The New York herald., 1922-04-13
JEWELER is bound,
ROBBED OF $4,000
NEAR Times SQUARE
Bandits Hold Up Owner in
Store With Policeman
Fifty Feet Away.
ESCAPE IN THE CROWD
Victim Helpless and Gagged
as Culprits Pick
Out Loot.
GET ALL EXCEPT SAFE
Suspects Halted After Colum-
bia Theater Job Prove
Wrong Men.
GET ALL EXCEPT SAFE

Two young bandits of unimposing
appearance went a few minutes after
8 o'clock last night into the jewelry
store of Abraham Nicholson at III
West F'orty-seventh street held him
up at the point of revolvers. bound and
gagged him in a rear room and looted
the show cases and windows Of the
store of jewels estimated to be worth
between $4,000 and $4,000.
Fifty feet away policeman was
directing traffic at Seventh avenue and
Forty-seventh street, but he did not
know anything had happened until five
minutes after the robbery, when
Nicholson, having removed the gag,
ran into the street blowing a police
whistle and shouting that he had been
robbed. Within less than three min
utes 5000 persons including detectives
and men and women who had been at
the nearby theatres, gathered about
the store. Traffic policemen had to
clear away the crowds to let detectives
into tie store.
The store is in the Columbia Theater
building on the northeast corner of Sew
cnth avenue and Forty-seventh street
and about ten feet from the avenue
Nicholson said he was removing trays
from the windows when the robbers
arrived. Both, he said. leveled pistols
st him and one told him to put VI
his hands and step back into the store
Bandits Search store.
Nicholson told the detectives that one
Of the bandits held a gun on him whilt
the other searched all over the store tt
inake sure that there was no weapon
concealed anywhere. They bundled hin
eff to the back room, where they tied
him to a chair and gagged him and
told him to mike himself as comfort
able as possible. Then they went back
irto the store and proceeded to clean
it out. Nicholson said he could hear
them talking to customers every tew
seconds, telling them that the store was
closing for the night.
They stuffed the jewelry into bag.
Then they came back into the rea,
room, toyed with their guns and told
him 1t would be a good idea II he kept
quiet after they left. Then they walked
out into Forty-seventh street and Joined
the crowds.
For three minutes Nicholson clawed
and tugged at the cords and rags that
bound him. Finally he broke loose, and,
blowing his whistle and shouting that
he had been robbed, ran into the street
into the arms of Policeman Bright who
was directing traffic. Bright pulled out
his revolver and stopped dozen young
men who were walking nearby. but let
them go when Nicholson told him the
robbers were not among them.
Crowd Rush to Scene.
Before Nicholson and Bright could
go back to the store hundreds of persons
standing near the Columbia and Palace
Theaters started on run for the scene
of the robbery. Policemen for blocks
around commandeered automobiles and
drove rapidly to the store. Among the
first ones there were Detectives McGann
and Flaherty OF the Forty-seventh street
station, who Immediately took charge OF
the investigation. They telephoned de-
scriptions of the men to Police Head
quarters and general alarm was sent
out.
Nicholson declined TO talk about the
robbery. but said that he might have
lost as much as S25.C0o worth OF stuff.
He told the detectives that he had some
jewelry in safe but that the robbers
had not touched II. He said. however,
that while he was tied up in the back
room he could hear them arguing good
naturedly over the size of the safe and
whether II would be worth while to wait
and break 1t open or try to carry 1t off.
We'll leave II alone" one OF them
finally said. 1--WE haven't time to take
ayarvfl,ing with ua -