New-York tribune., 1921-06-16
Silk Gangs Get
S5O7OOO,O0O i'm
Loot i'm Z ear
Special Police Squadrons
Will Be Engaged by IN
surers to Convoy Trucks
ON New Jersey Highways
Robbers Fully Organized
Handlers of Stolen Goods
Have Agents in Several
Cities and Defense Fund

Organized robber bands similar to
that which escaped with truck load
OF silk after Staying an eyewitness and
leaving the driver and his assistant
bound in the lonely woods near New
ton, N. j., Tuesday, have been re-
sponsible for thefts of merchandise
valued at S5o,0o0O0O during the past
year within radius of 200 miles of
New York City. according to disclos-
ures made yesterday by insurance men.
In Manhattan and vicinity alone the
thefts of motor trucks, containing
costly silks, rare furs. cigars, cotton
goods and other commodities amounted
to $6,ooo,ooo, it was said.
Spurred by the latest bold haul of
the road agents, insurance firms and
shippers, it was announced, are plan
ming to police the highway from New
York to Philadelphia, over which So
100000 worth of merchandise moves
nightly in motor vehicles.
Hereafter trucks will be dispatched
in fleets of twenty-five, conveyed by
armed guards on motorcycles and re-
porting stations will be established
along the roads.
One-Terth Recovered
Insurance men say this new system
of privately maintained protection is
necessary, as all other efforts to break
up the activities of the highwaymen
have been unsuccessful.
Of the gigantic losses suffered bv
insurance firms and shippers during
the year in this locality only 10 per
cent was recovered. Ninety per cent
of the robberies were accomplished
through collusion between truck driv-
ers and the bandits, who dispose of
the loot to groups of fences, equally
as we'll organized, at points in New
Jersey and in this city, according to
insurance men.
Revelation of the startling opera
tions of the thieves and receivers was
made by A. NJ. Becker, attorney for
the Globe and Rutgers Insurance Com
pany, which wrote $4,000 insurance on
the stolen consignment of the Sussex
Print Company, of Newton, and by H
r. Cunningham, of Farjeon, Bullin G.
Co., brokers, who arranged for
had become so great, because of the
increase in robberies during the last
six months, that many companies had
declined to write insurance for mer-
chandise in transit by motor vehicle.
Identification Impossible
Mr.. Cunningham said the losses suf-
fered by his firm within the last month
amounted to more than 100000 and
Mr.. Becker enumerated the following
thefts of goods insured by his con-
Germ in the same period:
Waldy's Motor Express, 1000:
Andrews Mills, $4,000; ]. R. Keim &
Co, $4,000; Camden Curtain and In
broidery Company, $4,000.
The insurance men said that when
they obtained the arrests of thieves
and receivers convictions were infre-
quent. due to the difficulty in cstab-
fishing identification of the stolen
property, from which the looters re-
move labels and tags.
Mr.. Becker said that groups in this
city and Paterson, N. j., carried on a
regular business in the handling of
stolen merchandise and in some cases
even had established curb markets for
the distribution of loot. He said evi.
dence had been gathered to show that
the markets" f1uctuated whenever a
robbery took place, and that vendors
appeared to have Knowledge of when
"swag'' would be delivered
While local insurance interests were
preparing their private campaign
against the rings of road agents and
fences the authorities of New York
New Jersey and Pennsylvania yester-
day united in an effort to hunt down
the six men who made off with the
truck of the Sussex Print Company
after killing Charles Costa, an en-
eineer of Newton, who on motorcycle
ICnntInnnd m nane sIxl