The New York herald., 1920-01-23
BURGLARS VICTIMS
VIEW $4,000 LOOT
East Sixty-Seventh Street Sta
ton Resembles Fifth Ave
nue. Curio Shop.

The detectives room in the East Sixty
seventh street station might have passed.
FOR Fifth avenue curio shop yesterday.
Ranged about the room was an array
of jewels, silverware, furs, costly artI
objects and silken garments, the value
Of which Detective Sergeant John J. Nc
Mahon, on guard over the treasure,
estimated at $4,000. While residents oil
Park avenue apartments filed through
the room in an attempt to Identify stolen
belongings. Charles Forst, thirty-threeI
years old, and formerly In the United
States navy, was arraigne4 before Magis-
trate Thomas ]. Nolan in Yorkville Court
on charge of burglary and was held in
5000 bail to await the action of the
Grand Jury.
The collection represented the contents
| of nine suitcases detectives say thew
found in the home of Eorsts sister at
No. GIL Kelly street, the Bronx, and &C.
cording to the detectives, represents only
small portion OF the plunder which
Forst has collected since he quit his Job
as brass buffer three years ago and
turned "second-story man"
Caught After Hours Watch.
Forst was arrested Monday night
J
tives OF tho district, had been receiving
complaints from wealthy residents of the
vicinity whose homes had been looted by
a burglar whose work evidenced tho fact
that he operated alone. On Monday night
Captain Duane planted" Detectives
Thomas F. Mcclure and Frank DeischIey
in promising spot and their watch was
rewarded within an hour by tho appear
ance of a man whose actions aroused
I suspicion They followed him to tho
home of II. Childs. an importer, OF No.
4 149 East Seventy eighth street, and there,
they declare. caught him as he was on
the fire escape preparing to enter The
house This was about eight o'clock. the
hour at which the mysterious dinner
burglar" had been operating.
/ The detectives arrested the man, who
proved to be Forst, and he told them his
name was Foster, denying any intent Of
burglary. But when the three reached
I lSiXty-eighth street, the detectives say
. Forst attempted to trip them on a subway
grating and broke away. Then followed
a chase in which the fugitive was brought
Ito a halt after several shots had been
fired.
Forst, according to the detectives de-
MED all knowledge Of the series of thefts
until he was taken into the room where
the plunder was displayed The detec-
ltives say he told them that his first theft
was committed about three years ago, and
that he had not worked at his old trade
since. He declared he never worked"
Isouth of Seventy-second street and al
ways carried out his jobs alone, and never
1 after ten or eleven o'clock at night. One
of his victims is Mrs. Robert j. Collier, of
INo. 927 Park avenue, widow of the pub
fisher. The detectives say that Forst told
them he plundered the Collier apartment
lon three occasions. Mrs. Collier visited
the station yesterday and identified sew
Ieral thousand dollars worth of jewelry,
bric-a-brac and furs.
Mrs. Collier Identifies Clocks.
In the collection of valuables displayed
There was almost every conceivable ar
ticle from a typewriter to a pair Of corsets.
Most of the silverware, spoons, mugs,
Idshes and the like had been beaten fiat
in which form ii is more portable and
more readily salable. There were hun
ldreds of rings, but with the stones torn
from their settings. There was a gold
medal bearing the likeness of Pope Plus
X, many purses, clocks. chains, lockets
land opera glasses A tiny iewel-studded
lcuckoo clock and an onyx clock belonging
to Mrs. Collier We're valued at 81 600 each.
| on a clothesline stretched across the
station room was collection of women's
garments worth thousands OF dollars
and undergarments and even a pair of
mems "ice cream" trousers composed
part of the array. The police believe
Forst may have had women friends
whom he remembered in including articles
! i'm his collection. The detectives say they
questioned one young woman friend of
Forst's. She readily admitted that he had
presented to her various articles of jew
elry, but expressed amaZement when told
they were stolen She turned over the
valuables to the detectives and declared
she never wanted to see that man
again.
Many Examine Display.
Among the other residents of the dis
! trict who visited the police station and
identified parts of the collection as their
property were Mrs. Francis Hillhouse,
No. 911 Park avenue; Marie Won Ahm. No.
1856 East Seventy-ninth street; Mr.. Tobin.
No. 100 East Seventy-sixth street and w
r. Maloney. No. 800 Park avenue Mr..
NTaloney said his losses reached thousands
of dollars. the chief item being diamond
ring worth $500 In the collection at the
station all he could identify was silver
buttonhook battered out OF shape.
Forst Is an intelligent looking man.
stocky OF build and OF remarkable mus
cular development. The police say he
served term In the Elmira Reforrnatory
| In 1907. He told the police he had rented
a box IN safe deposit vault In n bank
on tho upper cast side, where he Intended
TO keep his loot until such time as he was
ready 10 dispose OF II, The police visited
the bank but found only fcw papcrs I'm
the box rented by Forst. lie had leased
IA n