St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-26
Jekyll and Hyde Eclipsed by
a Supposedly Respectable
Jerseyman.
Posing as a Contractor, He
Proved to Be q Bold
Burglar.
He and His Handsome Wife
Are Now in Steel
Cages.
Pretty Widow Kent Horse
whips a United States
Commissioner.

OOmIulSS1OucEs
MoNTcLAIR, N. j., March 25.-One
of the most respectable and respected
citizens of this town has been James
Tuthill, boss mason. He came here
| from Port Jervis five years ago. He
married and went to live in cosy home
Oh Bloomfield avenue. He and his wife
| Joined the Montclair Congregational
church, and won the respect and esteem
of their neighbors. Tuthill became very
| popular with his fellow townsmen. He
| joined several social clubs, and every
one who knew him liked him. He
never drank or sWore, was ever ready
| to help anyone in need, and counted
his friends by the score. Many of the
residents of MOntclair are men of
wealth, doing business in New York.
| Tuthill did work for them all, was re-
ceived on friendly terms in their homes,
and seemed in fair way of amasslng a
fortune. To-day all this is changed. He
is prisoner in the Raymond street jail,
BROOKLYN, his handsome wife is locked
up in jail at Newark, and their names
only week ago were proud to be seen
on the streets with them. The emi.
nently respectable Mr.. Tuthill has been
found out to be
The Reckless Burglar
who for the past few years has been
robbing the homes of the wealthy in
Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield,
Orange and surrounding towns, and his
wife is suspected of being his accom-
plice. Shortly after Tuthill came here
to live several bold burglaries were
committed in rapid succession. The
burglar was fearless. He selected only
the finest residences in which to find his
plunder. AS the burglar was always
masked, no one could give description
of him. Mr.. Tuthill's house was never
entered, and while he was loud and de-
vout In his thanks to the Almighty, who
spared him such visitation, he was
active in cOunSeling those who had
suffered by the depredations of the mid
night intruder. A week ago last Mon
day night the residence of George Booth,
a mason and personal friend of Tuthiil,
was entered by the lone burglar. A
Mr.. Robertson, who is thinking of NOV
ing to Montclair, was Mr.. Booths
guest that night. AS the village
clock was tolling IL he was
aroused by his bed room window
being opened, and a slim-built man
lightly jumped into the room from the
veranda. Mr.. Robertson watched him,
and saw him coolly strike match on
deftly distracted Mr. Robertson's gold
watch from his vest, and the match went
out. The thief was striking another
when Mr.. Robertson jumped out of bed
and grappled with him. The cold muz-
zle of pistol made him let 90 quickly,
ana as he fell back on the bed the
burglar
Laughed Sarcastically
and swung himself out of the window
and got away. Mr.. Robertson awoke
the household. While he was telling
his experience the burglar was less
than block away, getting into the resi-
dence of John Manuel, another Mason,
and a warm friend of the good Mr..
Tuthill. Manuel was aroused before
the burglar got iuto his room, though,
and gave him battle on the piazza. The
thlef's mask came off in the struggle and
Mr.. Manuel could hardly believe his
senses, for the face he recognized
was that of his friend, the village favor
ite, "Jim'' Tuthill. The latter broke
away and got off safely for the time be-
ing. Thursday night, in the presence
of a number of friends, Manuel said:
II am sure the man who robbed me was
Jim Tuthlll, but | am not sure enough
to swear it, He was scotfed at, but
held doggedly to his opinion. At last
it was determined to give MIR. Robert
son, who did not know Tuthill, chance
to see if he could identify him. By the
q Itch 0P hn i,,
his room he had partially seen
the burglars face. Saturday morning
Tuthill was summoned to DeWit's car
penter shop on Spring street to give an
estimate on an imaginary contract for
masonry. A dozen of his friends met.
as if by accident, on the way. The
crowd entered the carpenters shop.
MIR, Robertson was there, intent appar-
emily OH his own busines. AS the men
passed him he glanced sharply at them
all, and when his eyes rested on Tuthill
he sprang forward and grasped Tuthill
by the shoulders, eXclaiming excitedly:
"Ihis Is the Man.
"This is the burglar who stole my
watch, lam positive" Tuthill's friends,
every one of whom would have sworn to
his innocence moment before, fell
away from him. The mans acting was
superb. Not in anger, but gently, and
in the voice of the God-fearing, respect
able citizen, which he always was in
the daytime, he reproached Mr.. Rob-
ertson for his accusation. Then turn
ing sadly, he left the shop slowly with
doWncast eyes and head. His manner
impressed the majority of those pres
ent, but Robertson insisted that he was
the thief and Manuel backed him.
They got a warrant to search
Tuthill's house. When they went there
with an officer Tuthill was not in, but
his pretty wife received them so gra-
ciously that they did not have the heart
to make known the object of their visit,
and turned away again to wait until
Tuthil came home. They bad not gone
far when they saw him coming down
the street. and they returned with him.
His wife became hysterlcal when she |
learned of the charge against her dar-
ling husband. Nevertheless. they be- |
gan search of the house. They found |
nothing up stairs. Then Robertson
suggested searching the cellar. There
they found
Gold and Diamond Mine.
Buried in the parti-walls and thrown |
in concealed crevices were rings,
watches, diamonds, pocketbooks, money, |
bracelets. breastpins, earrings, watch
chains and every kind of jewelry. rep
resentiug many thousands of dollars, |
and some of which weIe stolen years |
ago. The plunder was placed in a bag
and taken. The burglar meanwhile had |
jumped on his horse and ridden furi-
ously to Bloomfield, where he took an
express to Hoboken. He was traced to
Brooklyn, was arrested and locked up. |
Tuthill strenuously denied his guilt. !