The Great Taxicab Robbery 10

The Great Taxicab Robbery 10

of Montani’s, and wanted to arrange so that he could prove an alibi if

suspected, proving that he had not been near the scene of the crime when

it was committed.

 

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[Illustration: “Scotty” Receives Final Instructions]

 

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At that saloon they had met a trio of Italian criminals known as the

“Three Brigands,” who said they were not to take part in the robbery,

but would be on hand to see that it was vigorously put through.

 

Arrived upon the ground, at Church street and Trinity Place, Splaine and

Kinsman waited on the west side of the thoroughfare, while “Dutch” and

“Joe the Kid” stood on the opposite side. “Scotty the Lamb” posted

himself fifty feet off.

 

As Montani’s cab came speeding along, “Dutch” raised his hat as a

signal. “Scotty the Lamb” did not have time to step in front of the

vehicle before it slackened, and the robbers were aboard. “Dutch” opened

one door and struck the old bank teller, Wilbur Smith, and “Joe the Kid”

boosted Splaine in on the other side, where he assaulted young Wardle.

Kinsman mounted the seat beside Montani, and the latter put on full

speed, telling Kinsman to point his finger at his side as though he had

a revolver. The cab slipped past trucks and dodged pedestrians. Kinsman

said he seemed to see policemen everywhere, and was dazed when the

vehicle stopped at Park Place and Church street. All the criminals got

off there, “Dutch” lugging the brown bag containing the money. Splaine

and “Dutch” were both covered with the bank guards’ blood. Taking

Kinsman, they jumped aboard a street car. It was crowded. Several

passengers noticed the bloody men, but were told that there had been a

fight, and the occurrence was not reported to the police. After riding

two or three blocks they got off, boarded an elevated train, rode to

Bleeker street, and went to a back room in “Jimmie the Push’s” saloon,

where the money was to be divided. Here they found Jess and the “Three

Brigands,” and the latter now set up a claim for a share in the booty.

Matteo, leader of the trio, pulled out a revolver, and there was a

discussion. Finally the bag was opened, and found to contain $25,000.

There were three packages of $5,000 each and one of $10,000. Matteo

grabbed the latter package, saying that his gang was to get $3,000

apiece, and that the odd $1,000 would go for “fall money” to get Molloy

out of jail in Brooklyn. The robbers then divided the remainder, Jess

taking $3,000 for himself and another $3,000 for Montani, Splaine

getting $3,000, Kinsman $2,750, “Joe the Kid” $250 and “Scotty the Lamb”

nothing. Kinsman then told how he had called for Swede Annie, and left

town in a taxicab, going as far as Peekskill, to avoid the police at the

Grand Central Station.

 

 

_Jess Confesses and Assists_

 

The next prisoner examined was Jess Albrazzo, a dark little Italian, who

appeared to be somewhat ignorant.

 

In this examination the Commissioner had ample outside proof, and he

also employed what he calls his “psychological study.” Years ago, in

dealing with negro suspects in Southern crime, Dougherty devised a

little instrument which he dubbed his “lie watch.” This was a dial with

a needle, hung round the suspect’s neck. If the latter told the truth,

the needle presumably pointed to “Truth,” and if he didn’t, it pointed

to “Lie.” Being out of the suspect’s sight, it had a strong effect.

 

From that, Dougherty went into studies of the mental states of suspects

under examination, and found rough physiological indications which he

uses as a guide to the integrity of the suspect. Investigations of

European criminal experts like Professor Hans Gross amply demonstrate

that there is a real scientific basis for such methods.

 

Dougherty took it a little easier with Jess. They sat down, and the

Commissioner went over the Italian’s movements for the past few months,

showing him how thoroughly he was implicated. Jess had worked for

Montani, and been intimate with the rest of the taxicab “mob.” He and

Montani were confronted with each other, and points brought out in

Kinsman’s confession were skillfully used.

 

At one point in this examination the Commissioner rose from his desk,

took the lobe of Jess’s ear between his thumb and finger, pinched it

slightly, looked at the ear closely, and then walked out of the room.

 

Jess was all on edge with curiosity.

 

“Why did he pinch my ear?” he asked of Lieutenant Riley.

 

“To see if you are telling the truth,” was the answer, and in a moment

the Commissioner came back and examined that ear again.

 

“Yes, he’s lying,” he declared. “Look at his ear—can’t you see it

yourself?” Others were invited to look at Jess’s ear, and the little

Italian became so curious that he actually tried to look around the side

of his skull and see his own ear!

 

This psychological study was backed up with abundant proof that Jess had

not told the whole truth. Presently he weakened and confessed. He told

how he had handed $2,000 in a collar box to “Jimmie the Push” on the day

of the robbery, which was to be taken to a Bowery bank and put in a

safe-deposit vault for Montani. He agreed to accompany the police to

Jimmie’s place in Thompson street, and late that evening a party made up

of Commissioner Dougherty, Inspector Hughes and Lieutenant Riley went

there, taking Jess along.

 

“Jimmie the Push’s” place is one of the most picturesque thieves’

resorts in lower New York.

 

“Typical of the old village,” as Dougherty puts it. “In fact, this whole

case has a strong flavor of the little old village of New York.”

 

Jimmie was out when they got there, but this saloon was in charge of the

biggest, swarthiest Italian bartender in town, a tough Hercules weighing

somewhere around three hundred pounds. The room was crowded with motley

characters, drinking beverages known to the neighborhood as “shocks” and

“high hats.” For their edification, a tramp magician was taking coins

out of his ears, his nose and the air.

 

Jess was not known to be under arrest, and immediately sent a boy called

“Reddy” to fetch the proprietor, who had known the three police officers

for years. Presently Reddy came back and said that Jimmie would come in

about half an hour, as he was playing cards and had a fine hand.

 

Reddy was sent back to impress upon Jimmie that Jess wanted to see him

right away—it was very important. In about two minutes, just as the

Commissioner had bought a “high hat” for everybody in his party, Jimmie

appeared. He was told that Jess had got into trouble in connection with

the taxicab robbery, and asked about the money in the safe deposit

vault. “Jimmie the Push,” with his partner, Bob Deilio, had by this time

been implicated themselves, for it was clear that the money had been

divided in their resort, and that probably they had taken part in the

planning, and the decidedly one-sided division of the spoils. Jimmie was

led to believe that he did not rest under suspicion, however, and that

he was only asked to aid the police. He said Jess had handed him a

collar box on the day of the robbery, asking him to put it in a vault in

his own name, but that he had had no idea what the box contained, and

had left it lying behind the bar for a couple of days before he got a

chance to go to the bank with it. He readily promised to appear at

Police Headquarters the following morning, bring the key to the safe

deposit box, and help recover the money. Thereupon the police officials

bade him good night and went away. But no chances were taken on “Jimmie

the Push.” From that moment he was shadowed.

 

That Monday was a busy day in many other ways.

 

Developments came thick and fast.

 

Kinsman’s home in Boston was visited, and $750 of the bank money

recovered in the original wrappers. It had laid in his grip, unknown to

the honest Kinsman family.

 

Swede Annie, Myrtle Horn and a girl named Rose Levy were examined,

quickly broke down, and made tearful statements to be used in evidence.

These women were held only as witnesses, and as the case cleared up

after a few days’ detention, were released.

 

The girl, Rose Levy, greatly attracted the Commissioner. She was only

nineteen years old, a mild-mannered little Jewess with jet black hair

and very remarkable eyes. The Commissioner went into details of her

personal story. It seems that she had left her home in Brooklyn two

months before, after a quarrel with her mother, and had come to New York

looking for a position. But she quickly fell into the lower world,

became known as Jess’s girl, and was ambitious to be “one of the gang.”

After a fatherly talk she was persuaded to return to her home and live a

decent life. But within a week she was back in New York again, in her

old haunts, trying to raise money to help Jess, for whom, she told the

Commissioner, she would willingly work for the rest of her days.

 

Before visiting Jimmie’s saloon the Commissioner called up the “Orange

Growers” in Chicago, had a long talk with them, told what progress was

being made, and put new life into them.

 

 

_More Money Recovered_

 

True to his word, “Jimmie the Push” walked into Police Headquarters at

nine o’clock Tuesday morning, February 27, closely followed by his

unseen shadowers. He produced the key of the safe-deposit vault, and

went with officers to see the money recovered. There was $2,000, as Jess

had stated, still in the wrappers of the bank. Jimmie was still

permitted to go free, under the impression that he had come through the

ordeal “clean,” while fresh evidence was being obtained against him.

 

That morning the Commissioner also took Kinsman down over the route of

the robbery, to have him explain it in his own way. This was done to

strengthen the case against Montani, and upset his story in court.

 

Then “Scotty the Lamb” was located, arrested, brought to headquarters

and led to confess. “Scotty the Lamb” was in some respects a pathetic

figure in the case, and also a humorous one. He had been in charge of

the lunch kitchen at the Arch Café when Jess owned it, and later worked

as a dishwasher in a Washington Square hotel. A Scotch youth, from

Glasgow, he had been in this country about four years, and while no

criminal record appeared against him, he was plainly in the company of

thieves most of the time. According to his statement, he had been

promised $25 for doing some work for Jess, and without inquiring into

the nature of it at all, had shown up with the gang and gone along to do

his minor part of a “stall,” stumbling in front of the cab. But before

he could get out into the street, the cab had been boarded. So poor

“Scotty the Lamb,” without a nickel for carfare, plodded all the way

uptown again to the saloon where the money was to be divided, and got

nothing whatever. He was a cheerful soul, however, and the life of the

party when the gang was locked up, cracking jokes, and taking the view

that, as sentences ought to be proportioned to the amount of money each

member of the gang had got in the division, and he had got nothing, he

might be let off with six months’ imprisonment.

 

“Scotty, haven’t you got any overcoat?” asked Inspector Hughes,

sympathetically, as they were going to court one brisk morning. “Did you

_ever_ have an overcoat, Scotty?”