The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-15

ed with blood and torn into shreds, when
her husband, who had recovered con-
seriousness, discovered her. IN nus msis,e
to escape the thief and would.pe murder.
er lost his hat. Notwithstanding the fact
that there were twenty policemen Wlunln
two blocks, ne made good nSa,.H ms escape: sIs !
committed, and so it continued, the ponce
| as much at sea as ever.
On September 26 Mrs. Hile, VINO was
still confined to her bed by reason OF her
injuries, was surprised to receive bhe 1oi-
lowing letter by mail
Dear Mrs. lille, l26 Union street, Jer-
/ sey City,-You are brave little woman
! I admire you. 1 didn't want TO
You low down. wanted to scare
Didn't want to harm you. dear lady.
| cut you low down. l wanted to scare
! yon l would not steal, but my famly
| is very hungry, and / must have money.
| of God helps me | will steal no more.
! There is q paper, it may be valuable 10
you, enclosed in this note, would seh9
| you your silver, but we paWned it, II
! pawned it, you would catch US. II get
enough money 1 will take 1t OUT Tor you you
! and send it to you. we got 1ne palm .ai1
| book, and if you know how to fix 1t you
| can get every thing We took except your
| husbands pants, which we threw away.
| If you want me to help you put II IN
| the papers. | can read Engnsn. oished,
! Sorry, But Good Friend.
| This document was at once turned over
| to Chief Murphy by Mr.. Hile, and he,
| thinking TO ensnare the writer, aover,
! tised this personal:-''Sorry, But Good
| Friend.-Am yet too i'll to leave my
| bed but Will soon be well. Thanks Tor
sympathy. Presents taken more prlzed
| than money. Matters can be arranged
| to suit you by me personally. trust me
| Write again as to what you would sug-
SYST MYSTERIOUS MESSENGER.
The "sorry but True Friend took
| rest of about a week, and then on the
| evening of october II, between eight and
nine O'Clock, a messenger caIlee at me
| lille, and disappeared quickly and mys-
teriously This letter was more interest
| ing than its predecessor, and shows
| what cheeky gentleman she had 10
| Dear Mrs. Hile,-I have read your ad-
vertisement and l will try to please you
| if you want your things, but you must
not make me trouble. L work honest
now l would send you the pawn tickets,
| but 1 need SIS. l had them out to. SEND
you, but I need money now, SO II you
tickets I'll return the money when
save little. 1 know it is hard for
woman to do what want you to do, but
you have plenty of courage. AS
| soon as YOU get this, take your money
and come alone. Have no one to follow
| or conduct you. Go alone to jackson
avenue, then to Forrest street, up tne
| left side of Forrest street to Bergen ave
nue. Just before you come TO bergen
avenue there is big vacant place with
a fence in the centre and a little pain
runs across to Virginia avenue. Stop at
| that fence and / Will meet you. carry
the envelope in your hand, so that can
see it, Don't bring a policeman, because
we will watch you every step you take
If you attempt treachery | will shoot
YOU and then shoot myself before am
caught You can depend on me being
all right Don't waste time, because this
is your last chance and come right away
Hoping you are all right, l am Your
Sorry But Good Friend"
Mr. Hile was at nome When tne let
rear door. climbed over fences ana
woodsheds and made his way TO the
Fourth precinct station house. He burst
in upon Captain Mckaig, breathlessly'
and told him of the letter. He was di-
rected to return to his home in the
same cautious way that he had left
of meeting without delay. When told
what was expected of her, the brave
little woman never murmured but put
on her nat and coat and went. Police
men had in the meantime surrounded
the place of meeting, and Captain Nc
Kaig and Detective Hottie acted as
rear guard to Mrs. Hile. She Went
straight to the appointed spot, dismal,
isolated place, and waited there for an
hour for her sorry but good friend.
That philanthropic individual did not ap
pear 1t is believed he became sus-
picious and fed.
One thing, however, was accomplished
by that trip. 1t proved to Chief Muir
phys mind conclusively that the writer
of the note, presumably the burglar,
was familiar with the streets of Jersey
City, as on none of the streets men
toned in his letter are there any signs
on the lamp posts. There was another
two, and then Chief Murphy tried the
advertising dodge again. In personal
he aid-"Sorry But Good F'riend,-Am
now entirely we'll; make appointment
so I can see you; will go anywhere
you say; am awfully anxious to get
what / prize SO highly; money no OBJ
ject."
Nothing was ever heard from this, and
it was realized that a new tack would
have to be tried
SMITH TO THE RESCUE
While Chief Murphy was at his wits
end as to whit to do next, Detective
Colville Smith came TO the rescue. On
November 27 he recovered the first of
the property stolen during all the bur
glares committed. The first he recov-
cred was 5000 worth of silverware stolen
from the house of John S. Menagh,
covered in rapid succession S5s worth
of silverware stolen from Hanford Lind
say of No. $40 Bramhall avenue, 500
worth of silverware and table linen,
SO Winfield avenue: $50 worth of solid
silver belonging to William Mcintyre of
No 2f Summit avenue; 500 worth OF
silverware of Carl Drusen's, of No. IS
Danforth avenue; $50 in silverWare of
j. d. Melrose's, of No. 2491s Pacific ave-
nue., and $50 of similar ware owned by
H. J. Bumsted, of No. 2S Lexington
avenue. In every pawnshop where
Smith found the stolen property the
proprietors told him that the man who
had pawned it was a German, stoutly
built, who gave either East 18th or
i17th streets as his address. Word was
then sent to the New York and Brook
| lyn police to hold every thief arrested
until he could be looked at and ques-
toned.
On December Detective Smith went
on another tour of the pawn shops, and
early in the day learned that the Ger-
man who had pawned all the property
he had been identifying had been arrest
ted in One Hundred and Fourth street
| by Policeman Shay. Smith reported this
fact to Chief Murphy, and Captain
oner until such time as evidence against
him could be found The prisoner had
| registered as John Doe, and under that
name was committed to the Tombs. Then
began search for evidence. The boy who
delivered the second letter to Mrs. Hile
was found, after considerable difficulty,
| and by Detective Smith taken to the
| Tombs A half-6ozen prisoners were
placed in the dock and the boy identi-
| fed Doe as the man who had given him
| the letter for Mrs. Hile.
Strangely enough two days after John
| Doe had been arrested Mrs. Albert Al
| berts reported to Captain Nugent of the
Fifth precinct that her husband was
| missing She explained to the Captain
| that she was poor and unable to buy
| anything to eat for herself or her child.
| The case was at once reported to Police
| Headquarters, and a general alarm was
60. I,O fc1fr4 A MI,