Bold Robbery

Frederick Witte, aged twenty-four, is locked up in the Prince street station-house on suspicion of being one of two sneak thieves who entered the house at 103 West Houston street in search of booty about noontime yesterday and who, being surprised while at work by a lady in the house, knocked her senseless and gagged her.

The woman's name is Sarah Samuels. She was recently married, is twenty-two years of age, and her father-in-law owns the house.

Mr. Samuels, sr., is a wealthy man. His business is that of supplying the furnishings of ocean steamships. He lives with his wife, son, son-in-law, daughter and daughter-in-law in the Houston street house.

Sarah Samuels was the only one at home at noon yesterday. She was alone in the kitchen, when it occurred to her to go upstairs to the rear room, which they use for a parlor, and replenish the fire. She did so.

As she walked into the room, closing the door behind her, two young men walked out of a bedroom adjoining.

Mrs. Samuels is of a very nervous temperament, and this sudden appearance frightened her so that she could hardly stand.

"What do you want here?" she managed to gasp, grasping the back of a chair for support.

The men walked towards her, without any great haste, and one of them answered: "We will have to trouble you for them rings and them diamond earrings, missy."

"You can't have them. Go away or I will call my husband," she cried, turning pale.

She attempted to go towards the door, when one of the intruders clenched his fist and struck her a violent blow in the face. She fell senseless, at full length, on the carpeted floor.

Half an hour later her husband, coming home to dinner, found her lying there, still unconscious. A white handkerchief was tied tightly across her mouth and knotted by the ends at the back of the head. Then it was found that three rings that she had worn had been stolen, also the chip diamond earrings from her ears. The stolen jewelry was valued at $180.

Mr. Samuels hurried to the Prince street station and reported the occurrence to Police Capt. Thompson. The Captain, with Detectives O'Brien and Savercool, went immediately to the house.

The front door of the building is always kept locked. Capt. Thompson found, however, that the thieves could easily gain access to the house by going through an alley leading to a rear house, and then going into the front house by the rear door.

The stairs are carpeted, and the footfalls of the thieves were not heard. They had forced the door of the hall bedroom on the third floor and had packed up a large bundle of wearing apparel when the lady's entrance into the next room disturbed them.

O'Brien and Savercool met Witte on the Bowery last night and arrested him on suspicion of being implicated in the bold burglary. He is a well-known crook, but swears that he is innocent of this crime.

At the Prince street station he was mixed up with seven other men and Mrs. Samuels was brought before them to see if she could identify Witte. Slowly she looked the men over, and then pointing her hand at Witte said: "That is the man."

"I swear you are mistaken, lady," cried the prisoner.

"I am not," she answered positively.

To an Evening World reporter, this morning, Capt. Thompson said: "While I am sure that Mrs. Samuels told the truth about the robbery, she may be mistaken in the man. Witte has impressed me with his protestations of innocence. He says he was at work all day yesterday and that his employers will prove it. He claims to have led an honest life for two years past. If he is telling the truth I want justice done him.

"I will take him to Jefferson Market Police Court this afternoon; and meantime I will have seen his employers, and if they can substantiate his story he will be discharged.

"I will not say where he works unless I find that he is probably guilty; in that case I will give his address and occupation. He is unmarried."