The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-04
LEXOW NEEDED HERE
Police Accused Of Aiding
Rascally Jersey City
HaCkmen.
MRS. DACH'S PITIFUL TALE
Refusing to Pay an ExOrbitant
Charge She is Locked Up
and Blackmailed.

In Thursday nights issue of THE JERSEY
CITY NEWS appeared an article telling of
he nefarious practice of some Jersey City
hackdriyers who entice unsuspecting women
into their cabs and charge fabulous
amount under threat of arrest if they do not
pay.
Thursday nights article told Of poor
woman who was taken to Hoboken and
brought back to Jersey City and compelled
to pay $3.50 by police sergeant of the
First precinct although the hackman
agreed to take her to hoboken for 50 cents.
Fortunately this woman had the money,
and although she escaped confinement in e.
police cell, she lost her steam er, and is at
present waiting for one to sail Tuesday.
Not so fortunate is poor Mrs. Katherine
Dach, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She is
at present spending ten days IN the County
Jail for refusing to pay one OF those highway
robbers s. for carrying her from the Jersey
CITY Ferry at Exchange place to the Bre-
men Dock, foot of Third street, Hoboken.
The facts in this second case are told in a
letter she wrote to Superintendent Brewer
of the Bremen Line. In the letter she
stated
Il bought ticket from an agent of yours
out here by the name of Lewis. to sail upon
your steamer that left for Germany last
Thursday, intending to take my three chill
dren and visit my husband, who is in Berlin.
On the way TO New York on the train | met
some men who represented themselves to me
as agents of yours, ana told me If gave
| them my ticket and S5 they would have my
| trunks checked and bring me the change.
| Fhey appeared to be all right and l gave up
| the ticket and money
BUNDLED INTO A CAB.
f'When | arrived in Jersey City saw moth
| ing of the men or my property. While look
| ing around a cab driver approached me and
| bundled me into his cab with my children
before had time to object, saying that I
would be at the steamer in few minutes
| with nv trunks and it would only cost me
| 81. [ described the trunks to him and gave
| him my check which the bogus agents or
myself in some way overlooked. The driver
acted very decent until we got to
your pier and | offered him his
dollar. He swore like trooper, and said
| had agreed to pay him 50. l stoutly refused
| TO pay him, because if | did l would not
| have had money enough to buy another
! ticket to Germany. He refused to give up
| my trunks and told me to get in the hack
and he would take me back to Jersey CITY.
! / said all right he could before would be so
| foolish as to allow him to rob me in such an
| open-handed manner.
| .'He first took me to the police station in
| Hoboken and complained to the officer be-
| hind the desk that | was a professional
| skinp and was trying to cheat him. The
| policeman evidently knew the rascal or ms
| crowd for he told him to get out as he
| would not interfere The driver then drove
me to the Jersey City Police Headquarters.
SCORING THE POLICE.
| "Here Twas subjected to the most dastardly
!
receive. After the driver had told the man
at the desk Man, do l say! Well, mean
| brute) the circumstances, l was given no
! chance to offer an explanation, but was told
to either pay him or be locked up
ABoMINABLE TREATMENT.
tWhen | reconstructed [ hadinsult heaped
upon injury by being roughly handled and
| placed in felon's cell, and my
| children torn away from me. This
/ in a Christian land aud America.
| God only knows what became of me then
| Well, when l was placed in the cell don't
know what happened. The next thing
| knew | was in hospital and the attendant
told me l had had Mysteries. was then dis
| charged from the hospital but sent to a
| worse place; this Jail | think the Judge
| whoever he was that committed me did not
| know the true facts of the case. Mr.
Brewer, can't you do something for me, 20
| help me get out of this living he'll.
/ WILL INVESTIGATE THE CASE.
/ The letter was written in a very good hand
and had very few mistakes. Mr.. Brewer
| says he is going to investigate this case and
( prosecute both the hackman aud the SER
geant VINO locked her up. He was very liz
/ dignant and said this was not the only let
| ter he had received from women to the same
effect.
sIt is a pretty thing" he added, "when
the police and highwaymen go band in hand
| together 1t is about time public sentiment
was aroused against it and something done
| to punish them"
This business of the hackmen is continu-
] ally being practiced and the police do not
seem to interfere, in fact, they they seem to
| :, ,phoId tho baoE driverS