The New York herald., 1921-01-07
SILENT on HIS ESCAPE
Admits MilItOwn. y. j.,
Job and Tells of other
RObberies i'm State.
JAILED FIRST WHEN TEN
Denies working Here-keep.
ers in West Side Prison
Are Dismissed.

Henry Lloyd Bitzburger. New Jersey
bank robber, arrived back i'll this city
from Providence yesterday afternoon
"a the custody of three detectives and
manifested a willingness TO talk about
almost anything except those details
of his escape Monday morning from
West Side prison which are not al
ready known TO the police. He ad-
mitted his part in the robbery of the
First National Bank in Ailltown. " j..
on December 90. according 10 Inspector
John d. Coughlin, head of the De-
tective Division, and told brief story
of his criminal career. which dates
back to his tenth year. But to all
questions about the escape he said:
Whats the use of asking me? I'm
back now that's all there is to it,"
Bitzburger had planned 10 meet his
wife in Boston yesterday morning, AMI
was in the South station, in that city.
when the thought dame to him that de-
tectives might be trailing his wife. On
the chance that the detectives might
snooze. between New York and Boston.
he took q train for Providence. ana
the New York train arrived. The train
was scheduled TO. make ten minute
stop. He entered the train. saw where
his wife was sitting and returned
cautiously to the platform without hav
r.y been seen by the detectives. who
were watching Mrs. Bitzburger. a bride
OF few months.
When the station clock had licked of
tile ninth minute OF the stopove:, Bitz-
burger tapped three times on the win
dow near which his wife was sitting.
A moment later heavily veled young
woman got or the train. and al the same
time three men alighted from the next
car. Bitzburger kissed the woman and
started to walk toward the waiting
room. As the couple were about TO
enter the room Detective Cornelius Man
ming of the West Forty street
station. pushed a pistol into the small
OF Bitzburger's back and shouted:
Pushes Gun in Back.
Put your hands up. Bitzie! II you
move I'll fill you full OF lead =" The
station agent had observed this proceed
ing from distance and dashed into his
room. When he appeared a moment
later armed with a revolver second
detective, Pinkerton operative WAS
swapping bracelets on Bitzburger's
wrists. The agent said he thought il
vas a holdup and had decided to pre-
aare.
Inspector coughlin said Bitzburger's
three days of freedom seemed to have
sharpened his wits. Other than to ad.
nit he made his getaway from the
prison Monday morning in a taxicab and
went direct 10 the home Of a relative
ae would have nothing to say of events
glat happened that day Four hours OF
continuous questions could not break mis-
resolve to remain silent. He was en-
phatic. however. in declaring that his
wife. whom he called an innocent girl.
had nothing to do with his escape She
had made the trip TO Boston at his re-
quest. forwarded 10 her by relative.
Besides admitting his part In the
Milltown bank robbery. Bitzburger de-
clared. the inspector said that he
robbed the hardware store OF r H.
a Roberts in Railway. " j.. on Decem-
her G. and had attempted To rob the
jewelry store OF o. O. Stillman in New
Brunswick y. j., a few days later. A
gold locket stolen from the Roberts
store was found on Mrs. Bitzburger
when her husband was fret arrested ut
Broadway and Seventy-second street on
December 2S. Bltzburger was emphatic
in asserting that he never had COM
mifted n robbery in tits state 1T has
been my policy TO lay off the New York
cop" he was quoted az having said.
George Anton. head keeper OF the tier
Of cells from which Bitzburger escaped.
was dismissed yesterday by James A.
Hamilton. Commissioner of Corrections.
The commission at the same time dis
missed William Furgerson, Thomas
Armstrong and John Grubert, keepers
as a result of the escape. Peter Mallen.
warden OF the prison, made tho report
which resulted In the dismissal Of the
i've.
First Arrested NJ 10.
Bitzburger told Inspector Coushln
that he first got into trouble when he
was 10 years old. II was a case OF
trespass. for which he served eighteen
months in a rcformatory. Upon release
hc worked for time as a tig smiths
leipcr. bur MS love "for other people 4
property" soon got the best of him ard
l.c went back to prison again. From
fnon until he was drsfsod. soon after
war was declared. he travelled the
country. keeping out of prison as much
OF the time as possible. Jltzburger adj
mittcd he leaned toward Socialistic doc
tiines and that he has his own ideas
about the rights OF private property and
law. In respect TO the latter he says a
man might Just as well Commit big
crime" since the man who had COM
smitted large crime has just as good a