The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-30
HELD UP A TROLLEY
Bold Attempt to Rob a Pas
senger In a GreenVil1e
Car.
SHUT OFF THE CURRENT
The Victim Said to Be a Green
Goods "Guy" Who Had Beaten
the Sharpers.

a most daring attempt at highway rob
berry was made at eight o'clock last
evening on Bayonne car No. %, in
Greenyille, and as usual the police are
without a clue which may tend to land
the robbers in Jail. Three weeks ago
THE Jersey City News told how the
Board of Street and Water Commission
ers cut off ninety-seyen lamps in the
Greenville section, and pointed to the
danger of leaving certain parts of Green
vile in darkness. 1t was at one of these
sections that the attempt at rot5ery
was made.
Car No. % was in charge of Motor
man Walker and Conductor Bernalf
Smith. AS it passed through GreenvTie
the only passengers on board We're three
men. One of the men was standing on
the rear platform. while the other two
We're seated inside opposite to each
other. One of these nen was wei
dressed and had on the seat beside him
small leather handbag.
As the car reached the end of Ocean
avenue, where the trucks make a sharp
curve into Thompson lane, the man on
the rear platform pulled the trolley rope
thereby shutting OFF the current. At the
same time he pulled a revolver from his
pocket and covered the conductor.
COWED THE CONDUCTOR.
''If you move muscle said he, .T'u
blow your brains OUT
1t did not take the conductor long to
realize that discretion was the better part
of valor, especially when one is looking
into the barrel of a loaded revolver, and
he obeyed. In the meantime the men
inside the car We're having what appear
ed to the conductor to be a rough and
tumble fight. The yanking of the trolley
from the wire put out all the lights in
the car, but the conductor could discern
the men graphing with each other. The
man with the bag was being attacked
| by the other fellow and was directing all
his efforts to lodging blows which his
assailant was raining down upon his
head and shoulders. The assailaat had
in his hand what appeared to be q lead
struck his victim. The fight was of short
duration, and before the motorman could
bring his car to a standstiil on the sharp
down grade, the victim had freed himself
from the grasp of his assailant and was
off the car ard was running for dear life
up Old Bergen Road towards Greenville.
His assailant and the man who was
guarding the conductor also jumped of
| the car and pursued him. That was the
last seer of them.
No one seems to know whether they
caught tFeir man or not.
NO CLUE AS USUAL.
The motorman and conductor resumed
their journey, and upon their arrival at
the Bergen Point ferry notified the Bay
onne police, who telephoned to Police
Headquarters in this city. The first
news of the assault that the Fifth pre-
O'Clock, when Headquarters notified
them of what the Bayonne authorities
had told them. Sergeant Cannon, who
was at the desk detailed Policeman
Iimmerly and Sturges to visit the place
where the assault occurred. and al
though they labored the greater part of
the night, they were unable TO find any
clues.
This morning Conductor Smith and
Motorman Walker visited the Fifth pre-
cinct police and gave q description of
the men. Detective Mike Egan is
now working on the case Ocean ave-
nue., where the car was stopped, is con-
spicuous for the absence of houses.
There is only one residence in that
vicinity, and as street lamps are even
! scarcer than houses, the section is dark
er than Egypt.
| Inspector Lange says that the victim
| of the attempted robbery was green
goods guy who had outwitted the
swindlers and gotten away with the bag
| full of good money which is used in all
such transactions. The men who at
| tempted TO rob him. the same authority
| says, were the green goods sharpers.
The guy was seen an hour after the
attempted robbery walking through
Greenville in the direction of the ferry.
| He stin had the bag.