The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-04-23
$400, 900 in Jewelry Thefts
Blamed on Master
Thief.
ADMITS SERIES
OF BURGLARIES
Spied Driving on Street
By Detectives, Who
Run Him Down.

The most daring. and perhaps the
cleverest thief in washington's
crime history has been captured.
Two hundred apartment house
robberies. in which 100000 worth
of jewelry was taken, are believed
cleared up in the arrest Of the thief.
James Charles Lauzon, SO years old,
of Baltimore. who was captured by
detectives following a spectacular
automobile chase through the up
town residential section yesterday.
Spied on Street.
The long sought thief. accompa-
MED by a Baltimore actress, was
spied by Headquarters Detectives
Albert Lynn and Ira Keck as he
was speeding south in an automo-
bile on Fourteenth street near Co
Iumbia road. yesterday afternoon.
Both detectives made an attempt
to jump on the running board OF
Iauzon's machine, but failed. They
then commandeered another ma
chine and started in pusuit of the
flying Lauzon. The chase ended at
Fourteenth and u streets north
west, where the detectives succeed
ed in forcing Lauzon to run his
machine into the curb.
Jumping from their machine with
drawn revolvers, Reck and Lynn
overpowered Lauzon and his com
panion just as Lauzon. detectives
said, was about to draw a gun.
Burglar Set I'm Auto.
Two revolvers. a blackjack. and
a full set of burglars tools were
found on the ''jimmy-thief" by the
detectives.
Two hours of grilling at head
quarters failed to make Lauzon
admit he was the famed Jimmy
thief" and it was not until he was
taken to the photograph gallery to
be 'mugged" that he finally ad-
mitted TO the police that he was
the man for whom they were look
ing. =.
Few fiction stories Of crime could
equal the story of his lawless ca
reer sketched to the police by
Lauzon. He himself possesses some
of those traits with which authors
invest their hero crooks. He Is
debonair, speaks intelligently and
has a sense of humor.
Tells OF Life of Crime.
Lauzon declared that he has
been a criminal since he was Is
years old. Three times, he said, he
escaped from Western jails. He op-
Grated all over the country, Lauzon
said, until a year ago when he be-
gan to confine his activities exclu-
siveIy to Washington, Richmond
and Baltimore. He declared that
he would stay in one city three or
four months and then journey on
to the next.
He declared that he had in his
possession a crucible and a weigh
ing machine, with which he would
separate the metal from the jew
els before disposing of them. This
served to enlighten the police, who
have been unable to learn what had
become Of the large number of jewels
which they say, had been stolen
from Washington apartment houses
by Lauzon.
Melted Gold Quickly.
The melting outfit, Lauzon told
the police, was in his trunk in Bal
timore. However. detectives were
unable to locate it there last night.
As soon as he came into possession
of jewelry. Lauzon told police, he
he would put it through the sepa-
rating process and dispose of II
almost before the robbery was dis
covered.
In an Intelligent voice and with
a trace of humor, Lauzon made a
clean breast of as many robberies
as he could remember committing in
Washington. He told officials he
would go over their books and pick
out all the crimes for which he was
responsible.
Lauzon laughed in telling of sew
eral of his thefts here. One. the
telling of which seemed to amuse
him, was that which occurred on
February 81 last.
On that date, Lauzon said. he
entered the rooms of Mrs. Barbara
Holzbert, apartment 5, 1647 Lamont
street His loot on this occasion
was a 300-pound safe. Wrapping
the safe in a bed sheet he lowered
it to the ground three stories be-
low. then without being observed,
walked down the steps. Encount-
ering the janitor at the bottom
floor he spoke a word of greeting
Continued ON Pd0e Too