New-York tribune., 1920-12-17
2 Gem Statesmen and Mess
senger Gagged as They
Enter Office and Wares
Seized by Masked Trio
Vigilantes Urged
To Protect CITY
Girl in Adjoining Of
flee Discovers Hold-Up
After Robbers Escape

Three masked men, one Of whom
is believed to have carried q pistol
or carbine equipped with silencer.
killed Edwin P. Andrews in his
wholesale jewelry shop at Fifth
Avenue and Forty-fifth Street,
about p. m. yesterday, and escaped
with at least $4,000 worth of Jews
elry, after binding and gagging thres
callers who interrupted them at their
plundering.
Mr.. Andrews was senior member
of the firm of Andrews & Winston,
whose offices and salesrooms are ON
the eighth floor Of the Marcus Build.
ing, Fifth Avenue and Forty-fifth
Street. He returned from luncheon
yesterday at 1:40 p. m., and his
partner, Albert Winston, went out
for his luncheon, leaving him alone
in the place. When Mr.. Winston
went out he left the senior member
OF his firm at his desk, which is be.
tween the Office and the storeroom.
and almost directly in front of the
safe.
Police Find JeweIer Dead
When the police arrived, about 2:so.
Mr.. Andrews was dead behind his desk
He had been shot in the stomach.
though no one in the building had
heard the report Of a pistol, and had
been struck on the head with a length
of pipe wound with cotton. which was
found near his body. His murderers
doubtless at that moment were min
Cling with the holiday shoppers close
by on Fifth Avenue. but no one in tn.
building remembered having seen them
enter or depart.
Three men were lying bound and
gagged on the floor beside the BODY Of
the jeweler, their eyes bandaged 50
that they could not see the robbers At
their work. They had kicked and
squirmed in their endeavors to free
mselves until the noise they made
attracted the attention of a stenop-
rapher in an adjoining office. who no
tilted the superintendent of the build
ing.
The robbers are presumed to have
made their escape down one of two
pairs of stairs, one leading to the Fifth
Avenue elevator entrance the other to
the rear of the corridor running east
and west in the building and which
leads to freight entrance in West
Forty-fifth Street. The latter is mar
row and dark, and, according to the
buildings oyerseers, no one unfamiliar
with the passage would attempt hur-
ried exit by that route.
There was no evidence to show that
either the passenger or the freight
elevators had been used by the ban
dts. Only tenants and employees or
other persons known TO the two passen-
ger elevator operators used this means
of ingress or egress during the hour in
which the hold-up was enacted.
Vigilance Committe Proposed
Cleveland A. Dunn, director Of the
Sterling Silver Manufacturers Assoc
citation, who investigated the robbery
Tor that organization, said that its
members were prepared TO organize q
vigilance committee if necessary TO pro-
tect jewelers. and other merchants.
Il am shocked at tnis whole affair.""
he said. "They stopped this sort Of
thing in Chicago and Philadelphia and
other civilizea cities, but nothing seems
tc be done nere that might put the
crooks out of business, or even embar-
rass them in their operations. We nave
right TO expect protection, and our
organization is ready to take drastic
measures.
Don't be SURPRISED if you hear Of
the organization Of q vigilance commit
tee to protect the jewellers and mer-
chants Of New York. Our people arc
going to be protected, if every man in
the trade has to go about carrying a
gun"
Total of Thieves Haul
According 70 police officials who re-
fused to be quoted in regard to the
amount of jewelry stolen. the two bags
contained in all about $40 900 worth o.
jewelry, and to the $4,000 worth report
ed By Inspector Coughln there was
added by statements at Police Head
quarters late last night $4,000 worth
of diamonds contained in two envel-
opes. 1t was estimated that the thefts
would not exceed $4,000, and that this
figure probably was exaggerated.
Police Inspector Coughlin, who was
among the first from central Head
quarters TO arrive on the scene after
being notified OF the crime. would give
no estimate of the value OF the jewelry
stolen beyond the tray full of stones in
the firms safe. Early reports had i.
that the thefts would total anywhere
from $4,000 to $780, 900. but statements
from the two visiting statesmen as 60
the quantity of valuables in their
cases seemed to refute the larger fig
ure.
Presumably Mr.. Andrews had started
to sort a tray Of stones which he had
removed from the sa on his right.
when the bandits confronted him with
drawn revolvers and ordered him to
throw up his hands. Instead of throw
ing up his hands he is thought TO have
wheeled suddenly toward the safe with
the intention Of throwing the lock
combination.
A silent shot was fired and the rob-
bers closed in on their victim, one Of
them welding an iron pipe about eight
inches in length, wrapped in cotton.
Mr.. Andrews was knocked to the floor.
unconscious and dying.
Al this stage Luke Mulligsn. sixty