If persons who have lost valuables while making trips through this section of the South on Pullman sleeping cars will call at the police station, Chief Walter B. Orr may be able to restore some of the lost goods. B.J. Burke, alias Joe Burke, is locked up, suspected of being a prisoner much wanted.
At 2 o'clock Saturday morning Patrolman E.E. Owens, who is an after-midnight officer at the Southern depot, telephone Chief Orr and Detective Pittman at the police station that he thought he had an important man spotted. They went to help him. The arrested Burke, 25 years old, blonde, suave, and well-dressed. He had registered at the New Central and in his room the officers found gold-mounted lorgnettes, gold watches, costly and artistic lady's manicure sets and other articles of a lady's toilet and jewelry.
WIDELY TRAVELED
On the prisoner were found letters signifying he had been in New York, Chicago and other big cities, while other letters indicated he had been following along with several carnival shows recently, one of which played here several weeks ago.
Chief Orr and his detectives believe they have captured one of the slickest Pullman car thieves of the "society" type in the United States. If he proves to be the man they suspect, the officers say he will be "wanted" in many other places. His method, it is said, was to travel Pullman sleeping cars and wait until all passengers had retired and the conductor himself had withdrawn from the car. On the car he would instruct the porter to make up a berth for him while he went forward into a day coach to get his grip. It is alleged that during this operation the prisoner has collected many hundreds of dollars worth of valuables, confining himself mainly to robbing passengers whom he had already carefully spotted and decided were worth robbing.
From the Charlotte News, May 1, 1921
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