The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-29
ADAMS EXPRESS THIEF.
Henry Marsh Held in 81, 900
Bail for a Systematic Ser
les of Robberies.

Harry Marsh, thirty-two years old, who
says he lives in Bayonne, but who is be-
leyed by the police to come from New
York city, was arraigned before Justice
Potts in the First Criminal Court this
| morning and was held for the Hudson
County Grand Jury in $1,000 bail to await
examination on the charge of robbing the
Adams Express Company The company
has been Systematically robbed at its
Jersey City dock for over year. All
efforts of the police, the railroad detec-
tives and special detectives employed by
the Adams Company to locate the thief
or thieves failed until early this morning
when Patrolman Timothy Murphy of the
Jersey City police force arrested Marsh.
1t is believed that he is the man who has
not only been robbing the Adams Express
Company but the United States mails as
well.
! ! Many papers which may lead to the re-
covery of much of the stolen property
and the identification of accomplices were
found upon Marsh. From pawn tickets
found upon him it is evident that since
August 2S last he has disposed of over
$1,000 worth of goods, nearly all of which
have been Identified as those which were
pany. Marsh was hanging around the
Adams Express platform in the SPennsyl-
vania Railroad Depot in Jersey City.
Night Superintendent PEBBLES asked him
what he was doing there. He said he was
special express messenger. AS he was
dressed as the other messengers were
and as he seemed to know his business
Mr.. PEBBLES did not dispute his statement.
Patr0iD11n MnrnhV however.
asked him to watch the man. Marsh en-
tered an express car and helped the other
men in the work of unloading. Shortly
after midnight Murphy lost track OF him.
A little later one or the men reported
the finding of an empty box, such as
clothing is packed in, in one OF the
wagons. Murphy searched Tor MARSH
whose name he did not know at that
time, and finally found him in Spitzer's
saloon on Exchange place. He was dress
ed in new suit of clothes. Murphy
arrested him and then returned to the
depot and searched for further evidence
against the prisoner Under the Adams
Express Company PLATFORM in an obscure
corner he found roll of goods, several
small packages. one of which contained
valuable gold rings and the old suit of
clothes which Marsh had worn when first
seen last night. In the pockets of these
clothes were found a quantity of papers
and twenty pawn tickets. These pawn
tickets We're dated as far back as August
2S They were for goods of every descrtp-
ton, including clothing, jewelry sur
veyors instruments, firearms and dry
goods. Among the papers was book
of instructions to postal clerks. There
was also a memorandum book in which
were entered the numbers of mail bags
Chief Murphy believes that Marsh did
not confine his robberies to the express
trains, but robbed the mails as we'll
Adams Express Company has been sys-
tematically robbed for over a year. and
Superintendent PEBBLES believes that most
of the robberies will be traced to Marsh.
His method was so daring that until last
night he entirely avoided suspicion. 1t is
doubtful if he would have been caught
then had he not been drinking Atten-
ton was first attracted to him by his fall
ing asleep in an express car where he had
been working. Employees now recall that
he had been seen around the platform
with great regularity for nearly year, or
since the thefts were first noted. Dressed
as the regular messengers, and taking
his place among them as if he belonged
there, he was never suspected. Marsh
was employed over a year ago as a driver
for the Union News Company. He used
to drive a wagon to meet the early morn
ing mail train. 1t is thought that he be-
gan his pilferings then, and after learning
by observation the duties of the express
messengers, decided upon his own plan
for the systematic robbery of the express
trains.
The police are following up all the clues
gained from Marshs papers in the hope of
arreSting his accomplces, if there be any