The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-08
BOY BURGLAR TALKS
The Appalling Story Of
Joseph Anger, Profes-
sional Thief at
Twelve.
HIS SUNDAY SCHOOL MEMORIES
No Room for Him in Our Public
Schools, He Picked Up Vice
in the County Jail.

Joseph Anger, of No. S29 First street,
this city, the leader Of Jersey City's or
ganized gang of burg lars, who is under
arrest, charged with being implicated in
four burglaries and any number of petty
robberies, has confessed this morning to
further crimes. Less than week ago the
clothing store of Abraham Birnbaum, No.
| 80 Newark avenue, was entered in a mys-
terious manner and $40 worth of goods
were stolen. The police were puzzled over
the robbery. as all the doors and windows
! of the store were securely fastened and
! there was apparently no way in which
/ burglars could have entered without leav-
ing evidence OF their visit.
Detective Bennett was detailed on the
case He looked i'll vain for clew of the
burglars. He has worked steadily on the
case ever since examining the store again
and again for thread to work on. FL
nany he discovered that the rope which
opens the skylight was slightly frayed
| its entire length This was the clew he
was after, and iff.r possible as it seemed to
/ the ordinary observer that anyone could
have entered the store by that means Ben
nett decided that the burglars had en-
| tered and left the store by means of the
skylight rope.
To find the burglars, however was no
easy matter lie was convinced from the
start that no man had done the job, as
| the rope would not bear mans weight.
He was equally convinced that the goods
were stolen by Il master hand at the pro-
fession of thIevlng. 1t was couple of
1 days after this robbery that young Jo-
seph Anger, who had only been released
from Jail couple of weeks before, was
arrested and implicated in a number of
burglaries Some of them had been per-
| petrated with as much caution and skill
as that Of Err rbaums store. Bennett
| was convinced that Anger knew some
thing of the job he was trying to >place.
| He has questioned him every day since
his arrest.
This morning, in the hope of gaining
| clemency, and. as he declares, because
other members of the gang peached, he
| told the story of the burglary, which he
planned and he;ped to execute. He impli-
cates TWO other members of the gang who
have never yet been under arrest, The
police expect to have them in custody to-
day. The building occupied by Birnbaum
| is a low wooden structure, running from
Newark avenue back to Railroad avenue
Anger declares that he and the other
IWo boys climbed to the roof from the
Railroad avenue side. The job was done
shortly a1tef nlldIliSnt- w nile Anger ana
one of the boys remained on the roof to
give warning and receive the stolen goods
the other little fellow, who is an expert
at the art of rope climbing went down
the rope and did the actual stealing. BY
using the rope and pressing his body
against the walls of the airshaft, he man
| aged to get back to the roof again. The
only evidence Of the visit was the missing
goods. TIE cotliing was drawn up before
the young burglar made his escape.
1t is believed that other burglaries
1 ,,.N1s.a
traced to the boy burglars. Chief Muir
ply believes that there is some gang of
older persons back of the boys, and that
| they train them III crime, each to his pc
cUi@r duty.
reporter for ssThe News this morn
ing had a long interview with Anger. He
is a remarkably smart boy, old beyond his
years. He knows every nook and corner
of lower Jersey City, and is acquainted
with all the dives and tough organizations
in the city He informed the reporter
the ball of the Clay Pipe Rangers on
Thanksgiving Day.. In answer to ques-
one ne ho et st0fgg OF 5 poea have
marked in connection with Anger's case
is the lack of interest his parents have
shown in his fate. Justice Potts remarked
their absence from court when the lad
was arraigned and when couple of
months ago the other members of the
gang were paroled in the custody of their
parents who were in court to plead for
clemency for them there was no one there
to look after Anger, and he had to be
sent home in the care of a detective 1t
was on this point that Anger was inter
viewed at first.
His father, he said, was John Anger.
a tailor. with a shop at No. "a Coles
street.
HAS he. been to see you since you were
arrested?' asked the reporter.
HE came yesterday,"-the boy had been
locked up since Friday. "He said, If I
get you out OF this will you be good?'
ibid your father ever punish your
yes
"fIow?"
He'd tie me to the bed post and beat
"When did you first steal?"
"a year and half ago."
why did you do it,?
'sMoniS Coburn, a fellow as big as you,
dragged me and made me do it,
Where does he liye?"
"On Henderson street. between Bay
street and Newark avenue
Young Anger then explained how Co
burn first got him to steal
HE stopped me on the street. he said,
"and said:-Want to. make half a dollar
shovellng coal?, l told him yes, and he
took me to steal coal. / told him me
mother wouldn't let me steal coal and ran
away He chased he and 1 yelled Nam
ma and ran in the house. He caught
me on the street a couple of days later
and said if didn't steal clothing for him
he would hit me on the head with club.
He pulled down a pair of pants in front
of store on the avenue and made me
go and pick them up and bring them to
him. After that he made me steal clothes
for him for over d year. used to give all
the stuff to him, but don't go with him
any more. The gloves | stole at tursts
/ sold for myself
How much did you get for them?0
s'Two three and five cents a pair.
How many boys did Coburn have steal
ing for him?'
han to steal, then John Nickleson-his
nickname is Bob Woods-and then me.