The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-02
THE JUDGE KNEW TOO MUCH.
Two Confidence Men Strike the
Wrong Kind of a Jersey Farmer.
CnaalaI Ia 4Ia Iaa.coai Gifat Ncaca

Special to the JefSeD CatV NclcS.
Toms RIVER, May 2, 1s94.-There are two
confidence men who nave changed their
opinion of the shrewdness and ability to take
care of himself possessed by the average Jer-
sey farmer since their unsuccessful attempt
to rope in Judge E. P. Emson yesterday by
the aid of the 'sgold brick" scheme
Judge Emson is currently reputed to be
one of the wealthiest men in South Jersey,
laying the foundation of his fortune
years ago in the coasting trade, but
for the past two decades devoting his
time principally to farming, the culture
of cranberries and raising of fine trotting
horses. He is the largest single owner OF
cranberry boys in the world and raises and
disposes of more berries; having thus earned
for himself the s~obriquet of "Ihe Cranberry
King" His younger years spent at sea and
his more recent business trips have made
him almost as familiar in New York, Bos-
ton, Philadelphia, Washington or Chicago
as he is in Trenton. where he formerly
represented his county in the State Senate,
or at Toms River, where he sits as one of the
judges of the Ocean County Bench.
But he is a plainly dressed, unpretentious,
plain spoken, farmer-like Individual in APP
pearance for all that. He lives at Golfers
Mills, on his favorite farm, the nearest rail
road station to which is at New Egypt.
About two weeks ago. while the Judge was
away from home, q tall, broad shouldered,
rome faced man, apparently a westeiner,
walked out from New Egypt and asked for
him. He said be had come down from New
York especially to see him on a matter con-
nected With the Judges family, and Of great
Importance. He left, promising to return
in about two weeks. Yesterday the same
man appeared at New Egypt, and drove out
of town. On the outskirts he was Joined by
another stranger, whom no one remembers
seeing come in the town. Together they
drove out to Golfers Mills. Nearing the
farm, the second man ~dismounted, and
walked over to it. The driver drove the
horse and buggy into a clump Of woods and
waited.
The second man was an oily-tongu.d
talker. He, too, was tall, broad-shouldered,
with full black beard and black hair. He
was dressed in a neat black business suit of
rotgn, cheviot. Finding Judge Emson ne
asked for a private talk with him. The
Judge was experimenting a gang of men,
who were putting his private trotting and
speeding track in order for the summer, and
took him off to. one side.
The man then told a plausible story. He
was a Western miner, from Flagstaff, Arr
iona. Together with his two spards', he had
where there were millions in almost pure
gold. In fact, zone of the seven lost
mines Of Mexico.n One of the partners,
Emson by name, died.
The other two had loved him as a brother,
and swore at his dying moment that they
would come East and tell his relatives of his
death. He told them he had a brother,
Ephraim Emson. living near Mt. Holly.
Melting down 10000 worth of the crude
metal, they came East to hunt for his
brother, M were so delighted to find him.
The other partner, he said, had been taken
ill at Mt. Holly. and he had come on alone.
Then he wanted Judge Emson to &c West
with him and take a third share in the mine
all because of the love he n his partner
bore the Judges brother.
He produced nuggets OF pure gold" as
they came from the wonderful mine, when
Judge Emson interrupted him by telling he
was sorry to spoil such a pretty romance,
but that he had only had two brothers. One
of them died in Ohio at the age of eleven;
the other in the Savannah River, while cap
tain of his W vessel, in his early youth,
and he then gently told him that even if q
man was a farmer and lived in the Jersey
Pines, he could not read four daily news
papers without hearing of the gold brick
scheme, and suggested that the climate of
some other locality might suit the Westerner
il that of his farm became suddenly too
warm and close.
After the swindler left the Judge repented
having let him off so easily, and drove into
Egypt to cause his arrest. But the birds had
flown. One bought a ticket to Mt. Holly,
the other to PHILADELPHIA.