The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-09
LIVELY THIEF CHASE
A Negro Robs Houses in
Daylight and Is Pur-
sued Two Miles by
an Angry Crowd.
STOLEN PROPERTY INAPAWNSHOP
Residents Of the Fourth Precinct
Taking Unusual Precautions
Against Burglary.
STOLEN PROPERTY IN PAWNSHOP

Residents in that usually quiet neigh
borhood in the vicinity of Monticello and
Jackson avenues were treated to an ex-
citing burglar chase yesterday morning
about ten o'clock. which terminated in
the capture of the THETA negro-on Ar
lington avenue after he had been pursued
about two miles by a crowd of boys and
men. He was taken to the C~ommunipaw
avenu station house, where he gave his
name as Jack, Williams.
On Monday morning the house of MI.
Louis Wernz, of No. 16 Jackson avenue,
was broken into and robbed of a gold
watch and a p~ocketbook containing a
large amount of money, while the family,
which consists of Mr.. and Mrs. Wernz
and their son Louis, were away from
home. Louis Wilkens, of No. II Jackson
avenue, which is just across the street
from the Wernz house, while working in
the stable underneath where he lives, saw
a negro come out of the Wernz house
about ten o'clock on the morning in ques-
ton suspected that the fellow was
a thief, but said nothing. 1t was not
until the family arrived home from their
outing about ten o'clock that Monday
night that the robbery was discovered.
LIE QOllCG were OllliSo dhlo tASJ tOiV sAS
Wernz family not to mention it to anyone,
above all to reporters.
Detective Hottie, in. p with Louis
Wernz, made a tour of the city, visiting
the pawnshops to try and recover the
stolen watch. 1t was found in Payne's
pawnshop and it cost Louis Wernz $40 to
get it back. In the meantime the Wernz
family followed the advice of the police
and said nothing about the robbery. As
is usual in such cases in this precinct the
police did not catch the thief.
Yesterday morning about ten o'clock
Mrs. Redfern. who lives just next door to
Mr.. Wernz's house, the one which was
robbed last Monday, saw a negro in her
yard. She watched the fellow through
the shutters of one of the windows for
about five minutes, and when he was
about to scale the fence which leads into
the yards on Clinton avenue, Mrs. Red
fern came out on the back stoop OF her
house and asked him what he wanted in
there. The negro replied that he was
just looking around ana that he went
through hat way for a short cut. 1t
may be explained here that Mrs. Red
ferns husband is a mason, and that his
yard in which all the materials are Kept
is back of his house, and extends back
to Siedler street. The fellow after ex-
planning what he was doing in the yard,
Wake out into Jackson venue and
when he got on the street he started to
run. He ran across Jackson avenue to
a vacant lot opposite Redfern's house, and
then he jumped over the back fence of
No. 65 Monticello avenue. Maggie Pier
son, a daughter of the occupant OF the
house, asked the fellow what he was do
ing in her yard. The negro said that he
wouldn't do it again, and then started to
run through the yard out onto Month
cello avenue. In the meantime Louis Will
kins, who lives across the street from
Mrs. Redfern's, and who saw the thief
come out of the Wernz house last Mon
day recognized the fellow. He shouted
to several men to chase the thief while
he ran across the street and told the
Wernz family that he saw the burglar
who robbed them Monday.
Louis Wernz, quickly putting on his
hat and coat. rushed out of the house
to look for a policeman. He found De-
tective Hottie on Monticello avenue, and
at once told him what had happened.
Here is where Hottie displayed knowl-
edge of detective work. He told Wernz
to run up Jackson avenue to Clinton
and over to Sackett street, while he
went up Communipaw, avenue to head
off the negro, who had gone in the OPP
posite direction. In the meantime, while
Hottie and Wernz were CHASING around
lOOhlltS LUZ IL tLlSA, NlASi saw Ill
other negro standing on jackson avenue
and, thinking that it was the fellow that
was wanted, took him to the station
house. There he proved his innocence
and was released. The real thief was
pursued by a crowd of over a hundred
men and boys. After the fellow had run
out of the yard, on Monticello avenue,
he turned up Clinton. avenue to Madi-
SON and through Madison to .Bramhall
avenue, with the crowd close on his
heels. Down through Bramhall avenue
and the thief, realizing that he was about
to be caught, turned up Arlington ave
nue. in one last desperate attempt to es-
cape. John Stanaway, one of the drivers
for the Peter Henderson Company, who
happened to be driving up Arlington
avenue at that time, say the negro pur,
his truck he grabbed the thief, who by
this time was well nigh exhausted. He
was handed over to the police. The
n%eighbors around hat vicinity are TAX
ing extra precautions now in locking and
barring their windows and doors, and
some of them are afraid to venture from
their houses for fear Of being knocked
down and robbed.
@-r-