Sunday, January 28, 2007

Dubrow's robbed

$14,000 Taken In Hold-up

An apparently intoxicated man staggered up to the manager of crowded Dubrow's Cafeteria, 1521 King's Highway. Brooklyn at 12:45 o'clock this morning, took between $14,000 and $15,000, reeled out, and disappeared.

The victim was Max Tobin, 48 years old, manager and part owner of the restaurant, which is at East Sixteenth Street in the Sheepshead Bay section. He said 450 customers and 50 employes were unaware of the holdup in a balcony office.

Mr. Tobin said he noticed a man reeling along behind him as he went to a balcony but thought he was going to a washroom. However, Mr. Tobin said, as he unlocked the door to the office, the man bumped into him, knocked him inside, then produced a small black pistol and told the manager to sit down.

After taking the money from the safe to robber bound and gagged Mr. Tobin, said "So long" and left.


(New York Times, January 7, 1952)

How scary is that? The whole robbery took place while Max Tobin was isolated and helpless. No one was even aware of what happened and therefore couldn't try to intervene or call the police. Thank G-d the man didn't turn out to be more violent, or Max might have been killed or injured.

3 comments:

Jerry550 said...

Eve,
Very interesting news accounts you've found. It is very fortunate that Max wasn't injured, or worse. In today's world, I don't think he would have been so lucky. I assume that Max was your grandfather. The writing style certainly reflects the era. I don't think they'd use the term reeling today.

Supergirl said...

Max was not my grandfather. He was another son-in-law of Benjamin Dubrow, like my grandfather, who was Irving Kaplan. I believe that makes him my great uncle.

Anonymous said...

In today's world? It is actually safer now than it was then, but this story smells like week-old whitefish. No witnesses. Part owner. $14,000 missing. In today's world, Max probably would have been caught.