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

lG IS natural TO SuppOS0 GldG GilOSo
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
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-fngered
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 liuble to be molested
on the road than ahy other set of
persons who nre worth waylaying.
In the year 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
tnent OF this class Of thieves, and
with that object in view the Jewell
ers' Protective Union was formed.
tits not money-making scheme,
but it lis intended for the protection
Of its 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. If any
salesman engaged in selling the goods
ofany 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 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 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. G. Pollock
was robbed of about SIS, 600 worth
of diamonds in the State of Iowa by
u fellow named Shurtcliffe. 1t took
just about a 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 term Of seventeen
years. When shurtcliffe regains
his liberty, even If lie decides to re-
sume 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 fled to Eur
ope to escape another trial. He was
brought back to Ohio and tried again
with the result above stated. A year
and half was spent disposing OF
the case of Frtzie 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
F. Cote succeeded in getting away
with jewelry to the amount Of about
$15, 1000. His conviction followed in
May, and he will be in safe place
for the next four years. All but
about $2, 600 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 a 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 II veritable
terror to robbers and has almost OK
tinguished the class OF crime with
which it has to o.-[New York Adj