The New York herald., 1921-01-18
FIFTH AVE. CHASE
HALTED BY SHOT
Hundreds of Shoppers Join
Police in Pursuit of AL
legged Thief.
BULLET STOPS HIS FLIGHT
Fugitive Held on Charge of
Taking $3.50 Bag-iirl
Gives Alarm.

William Davis Of 122 West Seventy
second street plunged through the
entrance Of the j. NJ. Gliding &
Co.'S store, 564 Fifth avenue. late
Yesterday afternoon while the store
and the avenue were crowded with
shoppers, with half a dozen of the
firms employees, headed by Joseph L.
owens, floor manager, pursuing him
and shouting. stop thief
Timothy Finnegan, the firms foot
man, was standing just outside the
door when Davis and Owens emerged.
and Owens quickly shouted to Flnne-
gan that Davis had snatched a Paris
ian beaded bag worth $3.50 from a
counter.
The footman leaped forward and
grabbed at Davis He succeeded In
catching the mans overcoat. but was
unable TO hold on. Davis wriggled him
self free and ran north. with Finnegan
and Owens and several OF the COM
pany's employees after him. Half way
TO Forty-sixth street several uniformed
patrolmen and detectives Joined the
chase
The excitement was so contagious that
before Davis had gone more than block
! from the Gliding store several hundred
| people were running behind him, only a
few knowing what the chase was about
but all of them shouting stop thief :!
Traffic patrolmen left their posts and
tried To stop Davis. with the result that
the streams of automobiles running
I north and 1outh became tangled. and IL
took the police some time to untangle
| them.
! AT Forty-seventh street Davis collided
with "A woman. She screamed and iell
TO the pavement, and Davis turned west
| into Forty y-seventh street with Owens
and Detective Barron of the East Fifty
first street station running side by side
and close behind him. The sidewalk
ahead of Davis was filed with pedes-
trians, and Barron shouted several times
to the man TO halt
Davis. however only looked back over
his shoulder and continued running. Bar
ron drew his revolver and fired one shot-
the bullet striking the fleeing man IN
the head, grazing his scalp above the
right ear. The wound was triHing. but
Il was sufficient to knock him stunned
20 the pavement. and Barron and Owens
were upon him before he could recover.
He was taken back TO the store. where
Nathan Gliding, a member Of the firm.
said he offered 10 square matters by
paying for the bag. The offer was re-
| fused. however. and Davis was taken
to the East Ffty-hrst street station,
where he was locked up charged with
grand larceny.
According 10 the story told by Mr..
! Gliding. Davis and a young woman en-
tered the store shortly before o'clock
and asked the location OF the women's rest
room, which Is on the fourth floor They
| took the elevator 10 the upper floor. but
returned 60 the first floor by the next
car. According 20 Mr.. Gliding they ap-
| preached n counter in the speciality shop
on the ground floor. where Davis. he
said. seized n beaded bag and ran. one
OF the sales girls said she saw him grab
the bag. and she called TO Owens just as
Davis started through the doors Owens
! Immediately started in pursuit The bag
was found in a doorway near the store
where II was said Davis threw II in the
chase.