New-York tribune., 1921-10-22
Tilted Woman
Links Five Men
InManyCrirlles
Former Sweetheart, Spurned
During Visit to Prisoner at
Nassau Jail, Selves $50
600 Hastings Gem Theft
Most of Jewelry Found
Offenses of Quintet Range
From Bootlegging to High:
way Robbery, She Says
specsor pispofch to The rrsbuns


MINEOLA, L. l., Oct. 21.--A jealous
young woman's pique yesterday caused
a revelation of evidence against FIVE
men held IN the Nassau County Jail
charged with robbery and other offenses
that connects them with long series
OF crimes, most recent Of which is the
robbing OF Captain Frank S. Hastings's
home at Port Washington, when jewels
worth $4,000 were stolen.
Detectives Miller, Hansen and Ander-
son, engaged in Investigating the. Has
tings robbery, had been unable to con-
meet five men held in the Jail with that
particular crime, but yesterday they
obtained the necessary evidence. they
say. The prisoners are Michael
Ricardy, John Thomas, Anton Prinz,
Olaf Olafson and Charles Liotta
Woman Tells of Gems
Belle Plites, an attractive young
woman, who said her home address was
Waterbury, Conn.,, called at the Jail
yesterday to see John Thomas. She
told detectives that Thomas had Tilted
her. The latter said he did not wish
to see the girl. Detectives questioned
Miss Plites. Later they said she had
admitted having received large guam
tity of jewelry for safe keeping by
Michael Ricardy, one of the prisoners.
The girl was at once taken to District
Attorney Weeks's office, where she
broke down and told her story.
The statement made by the girl is
said by the police to have associated
Ricardy and Liotta with many crimes,
ranging from bootlegging to highway
robbery. The statement brought Mar
garet McCann, twenty-one years old, q
hair dresser of Ansonia. into the case.
Miss McCann also was questioned last
night. Neither girl was arrested. 1t
was said they would be taken before
the Nassau County grand jury to-day.
Miss Plites's statement is said to have
been that Olaf Olafson, while an in
mate of the Hastings home. Captain
Hastings having befriended him, stole
a small safe containing Mrs. Hastings's s
jewelry and family heirlooms worth
$4,000. He turned the safe, with it's
contents, over to Ricardi, who broke
it open. distracted the contents and
disposed of the safe in Long Island
Sound. He proceeded to Jersey City,
where Miss Plites was staying, depos-
tied most of the jewelry with her and
disappeared. She told the police she
had been afraid to keep the jewels,
and had given them to girl friends TO
keep for her. The young woman said
that Thomas, to whom she had been
engaged, knew of the robbery but took
no part Of it.
Stolen Jewe1ry Recovered
Following revelations made by Miss
Plites most of the missing jewelry has
been recovered. AS a result also Of the
girls story Rieardi and Liotta have
been connected by 'inger-print evidence
with various crimes, the detectives say
Ricardy and Olafson have been in.
dicted for grand larceny and Prinz ane
Liotta for violation Of. the. Sullivan
law. Ricardy and Olafson will be pro
ceeded against in addition as prin
cipals in the Hastings robbery. -
Olafson is one of five men who bea
Richardson Combes, jailer at the, Mas
sau County lookup last Tuesday dur
ing an attempted Jail delivery.
Olafson had been employed as but
Ter in the Hastings home. Anton Prinz
the police say, formerly was athlete
instructor in the Central Y. M. c. A
Brooklyn. Prinz has offered to tur1
states evidence. He will be taken be
fore the grand jury tomorrow.