The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-01-26
DETECTIVES DUPED.
But it was in the Cause of JUSTICE
A Leaf From John h.
Browns Diary.

Fire Commissioner John n. Brown who
the Eastern Division of the Erie Railway,
has has for many years occupied the latter
position, and his experiences are many
and interesting. Here is one of them =
About dozen winters ago, Station
Agent Norris, at Suffern, n. Y. received
a letter informing him that complete
set of burglars tools, had been shipped to
his station. to be called for. The letter
was an anonymous communication, but
it described the package, and when It ar
rived, the agent was sure that a robbery
was about to be effected The same day,
young man called and made enquiries
for the bag, and requested that it should
be kept until the next afternoon, when he
would cali for it. Norris took occasion to
pry into the contents, and sure enough,
there were the burglars tools.
He kept his own counsel, so far as the
neighbors were concerned, but thinking
the safe of the car wheel factory at
Ramapo, two miles distant, was what the
thieves were after, he notified the Super
intendent, w. w. Snow, and then teie-
graphed to detective Brown.
ON THE ALERT.
At noon, the next day. Brown, Sheehan,
ana GOlOnei OflIleS, now w arden OIL L0e
Penitentlary, all connected with the Erie
detective force, arrived at the Suffern
station. Soon afterwards the man called
for and received the bag. He was a nervy
looking, well dressed young fellow of
about twenty-eight years years, and he
took the bag and sauntered over and into
the drug store, leaving the bag on the
stoop. In an instant the detectives were
after him. Colonel Grimes ran TO the
rear TO prevent his escape; Sheehan and
Brown walked into the store.
Catching the man by the collar, with
one hand, and with the other holding a
revolver in his pistol pocket, Sheehan
said, g | want You.
The man madeia movement as il to draw
a pistol, but Sheehan had his revolver out.
and pointed at the fellows head, and the
latter quietly snccumbed with the re-
mark, you have spoiled a good job
The bag was united and the set of
burglars tools was revealed. Search was
made for the fellows supposed accom-
plices, without avail. No Justice OF the
Peace was at home In Suffern, and so the
party started in Mr.. Shows open wagon
10 Spring Valley, seven miles distant to
find one.
CHASING JUSTICE
But the Squire" was out of town. and
the party journeyed to New City the
County Seat of Rockland, where the jail
10 lOIAlCN+
There the detectives and their prisoner
had good dinner at the hotel, aud Squire
Blauvelt was summoned. He looked over
the statutes, aud finally suggested that
the prisoner should be taken before Dis
trict Attorney Wheeler, at Haverstraw
another five mile journey over the noun
tain, as he was in doubt as to his power to
commit the man.
1t was q cold night when the party
started for Haverstraw. Bnt the place
was finally reached, and after the District
Attorney had been consulted, Justice Cole
held an examination, and committed the
prisoner to the County Jail Through a
driving snow storm the prisoner was sent
to New City and the detectives put up at
the hotel, and the driver and another of
the party started on their return to Stuff
ern.
THE MYSTERY SOLVED.
It was several weeks before the affair
was fully solved. An old woman had
been murdered, just before the occurrence.
at Tappan, and a young man, suspected
of being the murderer, had been confined
IN the County Jail. The supposed
burglar. was a Pinkerton detective. who
in accordance with plan arranged by the
District Attorney and Pinkerton, had put
up the job to secure his arrest, aud incar-
ceration with the supposed murderer, In
the hope of getting the latter to make adj
missions of his guilt. OF all this however
the Erie detectives were ignorant. After
a few weeks imprisonment, the supposed
burglar, unable to elicit anything from
the alleged murderer was discharged, and
the latter was never indicted The Erie
r. r. officers supposed they had made an
important arrest, but the thing was subse-
auently explained to them and their ex-
penses were handsomely paid by Superin-
tendent Snow.