Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-01-12
PROTECTING JEWELERS..
An institution That Is q Terror To
Thieves,

vNtSV0S.
1t is natural to suppose that those
whose business leads them to carry
about a great deal of valuable prop
erty all the time will become shining
marks for professional thieves and
oil that class who aim to live on
what belongs to other people. A.
mong all the travelling men it would
seem that none would be more liable
to the assaults of the light-iingered
profession than those who represent
business houses that deal in jewelry
and precious stones. Strange to say,
however, these gentlemen are rather
less than more liable to be molested
on the road than any other set Of
persons who IRE worth waylaying.
In the year 1878 the practice OF
robbing statesmen travelling for
wholesale jewelers. and diamond mer-
chants became so common that 1t
was determined to organize an assoc
iation for the pursuit and punish.
ment of this class of thieves, and
with that object in view the Jewell
ers' Protective Union was formed.
It Is not n money-inaking scheme.
but It Is intended for the protection
of its members. The method Of this
institution Is us follows
Any business house in the jewelry
trade may become member upon
the payment OF certain fees. fanny.
salesman engaged in selling the goods
of any member of the union Is rob.
bed while travelling the central Office
OF the union is notified. Detectives
are at once put upon the tracks Of
the thieves, and 1t Is an unalterablo
rule that they must not relax their
efforts until the wrongdoer has been
arrested, tried, convicted and sent
to prison. Sometimes it takes years
to apprehcnd the persons sought
for, but that makes no difference, for
the guilty must be punished and an
example must be made Of every man
who has the temerity TO attempt any
crime against any person whom this
union has guaranteed to protect
Here are few sample cases:
A year ago last fall W. q. Pollock
was robbed Of about $4,000 worth
Of diamonds In the State of Iowa by
a fellow named Shurtclifre. 1t took
lest about u year to bring Shurt
cliffe to book. but the unions detect
ives never wavered for an instan,
until they saw the doors Of the pen
itentiary ut Fort Madison shut him
In to serve u term Of seventeen
years. When Shurtclifre regain
his liberty, even II he decides to re
sumo the business that has brough
him to disaster, 1t Is not likely tina
he will ever care to ply his trade n
gain to tho disadvantage Of anybod!
who deals In precious stones.
Last March, In Dayton, Ohio
Fritzie Dhein began to serve tern
OF four and half years for stealth,
$14, 600 worth Of jewelry belonging
to a firm In Cincinnati. The agent
OF the union succeeded in recovering
all the stolen goods and In securing
the conviction OF the culprit, not
withstanding that on his first tria
the jury disagreed, after which j.
was let out on bail and fled to Eur
ope to escape another trial. He wa
brought back to Ohio and tried agail
with tho result above stated. A yea
and q half was spent disposing O
the case OF Fritzie Dhein.
The last matter OF this kind tina
the union had to do with was u
affair that occurred in Springfield
Mass, last February, when DAME
F. Cote succeeded in getting ava
with jewelry to tho amount OF abou
$4,000. His conviction followed /
May, and he will be in u safe plac
for the next four years. All bu
. about ~, 900 worth Of what was stole
> was recovered and returned to tn
owner.
. As this article Is being written Il,
books OF the union are clear, and til
manager said that he would not b
surprised II he did not have anothe
case to handle for n long time, pei
haps two or three years. for Il,
work OF the union has become 4
we'll known to professional thieve
that they hesitate long time b.
fore they venture to defy it. TIL
association has become a verltabl
terror to robbers and has almost o,
tinguished tho class OF crime wit
which It has to do .-[New York AZ