Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-02-06
PROTECTING JEWELERS..
An Institution That Is a Terror To
Thieves.

1t is natural to suppose that those
whose business leads them to carry
about great denl of valuable prop
erty all the time will become shining
marks for professional thieves and
all 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-fingered
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 lnble to be molested
on the road than any other set Of
persons who nre worth waylaying.
In the ycar 1878 the practice Of
robbing statesmen travelling for
wholesale jewelers. and diamond mer-
chants became so common that it
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 Jewel-
ers' Protective Union was formed.
It is not money-making scheme,
but it is intended for the protection
of it's members. The method OF this
institution is as follows:
Any business house in the jewelry
trade may become member upon
the payment of certain fees. fany
salesman engaged in selling the goods
of any member of the union is rob-
bed while travelling the central office
of tile union is notified: Detectives
are at once put Upon the tracks OF
the thieves, and 1t is an unalterable
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 apprehend the persons sought
for, but that makes no difference, for
the guilty must be punished and al
example must be made Of every man
who has the temerity to attempt any
crime, against any person whom this
tinion has guaranteed to protect.
Hero are few sample cases:
A year ago last fall w. &. Pollock
was robbed of about $4,000 worth
of diamonds in the State of Iowa by
a fellow named Shurtcliffe. 1t took
Just about year to bring Shurt-
cliffe to book. but the unions detect
ives never wayered for an instant
until they saw the doors Of the pen
itentiary at Fort Madison shut him
in to serve o term of seventeen
years. When Shurtcliffe regains
his liberty, even II he decides to re-
sumo the business that has brought
him to disaster, 1t is not likely that
he will ever care to ply his trade a.
gain to the disadvantage Of anybody
who deals in precious stones.
Last March, in Dayton, Ohio,
Fritzle Dhein began to serve term
of four and half years for stealing
$14, 900 worth of jewelry belonging
to firm in Cincinnati. The agents
of the union succeeded in recovering
all the stolen goods and in securing
the conviction of the culprit, not
withstanding that on his first trial
the jury disagreed, after which he
was let out on bail and fed to Eur
ope to escape another trial. He was
brought back to Ohio and tried again
with the result above stated. Ayear
and half was spent disposinS OF
the case of Fritzie Dhein.
The last matter OF this kind that
the union had to do with was an
affair that occurred in Springfield,
Mass, last February, when Daniel
r. Cote succeeded in getting away
with iewelry to the amount Of about
$751; 600. His conviction followed in
May, and he will be in safe place
for the next four years. All but
about $2, 900 worth of what was stolen
was recovered and returned to the
owner.
As this article is being written the
books OF the union are clear, and the
manager said that he would not be
surprised if he did not have another
case to handle for long time, per-
haps two or three years. for the
work OF the union has become so
we'll known to professional thieves
that they hesitate long time be-
fore they venture to defy it. The
association has become veritable
terror to robbers and has almost ox-
tincuished the class of crime with
which il hns to do New York Ad.