The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-02
SPOOKS IN SCHOOL "A.
Detective Hottie Could Not Find
Burglars, So There Must
Have Been Ghosts.

Detective Hottie and the entire police
reserve of the Communipaw avenue sta
ton went on a ghost hunt on Wednesday
night. No. IA school, on Union street. Is
the place that is haunted The police
didn't know when they started out that
it was ghosts they were after They
thought they were hunting burglars.
While they didn't secure any prisoners,
the trip was not without it's good results
as it gave them practice in the burglar
drill.''
Shortly after ten o'clock Wednesday
night a young man named Williams ran
into the Communipaw avenue station and
in an excitable manner reported that
burglars were at work in the third floor
of No. IA school. A number of persons,
his father included. had seen a strange
light in the windows and had heard the
noise of some one ransaclSing the desks.
A large crowd was collected about the
school, and his father. who is Constable
for that ward, was standing guard to-
prevent the escape of the burglar.
Detective Hottie and the reserves lost
no time in tumbling into the wagon. Not
a man of the number who did not see in
his minds eye. his name upon the Chiefs
roll of honor as a daring thief catcher.
Hottie was the only exception He
couldn't see pictures in his minds eye,
for he was thinking and it took all his
time and attention. Out of Difference for
their superior, the others kept mum, and
the only sounds that broke the oppressive
stiffness were the clatter of the horses
hoofs upon the pavement and the labored
thinking of the detective. By the time he
had reached the scene of action Hottie
had ''thunk" enough thinks to supply him
and all his men during the exciting half
hour that followed. His first act was to
cast his eye-not his minds eye, but his
eagle 4eye-oyer the school building. He
then surrounded the place with his trusty
men and proceeded to work. He tried the
doors and all the windows on the first
floor and found them securely locked. He
looked above and failed to see the light
that had startled the neighbors. He inti-
mated to Constable Williams that per-
haps after all it was merely an halluci-
nation. That gentleman replied with
some asperity that as he has not got an
eagle eye, but just the common every day
article. he is not in the habit of seeing
things that do not exist
Hottie was not convinced, but he deter
mined to go ahead and felt satisfied that
if nothing came of it the joke would be
on Williams and not On him. The janitor
of the building was not around He was
sent for, but as he lives some distance
from the school he did not arrive until
all the excitement was over. Hottie did
not wait for him, but observing that the
second story windows were unlatched he
secured a long ladder and effected an en-
trarce. to the building through window.
With one of the men he searched every
nook and corner of the building, but fail
ed to find trace of living creature save
a few mice and water bugs. The sjani-
tor arrived in time to let him out of the
front door and save him the embarrass-
ment OF using the ladder again. There
was only one thing that consoled Hottie
for th. trouble he had been caused and
that was that he had vindicated his eagle
eye and had demonstrated it's superiority
over any other article in the market.
Williams felt sheepish.