Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-11-10
\ BIG CONSPIRACY
!oW the Arsenal Pottery at
 Trenton Was Robbed.
GODS WORTH s1oo,ooo STOLEN.
rusted Nephew of the Owner at the
 Bottom of the Scheme

Ie Stole Steadily for Six Years Had Con- federates in New York, Philadelphia and Ohio, Who Received the Stolen Ware and Shared the Proflts-A Num-
 Der of Arrests.
 TRENTON, N. J., Nov. 10.-The arrest # W. w. Sweet, invoice clerk of the Arsenal Pottery here, brings to light one # the greatest conspiracies known in Trenton since the robbery of Ott and Brewer in a similar manner about ten Jears ago.
 Sweet had upwards of ten confeder- ties, who were receiving the goods and jisposing of them in other cities at less han cost to manufacture, and although the amount taken cannot be exactly learned owing to the time that the oper- ltions have been going on, Joseph Mayer, the proprietor, says that it will reach $100r 1000.
 Morris Meers and Frank Work Shaf- ter of Philadelphia are under arrest in that city, and Sweet, his wife and Isaac Levy are behind the bars in Tren- ton, on the charge of being concerned in the conspiracy.
 Sweet had accomplices in New York, and even as far as Ohio, and the detec- tives are now watching for proof upon which to arrest them.
 Sweet apparently had entered into 8 big conspiracy with outsiders to ruin his employer. According to 8 state ment by him he did not suggest the thing first, but crockery dealers came to him and offered to divide profits if he would send them extra goods when they sent an order. It is apparent that if he had not been caught just at this time he soon would have caused the failure of the pottery. More than $1, 200 worth of goods, which were not entered on the books, were sent out by him last week.
 Sweets manner of defrauding Mayer was a common one, which would not be thought of by Mayer. When an order would be sent in for $10 worth of goods Sweet would send it to the packing TO om with orders to have it packed. The goods would then be shipped and the or der returned to him. Instead of mark ing it ''shipped'' he would allow it to lie on his desk for day or two, when his attention would be called to it, and he would again ship the same order. Thus would two orders be sent to the same person for the price of one. This he has done as often as four times on 8 single order.
 The stealings last year amounted to something enormous, and added to 8 number of bad speculations, involved Mayer heavily in debt. Mayer called his men together one day and told them that he knew that goods were disap- bearing from the place, but that he was unable to find out who was stealing them He asked them if they would not let up on him, saying that if they did not they would ruin him. All pro- fessed innocence, but the robberies con- tinued for time. Then they suddenly ceased.
 About five months ago Mayer was in Philadelphia taking orders for his goods when he was surprised to see some ware from his pottery in an auction store. | He knew that he had not been selling anything in that city, and at once sus- 1 pected that it was some of the stolen | goods. He went into the place and | quoted the prices on goods of exactly the | same make, but they informed him that they could buy them at price which Mayer said was sixty cents lower than he could afford to make them for. He was compelled after this to sell his | goods twenty per cent. lower than usual in order to keep his trade
 Soon after his discovery of the goods in Philadelphia Mayer informed the chief of police of Trenton. When the story was told the police could hardl y be- | lieve it, but as soon as the detectives got l CO WOrk OH Iu0 CdS0 Uu0y 1Ouuu GUal Mayors story was true. Packages oi goods were shipped to fences in New York and Philadelphia almost daily and no one knew of it. At length two tags in Sweets handwriting were taken from two large hogsheads of ware and then the detectives decided that they had the right man. The ware was most al costly, and consisted of fine vases, urns, fancy pitchers and dishes.
 Detective Pilger of Trenton, and De tective Bond of Philadelphia, arrested William Eardley of Philadelphia yester day afternoon. Up to about year agt Eardiey was employed as a packer at the Ma. pottery. Sweet says that Eard ley pat him up to stealing. Eardle! has been employed in the wholesale glas house of Wright, Tindal & Thomas il Philadelphia since leaving Trenton.