The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-08

J.B. BERTHOLF SUMMONED
Manager Of Western Union
Charged With Being in
With Green Goods
Men.
SWIHDLERS TELEGRApHED HERE
Chief Murphy Thinks He Has
Enough Evidence to
Convict,

OO41N4OU,
]. E. Bertholf. manager of the Western
Union Telegraph Company, No. rs Meat-
gomery street. was summoned TO appear
before Police Justice Potts in the First
Crimina Court, this morning, to answer
to the charge of having aided and 40
betted green goods swindlers and OBJ
structed the course of justice. Chief Of
Police Murphy declares that be has CYL
denee enough to convict him.
For some time Chief Murphy has been
looking for evidence against Bertholf, es
from the testimony of several green
goods victims he felt sure that the swim
dlers were receiving their kilograms
through the Jersey City office Of the
Western Union Company. On Friday
last his chance came. Some person sent
him a copy Of the New Britain. Conn.,
Herald. in which was an account of an
attempt to swindle j. NJ. BeIden. a promi-
nent merchant of that city. Chief Muir
ply wrote to Mr.. Belden and asked him
to orwar him all the letters and teie-
grams he had received from the green
goods men. Mr.. Belden did SO. Chief
Murphy assigned Detectives Doyle and
Robinson and Patrolman Sniffen to the
case.
They found out that the man whom MI
Belden had been corresponding with had
stopped at the Philadelphia Hotel, NO
Bl Montgomery street, on November % ~
and "a. While there he had received a
number of letters and kilograms. On TUGS
day last Chief Murphy sent Acting Detee-
tive William Robinson to New Brunswick
with a copy of a telegram such as Mr..
Belden had been directed to send. Robin
son sent the telegram at ten o'clock
Tuesday morning from the Albany Office
Of the Western Union Company in New
Brunswick. It read
E. F. Garland, 81 Montgomery street,
A. T. ULRICK.
Robinson returned two hours later n
asked if an answer to his telegram had
been received. The operator replied that
Hhere had not and then Robinson asked
him to find out from Jersey City If the
Telegram had been delivered. 1t had been
delivered twenty minutes after its receipt.
lat 2:S0 o'clock in the afternoon Robinson
returned to the office and was told that
the man to whom the telegram was adj
dressed had left the address given. Robin
son returned to Jersey City.
In the meantime Chief Murphy had had
the Philadelphia Hotel watched. His men
saw three kilograms for E.. F. Garland
delivered. Later a messenger boy from
the Western Union office called and got
the three kilograms and took them back
to the office. Chief Murphy was sent for
He went with Patrolman Sniffen to the
Western Union office and told Manager
Bertholf that he was aware that he had
been receiving green goods kilograms and
that he demanded to know what had been
lone with the three kilograms Just taken
from No. 81 Montgomery street.
Bertholf denied any knowledge of the
kilograms. Chief Murphy warned him
that he was there as Chief of Police and
demanded to know the address of the
swindler to whom those kilograms were
directed. Bertholf refused to tell him any
thing about the kilograms and again de
nied that he knew anything about the
matter. Sniffen then picked out the mes
senger who had been sent for the tele-
grams. He was Joseph O'Nein. of No. As
Jordan avenues. Chief Murphy asked
what he had done with the three tele-
grams. He replied that he gave them to
Lie gOuiiS iduN pSii4ilQ tne QGSk, one OF
the clerks.
Was Mr.. Bertholf in the office when
you returned with the te~legrams?' asked
the Chief.
The boy replied that he was. Chief
Murphy then demanded of the young
woman her name. She refused to give
it to him. Chief Murphy warned Bertholf
that he was violating the law and was
1tyncalf Iiat4o - o.,.e - -x.5t
refused.
Chief Murphy explained his interest in
the matter. He declared this morning that
the green goods swindlers in New York
city receive all their kilograms through
the Jersey City Office Of the Western
Union Telegraph Company. All the cir
culars request the recipients to address
their kilograms to Jersey City. Out of
those who receive the circulars only about
two per cent. are victimized. In the minds
of the other nlnety-eight per cent. there
becomes fixed the idea that Jersey City
is a green goods centre. Only the two
per cent. who fall victims to the wiles Of
the green goods men know that the trick,
is not turned in Jersey City. The victim
is taken to a hotel in Port Chester, a
suburb of New York. and either there or
in some lone spot on Long Island the
trick is turned. On October 8 two men
from the West were victlmized. They
sent a telegram similar to that sent by
Robinson, Tell brother I viii arrive
and addressed it to No. 20 Montgomery
street. Bertholf was warned to cease his
business with the green goods men. Fiye
years ago the Grand Jury made a pres
eminent against the Western Union Tele-
graph Company. 1t had the effect of
cfnrrafno. tho " frnro rnrnixffp n -rsrh
kilograms at that time. The penalty for
the offence for which Bertholf is charged
is $1,000 fine.
Lawyer Taggart. of New York. repre-
scented Bertholf at the hearing this morn
ing Assistant Prosecutor Marshall p.
Van Wrinkle appeared for the State. Chief
Of Police Murphy. Acting Detective Robin
son ana Patrolman Sniffen testified to the
parts they played in working up the case
against Bertholf. The hearing was then
adjourned 10 Wednesday next when the
police viii have Mr.. Belden of New Brit
ain present to testify.