The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-23
DESERVED SEVERITY
Judge Hudspeth Sends Two
Hungarian Brigands to
State Prison for
Ten Years.
STRANGLED AND ROBBED WARGA
He Picked Them Up on His Day
Off in New York-They Came
Here to Loot Him.

Steven Warga, a Hungarian, worked
for six years for a farmer located some
where between Perth Amboy and Me
tuchen, and being thrifty and economical
saved up something more than $1,000. Or
October Is he put on his best Sunday
clothes and went to New York to say
goodbye to some friends who were to
sail that day for the old country. On
his way back to this city to take a train
for home he stopped in a saloon at No.
Is Washington street, New York, to get
a drink.
Louis Waswaiha and Michael Since
witch, TWO compatriots, proceeded to
make his acquaintance and cultivate 1t.
Warga was having a holiday and was in
clined to spend his money freely. He set
up the drinks at frequent intervals and
spent the whole afternoon in the saloon.
When he started OF the racket he had SIS
in one pocket and $3.50 in his inside vest
pocket. After he had spent the SIS he
took the roll from his inside pocket,
stripped off a $40 bill and put the balance
back
About seven o'clock in the evening
Warga announced his intention of going
back to the farm. Waswaiha and Sinco-
witch, who had convinced him by this
time that they were from the same part
OF the Old country as he was, volunteered
to accompany him across the ferry to the
Pennsylvania Railroad depot. When the
party reached this side Vargas new
friends suggested having a parting drink
ana told him that there was a new Hun
garian saloon near by. The trio started
for the saloon. After they had ak a
considerable distance Warga asked how
much further they had to go. His COM
panions pointed out an electric light and
said the saloon was there.
They took him down First street ard
dragged him into a vacant lot. Sincowitch
put a moose around his neck and ~strangled
MN While the other man took the roll
OF SlS0 out of his inside pocket, a silver
watch and chain and a pocket knife. Then
they ran away, leaving Warga on the
ground half ~strangled. He managed to
pull the rope from his neck and then with
considerable difficulty made his way back
to New York.
As his remaining capital was only ff-
teen cents, he sat on a stoop Until day
light. Then he secured a small loan,
went back to Metuchen. where he Sc
SdiS 81 iodu Cl SAV ana returned TO new
York. He went to the Second precinct
police station and reported that ne, L
been robbed. Waswaiha and Sincowitch
were soon picked up and their victim
identified them. They were brought here
on a requisition by Detective McH4ally
and put on trial in the General Sessions
Court today. They were defended by
Lawyer Hendrick.
Warsa told his story through an inter-
prefer, who could not speak much better
English than himself. He identified as
his q knife which had been taken from
Waswaika when he was searched.
Detective Mentally testified that Warga,
the day of the robbery, pointed out TO
him the place where he had been rob-
bed.
Detective Beesley of the Second New
York precinct, said he searched Waswai-
IA and found the pocket knife in his
possession. Warga claimed It as soon as
he saw it, but Waswaiha said it was
his and hat he had owned it for a num-
Der of years.
John Fifer, Vargas employer, identi-
fed the knife as Vargas. That seemed
to clinch the case against the defendants
but the lawyer gave an exhibition of
nerve that will be of service to him
in his new profession. He asked Judge
Hudspeth to direct the jury to acquit.
Motion denied said the Judge, CURLY.
The defendants were not put on the
stand. The jury convicted them and
Judge Hudspeth sentenced them TO ten
years in State Prison.