New-York tribune., 1922-05-18
Burglars Taken
In lO-Hr. Siege
By 25O Police
nre of Four Safe Blowers
Shot Three Times After
An.Night Search of Fifth
, Ayenue.Broadway Block
level Thieves Get $4,000
Headquarters OF Girl Scouts
Plundered and Storeroom
Is Wrecked by Robbers


tsn-hour search for burglar. by
,n uniformed policemen and 100 de-
....;ves covering an entire city block
.,dsd ST daybreak yesterday when four
r.romen were captured after one of
.,.ir number had been shot three
.;~s. All night long the block bounded
~ F,s,h Avenue and Broadway, Nine
...nth and Twentieth streets, was
.,,,.d 20 pedestrian traffic. Uniformed
,o,,.,nen warned the curious away and
s.....iyes searched the eighteen build
ms on the block.
s.yen police automobiles were kept
IA The street with their engines run
,inS. Motorcycles manned by police
men darted up and down. searchlights
rl,ysd on the buildings and special po-
itc.men from detective agency were
susy unlocking doors for the members
Of tn. regular force. Business men
were hurrying TO their Offices dangling
their keys in response TO summons
from the police.
The prisoners described themselves
as David Better, twenty-three years
old. o; 81 Sheriff Street. who was shot
in both legs by Patrolman Gashum. of
the East Twenty Street station;
Abraham Finkel. twenty five. of 175
Madison Street; Lewis Rubin, thirty
tyo, OF 1900 East New York Avenue.
Brooklyn, and Henri Van Gulik. thirty
ore, of 31s South Fourth Street Brook
lyn. Better is in Bellevue Hospital.
Trailed to Hiding Place
Captain Stapleton OF the loft squad
received tip that the safe Of the dry
goods concern of Calhoun. Robbins &
Co.. at sa5 Broadway. was to be blown
IN search of pay roll of $4,000. The
plan Of the .yeggmen was to make a
hole in q wall leading from an adioin-
iag building. according to the informa-
ton received. In the afternoon four
men secreted themselves in a hve.storv
loft building at 901 BroadSay, which
aas an entrance next door 10 the Cal
houn place. The burglars picked out a
wall on the fifth floor which they ap-
pa.ently knew was one of the few n OF
protected by burglar alarm wires.
Detective William Reilly had been
assigned early in the day to trail
Better. He traced him to the Twen-
.leth Street entrance Of the building at
sQl Broadway. At 4:30 o'clock Tues
tiy afternoon Better was Joined by
hs three comp -.uious. The four
MEf'.sQ. thI .nselves in the building.
number of other detectives were
Migned to the case, and the reserves
from the East Twenty-second Street
md West Thirtieth Street stations
VET. also sent to the scene. At $3.50
o'clock the police decided that the
hurglsrs had sufficient time to start
cperations.
Burglars Kit Found
Detectives Reilly. Hoffman, Forray,
Morrissey Diver and Brownsworth
started INTO the building Inspector
Cshslane was now in command. He
Instructed the detectives to wear their
shields in prominent place to avoid
oeing shot by one another. The de-
tec:ives by way of various stairways
reached the fifth floor Here they
found complete yeggmen's outfit, in
cuding drills, jimmes. hammers
wrenches. mallets. four pairs of gloves
soap and half stick of dynamite, but
no burglars In the wall was hole
leading to the building of Calhoun,
Robbins Company.
The yeggmen heard the detectives
coming up the stairs and went 10 the
roof A fire escape on the building. al
me southwest corner Of Fifth Avenue
and twentieth Street. was used Il
C-oss the nine-storY building at IL;
Fifth Avenue. The four men the'
went 20 the third floor and hid in thu
private office of Joseph Friedman.
The detectives scattered in all dlrec
tons, getting into as many building
as possible. The uniformed policeme]
also started a search of the buildings
The police were hampered in the scare
by their unwillingness to pry door
open. The Holmes Detective Agenc
was called on the phone, and within
snort time a number Of their uniforme e
repre- esentatives were hurrying throug
the street, opening doors for the polic
A. midnight the search was halte
until daylight. In the mean time tn
burglars looked through the window
and watched the police below. Tn
burglars now realized that they wer
aying losing game, but had n
thoughts of surrender.
Chase Begins With Shots
Al daybreak the detectives entere
the building at 1873 Fifth Avenue. The
searched the first and second foo,
thoroughly. They reached the thir
hoor and caught sight OF the men
police at the same time. Two of II