An Escaped German Prisoner of War Was Captured by North Pelham Police in 1945

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

It was 5:45 p.m. in the late afternoon of Saturday, October 20, 1945.  North Pelham Police Patrolman Charles Keller was patrolling in a prowl car on Washington Avenue in Pelhamwood.  Something did not look quite right to Patrolman Keller.  He noticed a stranger loitering suspiciously on Clifford Avenue near its intersection with Washington Avenue.

Officer Keller watched the man as he walked toward, and turned onto, Highbrook Avenue.  At the same time, Officer Keller noticed a friend of his walking Highbrook.  His friend was off-duty Patrolman James Cappalino of the New Rochelle Police Department.  Officer Keller called out to his friend who climbed into the patrol car.  

Officers Keller and Cappalino rolled up to the stranger and hopped out of the car.  Officer Keller asked the man what he was doing in the neighborhood.  The man replied in fluent English -- with a heavy German accent.  He claimed he was trying to find a girl from Pelham whom he had met in New York City a few days before.  He couldn't, however, remember her name. . . . . 

Officers Keller and Cappalino searched the man for weapons and found in one of his pockets fifty two U.S. War Bonds each in $25 denominations.  The War Bonds were made out to Guy F. Lewis, of 72 Church Street, Highland Falls, N. Y.  The stranger could not explain why he had so many War Bonds in his pocket.  The two officers arrested him for vagrancy and took him to the lock up in Town Hall.

Patrolman Keller of the North Pelham Police Department had good reason to be suspicious of any stranger.  His Chief had instructed members of the department to pay special attention to strangers and to question them closely because the FBI, the United States Provost Marshal, New York State Troopers, and the Police Departments of several New York communities were searching for an escaped German Prisoner of War who had fled from a work gang detailed from a German prisoner of war camp near West Point, New York known as Camp Popolopen (misspelled in news articles quoted below as "Oppalapp").  The prisoner of war was named Martin Jacobi.  Officers Keller and Cappalino had captured Martin Jacobi without a fight.

According to one source, during World War II, the United States Army purchased land where a summer camp once stood near Lake Popolopen and adapted the remnants of the summer retreat "as Camp Popolopen, a POW camp for German prisoners.  After the war, the name was changed to Camp Buckner."  See Popolopen, Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia (visited Aug. 19, 2017).  

On Tuesday, October 16, Martin Jacobi was toiling among the members of a work gang near Camp Popolopen when he escaped from guards.  He fled into nearby Highland Falls where he entered the home of Guy F. Lewis.  There he raided the refrigerator, ransacked the home, and stole the 52 War Bonds found in his pocket when he was captured.  He discarded his prisoner of war uniform and stole a suit from the home.

From there, Jacobi hitchhiked into New York City where he sold one of the stolen $25 War Bonds for three dollars.  He slept in the subway and hopped subway cars and elevated trains to make his way around the City.  While on an elevated train in the Bronx, he saw a passenger reading a newspaper with an alert and his photograph in it, so he hopped off the train in the Bronx and walked to Bronxville.  There he slept in a field and burglarized another residence where he exchanged the stolen suit he was wearing for a "better one."  Once again he raided the refrigerator in the Bronxville home.

He returned to New York City in his new suit and, early in the day on Saturday, October 20, he rode the subway to 242nd Street, hopped off, and walked to Pelham.  There he burglarized the residence of Edwin H. Muir of 4 Benedict Place in Pelhamwood and, once again, raided the refrigerator.  After burglarizing the Muir residence, he was wandering the area when Officer Charles Keller noticed him and, with Officer Cappalino of New Rochelle, captured him.

The two officers received wide acclaim for their meticulous attention to their duties and for the capture of an escaped German prisoner of war.  Jacobi was returned to the prison camp near West Point.

"PATROLMAN CHAS. KELLER" The North Pelham Police

Officer Who Captured the Escaped German Prisoner of War.

Escaped German Prisoner Of War Captured After Robbing

Pelhamwood Home -- Patrolman Keller In Prowl Car With

New Rochelle Policeman Off Duty, Arrested Martin Jacobi,

26, Saturday Night.  Prisoner Had $1,200 in Stolen War

Bonds in Pocket.  Had Recently Finished One Year Military

Sentence for Larceny, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 25, 1945, Vol.

36, No. 28, p. 1, col. 4. NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge. 

*          *          *          *          *

"Escaped German Prisoner Of War Captured After Robbing Pelhamwood Home
-----
Patrolman Keller In Prowl Car With New Rochelle Policeman Off Duty, Arrested Martin Jacobi, 26, Saturday Night.  Prisoner Had $1,200 in Stolen War Bonds in Pocket.  Had Recently Finished One Year Military Sentence for Larceny.
-----

While the F.B.I., the West Point military authorities and police departments of the country over were seeking Martin Jacobi, 26, an escaped German war prisoner, who disappeared from the Oppalapp camp, near West Point on Tuesday, Oct. 16th, an alert North Pelham policeman, Charles Keller, picked him up on Highbrook avenue on Saturday evening and had him safely locked up in Town Hall jail a few minutes afterward.  Keller was assisted by Patrolman Cappalino, a New Rochelle policeman, who was off duty and walking along Highbrook avenue at the time.  Jacobi is wanted by Highland Falls and Bronxville police, the U.S. Provost Marshal and State troopers from New City, N.Y.

Keller was in the prowl car, alone, when he saw Jacobi, and determined to question him.  He called to Cappalino who got into the car and the pair caught up with the escaped prisoner near Washington avenue.  This was about 5:45 p.m.

Jacobi claimed he was trying to find the home of a girl whom he had met in New York a few nights before but could not remember her name.  Keller frisked the man for weapons and in a hip pocket found Jacobi had a large number of war bonds, 29, which he could not explain.

At police headquarters he was first held on a vagrancy charge.  Police found his description tallied with the escaped prisoner who was wanted at West Point.  To Patrolman DeFillipo, Jacobi admitted he was the man.

Had Ransacked Pelham House

At 10:30 that evening, Edwin H. Muir of 4 Benedict Place, notified police that his home had been entered and the place ransacked.  Jewelry and other valuables were untouched.  Clothing had been taken.  Jacobi admitted having entered the Muir home Saturday afternoon, and Mr. Muir identified the shoes and undershirt that Jacobi was wearing as having been taken from his home.  The suit he was wearing was identified by Mrs. Sarah [illegible] State trooper from New CIty, N. Y., examined the prisoner on Sunday morning.  The trooper was accompanied by a woman from New City whose name is withheld.  She identified the prisoner as the man who had called at her home on Wednesday and asked for food.  While she was preparing some sandwiches she claimed he attacked her, but she beat him off.  This incident Jacobi denied being concerned with.

Stole $1,200 in War Bonds

Jacobi claimed that immediately after his escape from Oppalapp Camp from a work gang on Tuesday, he had taken a suit of clothes from the home of Guy F. Lewis, 72 Church street, in Highland Falls, N. Y., and 52 War Bonds of $25.00 each and had thumbed a ride to New York City, where he sold one of the bonds to a soldier for $3.00.  He had slept in the subway, and was on an El train in the Bronx when he saw his picture in a newspaper which a passenger was reading, so he got off at the next station, and walked alongside a little river to Bronxville, where he slept in a field and entered the Rounds residence where he exchanged his suit for a better one.  He returned to New York and on Saturday early rode the subway to 242nd street and walked from there to Pelham.  After entering the Muir residence he was walking along Highbrook avenue when Patrolman Keller and Patrolman Cappalino of New Rochelle, off-duty, arrested him.

Jacobi speaks English fluently, but with a marked German accent.  He was captured three years ago while a sergeant in a tank corps of the German army.  He told North Pelham police that he knew Germany couldn't beat America and advised his comrades to give up and be taken prisoners.

Served Military Sentence for Larceny

Jacobi was recently discharged from the U. S. Disciplinarian Barracks at Green Haven, N. Y., where he served a year for larceny.  

Mayor Dominic Amato complimented Patrolman Kelley on his smart capture and the manner in which the North Pelham police were responding to the orders of Chief Hugh Shannon to be on the alert and question everyone they saw who appeared to be a suspicious person.

North Pelham police took charge of the articles which Jacobi admitted taking from Bronxville and Highland Falls homes.

Jacobi was examined by Judge Lawrence F. Sherman in village court on Monday night.  Being an escaped prisoner of war he was given into custody of Captain William A. Parness of the military police at West Point and was taken by him to the military reservation.

Source:  Escaped German Prisoner Of War Captured After Robbing Pelhamwood Home -- Patrolman Keller In Prowl Car With New Rochelle Policeman Off Duty, Arrested Martin Jacobi, 26, Saturday Night.  Prisoner Had $1,200 in Stolen War Bonds in Pocket.  Had Recently Finished One Year Military Sentence for Larceny, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 25, 1945, Vol. 36, No. 28, p. 1, cols. 4-5.  

"German 'P-W' Seized In Pelham Confesses Three Burglaries

Fugitive From Camp Upstate Arrested With Stolen Bonds, Clothes In His Possession

NORTH PELHAM -- A German prisoner-of-war who escaped Tuesday from a camp near West Point was arrested here by a North Pelham Patrolman Saturday afternoon and admitted committing three burglaries -- one in Pelham on the day of his arrest.

Patrolman Charles Keller, while on Washington Avenue, at 5:45 P. M., observed Martin Jacobi, twenty-six, loitering near Clifford Avenue.  The man's suspicious behavior led Patrolman Keller to confer with Patrolman James Cappellino [sic], of New Rochelle, who was walking his dog in the vicinity while off duty.  When they questioned Jacobi, and his answers were not satisfactory, they picked him up on a charge of vagrancy and took him to headquarters.

Search of his clothes revealed 49 war bonds of $25 denominations made out to Guy F. Lewis, of 72 Church Street, Highland Falls, N. Y.  Jacobi admitted burglarizing the Lewis home last Wednesday, police reported, and said he took a blue serge suit and overcoat in addition to the bonds, discarding his 'PW' uniform for these.

Police said he also admitted burglarizing the home of Harry M. Rounds, Chairman of the Eastchester Republican Town Committee, 20 Crows Nest Road, Bronxville, on Friday.  There he exchanged his stolen clothes for a light-weight suit.  He confessed that he also took a check for $27 issued to Mrs. Rounds, police said.  At each place he entered he 'raided' the ice box and had a hearty meal.

While he was being questioned, a report was made to police of the burglarizing Saturday of the home of Kenneth Muir, Benedict Place, where an undershirt was taken and the ice-box 'raided.'  Mr. Muir, who discovered the robbery at 10:30 P. M., identified the shirt worn by Jacob i as that stolen from his house, according to police, and Jacobi admitted the burglary.

He was arraigned Saturday night before Judge Lawrence Shermon in Special Sessions on a charge of vagrancy, and will be arraigned today at 8:30 P. M. before Judge Sherman on a charge of burglary."

Source:  German 'P-W' Seized In Pelham Confesses Three Burglaries -- Fugitive From Camp Upstate Arrested With Stolen Bonds, Clothes In His Possession, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 22, 1945, p. 1, cols. 1-2.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."