The sun., 1895-04-17
A WILD DASH FOR THIEVES.
PERTH AMB0T,s hCTIyE Police
RESERVES USE A LOCOMOTIVE.

First In q Wagon aud Then Over steel Rails
They Pat Out After Four Hoboes-Sur-
prired and Captured Them In "a Hurry.
The Perth Amboy police reserves, consisting
of the Chief one patrolmnn, and n constable,
made wild dash to the town limits on q loco
motive yesterday afternoon and captured four
hobocs. The Lehigh Valley coal train which
arrived at the upper yard In the town about +"
o'clock, had five passengers. Four Of them were
the hoboes who had reserved seats on n bumper
of car In the middle Of the train. and the other
was John Christ of Mahoning city, Penn.
Christ was coming East to look for a job on the
Port Reading coal docks, and he had his worldly
possessions. consisting OF an extra suit Of
clothes, with him in n bundle.
The train stopped in the upper yard md the
passengers got or. Christ was in the lead 200
yards. All started to foot 1t in TO town. The
hoboes caught up with Christ at Manning's
Bridge. One Of them grabbed his bundle. He
kept hold of 1t; another one punched MIN In the
eye; the third man kicked him, and the fourth
drew a knife and threatened to cut his heart out
Christ still clung to his bundle.
Tho four hoboes set upon him then and
knocked him down on tho track and jumped on
him. Then they let him up, stole his bundle,
his shoes. and his hat, and let him run away.
He went to the nearest telegraph Office and the
operator telegraphed to the main ofIlce OF the
company. The main Office telegraphed to Police
Headquarters. where Chief Burke was figuring
out the solution of q murder mystery.
The reserves at that hour consisted OF Patrol
man Dunham and Constable Walter. Dunham
was at home in bed The Chief made bee line for
his home and reused him out Meantime orders
were sent to the Lchigh Valley Company's office
for n special locomotive. Dunham jumped into
his trousers and started of with the Chief They
held up tho first wagon they met, got in. and ap-
piled the whip to the horse Away they went.
Tho good people Of the town stood in their door
ways open -mouthed Through the main streets
and up and down the hills they ratified over tho
stones Durham said afterward that 1t beat
Sheridan's ride oil hollow. The horse foamed
at the mouth and the sweat rolled from him,
stin the gad cracked on his back.
| Joseph Kidd at tho throttle. was waiting at tho
% end Of the road; Come Durham, IN! called the the
landed safe. Durham followed. Constable
Matters was already there The engineer in n.
pulled the throttle wide open. and away the 10,
comotiye went bumping over switches and nc,
| wake came army OF railroad men. Every
| body in the yard quit work. Out oyer tho sid
| inCs the locomotive flew bumpety bump bump
window. and his eyes were glued on the perspec-
tive. In two minutes and quarter he cried: :
In the distance were four hoboes The fire
| man shovelled more coal into the furnace, and
lne engineer put On lnOre SteAIll uc HODOeS
saw that sonnet thing was up, but didn't dream
what 1t was. They stood on either side of the
track to lot the locomotive go by. Fifty feet
| away from them the engineer shut OFT steam and
slapped on the brakes. The big machine came
to stop, exactly opposite where the h9boes
stood. The Chief and the reserves hoped or.
Then 1t dawned on the hoboes that they were
| wanted. They separated and ran in four drec-
tions.
| The reserves took after them. The workmen
| in the upper yard. hundred strong, followed
| the reserves. Down the banks and across the
lots the hobocs ran, but their pursuers caught
| up with them, seized them threw them down
| and sat upon them. ard then picked them up
| and took them to the engine.
The trip back to the town was less exciting
until the town was reached. Tho citizens had
| turned out to learn the cause of the excitement.
| The reserves marched their prisoners to the po-
| lice station. One Of the men had on Christs
| clothes another wore his shoes: one had
eighteen 25-cent pieces; another had six 50-cent
pieces and II silver dollor: another had So 3.52.
| and his biggest coin was u dime; another had
81. so In quarters
| 1t was learned later that they had lot of
| money in bills. Christ identified all of them.
| The man who wore the stolen clothes had 10
| take them Off. AS he had thrown his own
| clothes away. and there WAS nothing for him to
| put on. he was locked up just that way. The
| hOboes, OF course, said that they were not the
| robbers. They never saw him before. they said.
| They wouldn't tell their names anything
about themselves. but they ordered the Chief to
| get the best lawyer in town for them.
| This story shows how unsafe 1t is to rob any
| body in Perth Amboy.