The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-23
POLICE AIM IS POOR, 7.
INNOCENT MAN DEAD
New Officer Shoots Waterman
by Mistake While Pursu-
ing Suspect.
HORSE BETRAYs ROBBERS
Wagonload of Leather Taken
From Loft Is Found, but
Criminals Escape.

| Carl heldmann, watcnman en-
4 ployed by the American District Tele-
graph Company in Brooklyn, was the
victim in a chase Of supposed burglars
by detectives early yesterday morning
He was shot through the heart and
killed by a detective who was pursuing
man whom he had already had in his
custody. but who had broken away from
him
The death of Heidmann makes the sec
ond case of the shooting OF an innocent
person by policeman in Brooklyn within
a week. Peter Jerabek, a boy living at
s41 Flushing avenue. was shot and killed
while standing on the fire escape out
side his home last week by a policeman
who mistook him for a gunman.
The killing of Heidmann yesterday oc-
CURED on Montague street just before
dawn, the man who killed him being
John Freis, a probationary policeman.
who with another probationer had been
assigned from the Police Training School
at Police Headquarters to accompany two
experienced detectives on an early morn
ing hunt for thieves. The four men, none
| of them In uniform, went from head
quarters to the neighborhood of Bor-
ough Hall, walked once around the
square and then took UP their position
idI tils Cornor VI SourC ana hontdBue
streets.
They had been there only few min
utes when two young men stepped Off
the platform of a Court street car, one
| OF them carrying g suit case.
Detective James Cunningham. who was
in charge of the party, stopped the men
and ordered them to let him see what
they had In the case. Instead the man
who had the suit case dropped 1t and
xxyff ~ mi dou
Man Breaks Away.
One of them, after a half block. darted
into a restaurant and Cunningham
caught him there. The other, after a
short run, was overhauled by Preis. who
led him back to where the suit case lay,
and holding him by one hand reached
for the case with the other.
His prisoner freed himself by a quick
wrench.
Then Preis fired again. His bullet
struck the Waterman. Heidmann. stand
ing fattened against the door of the
American District Telegraph Offices at
1855 Montague street, and he dropped to
the sidewalk dead.
At the second shot the man Preis was
after changed his mind about running,
and coming to a stop stood with his
hands above his head. Preis put hand
cuffs on him this time and went back to
where Heidmann lay. Within ten min
utes an ambulance surgeon, summoned
by one of the other detectives. pro-
nounced Heidmann dead. Preis tainted
when he heard the surgeons verdict.
Preis was held on a charge of homi-
eide in the Adams Street Court yester-
day and will be kept in custody until
there has been a full inquiry.
Preis Was n Soldier.
Preis was doing his first tour of police
} yesterday when he shot Heidmann down.
} He was in France with the Seventy
= seventh Division and has a good military
record. Heidmann was so years old,
and leaves wife and two sons. He
: lived at 312 Lefferts avenue.
After talking to their two prisoners
: the detectives who had been with Preis
: went over to Manhattan and arrested
Eugenio Garcia and Emilio Rueda, who
roomed with the other two. All four
are Spaniards.
= 1t may fairly be said that horse sense,
rather than police acumen, reclaimed a
7 wagon load of leather yesterday that
J had been stolen from the loft of Walter
S. We'll & Co., manufacturers at 81
York street, Brooklyn.
Sergeant Patrick Curran and Police
, man William Murphy were standing in
Flint alley, subsidiary of York street,
early yesterday when they heard the
whinnying of a horse. Conceiving this
to be suspicious circumstance. they
walked in the direction from which the
whinnying came and there found q horse,
: with a pedler's wagon hitched to him.
and $4,000 worth of assorted leather In
the wagon. The wagon was standing in
a vacant lot and stood at the base of
: fire escape leading up to Well & Co. q
establishment The policemen also found
J a fifty foot length of rope and an ice
tongs 1t required but a moments in
duction for the policemen to realize that
: rope and tongs must have been used TO
> lower the leather from loft to wagon
and the police state also that four men
broke their way into the loft. How they
= know that four men were concerned is
doubtless a cut above the lay In
l telligence. For when the factory build
: ing was surrounded finally, and every
floor of it searched. no burglars were
found at all.
Alleged Loft Robber Held.
I Success crowned yesterday the efforts
of the police in the case of the Kings
County Cut Glass Manufacturing Com
= pany. whose factory at 174 North Fourth
street. Brooklyn, has been robbed by
burglars three times within two weeks
1.-The last robbery occurred last Satur-
day. Yesterday two detectives saw two
: men come down the fire escape one OF
a them with q bundle. They gave chase
I lost the man with the bundle, but ar.
: rested James Garlic of S41 East
9 Eleventh street, Manhattan.
( A band OF professional safe blower
d looted three stores in The Bronx som,
S time between Saturday night and yester
Q day morning. carried away more thar
9 $4,000 in cash and about $500 worth o.
r property.
|, The stores robbed were the Hygrad,
: Wine Company's shop at 1899 Third ave
r nue., the Surprise and 10 cent store,
few doors further along. and the Bly,
: Company's shoe store at 1891 Third ave
Q nue..
n When Anthony PrIegrimo. manager
@ OF the Liggett drug store at Prospec
= avenue and 160th street, The Bronx
o opened the place yesterday morning 4
was discovered that burglars had en-
tered after midnight Saturday and haC
taken S470 which had been left in tn.
safe. Five other drug stores in Tn,
Bronx have been robbed recently.
Bronx Murder Unsolved.
The investigation In The Bronx int
- !, the death OF Henry Bierman. who wa
y shot mysteriously near the 1920 stree
q entrance of Bronx Park on late Saturda
u l. -.