1,is b~H could 60 tho ching oGSsl 81
They were accused. He was certain
lTheodore's mind had been affected by q
sreeent illness. He said Gustave was 9
good boy" and had handled large suns
isof money for his firm. Not long ago
ne added, Gustave found 81. 900 in casf