The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-02
BREAK UP GANGS.
Chief Murphy Determined to
Stop the Brass Steal
ing Business.
DETECTIVES VS.. H0B0ES
Stones Were Hurled at the
Officers Twenty-T Two
Tramps and Two
Boys Caught.

With the railroad detectives to break up
a gang of thieves that has for some time
past been causing the railroad people
great expense and annoyance by stealing
brass from the cars. 1t has always been
part of the duty of the police to watch
for brass journal thieves. In each of the
railroad yards in Jersey City hundreds Of
heavy brass journals have been stolen
every year and the penitentiary holds a
| number of the men who have been con-
victed of stealing them.
In the last few months damage to the
amount of several thousand dolalrs has
been done railroad property by thieves,
who make a speciality of cutting the con-
nections of air brakes to get what brass
Humphreys of the West Shore Railroad,
called on Chief Murphy, and told him that
for ten days the thieves hadbee n particu-
larly active. They had cut dozens of con-
nections and had caused considerable de-
lay in the transmission of freight. One
day train was made up and it was ready
to start when 1t was found that every air
brake connection had been severed. The
cars had to be sent back to the yards and
a new train made up. Detective Humph-
reys declared that the railroad detectives
were powerless to stop the robbery, try
as they would and asked the Chief to as
sist them.
Chief Murphy promised to do so. In ac-
cordance with his agreement he yesterday
detailed Detective Bumsted to the work.
| Since Bumsted has been on the detective
| force he has done considerable work in
disguise. It is said to be his specially.
| Chief Murphy had him disguise himself
| yesterday as railroad tramp He wore
an old blue shirt, seedy, brown coat and
| trousers, shoes that were cut at the toes
and an old cloth cap. He looked the
| ideal hoboe. He passed many of his
| friends on the street, but they failed to
recognize him. Humphreys disguised
! himself in much the same manner and the
| two detectives went to the West Shore
| freight yard at the head of Fifth and
| Sixth street. They wandered about for
awhile and finally took UP their station in
a tramps' nest benath the Jersey City
Cemetery, near the tunnel beneath the
Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. They were
sitting beside the tracks when two boys
came along.
| they asked.
| 1eS, feplteu DuIHSleu.
well, we're going to take some Of
| these brasses. Don't you want some?'
How could we get rid of them If we
| got them?" asked Bumsted
"Oh, you're big fellows" responded one
| of the youngsters. "Wel show you
| how you can get brasses from passenger
| trains and we'll show you where to sell
| them, too"
| The boys had cut the connections of
| three air brakes when some railroad men
came along and scared them away. The
| boys ran, but Bumsted caught one of
them, Thomas Delmato, fourteen years
| old. of No. 442 Fifth street. He and
Humphreys later caught the other boy,
Joseph Smith, thirteen years old, of No.
458 Second street.
The two young thieves were arraigned
before Police Justice Nevin in the First
Criminal Court this morning and were
! held for trial.
/ Chief Murphy said this morning that
the boys only get paid seven cents apiece
for the connections, which are worth dol
lars to the railroad company. The con-
nections are of steel. Inside the steel
| casing, however. there is a small piece
| of brass The INSCRIPTIONS junkmen
| who buy the connections crack the steel
! castings with sledge hammers and get
| out the brass
| Chief Murphy is determined to break up
| that kind of thieving. He is making an
effort to get at the jukmen who buy the
| stolen property.
| The boys were held in $500 bail to await
the action of the Grand Jury, this morn
| ing by Police Justice Nevin.
Detectives Larkins, Prescott, Bumsted,
Doyle, Pearson and Clark, and Policeman
Nugent, of the First Precinct station, had
pitched battle this morning at the foot
of the hill, with a number of "Hoboes'
| they were sent to arrest for stealing air
brakes and other property belonging to
the Pennsylvania Railroad from the
yards Word reached Headquarters that
the me ncongregated at the foot of the
hill and the officers were sent to take
them into custody.
| One the approach of the officers the
tramps started to run away. They stopped
| at the foot of the hill and sent a volley
| of stones at the detectives who followed
them Finding that escape was impos-
| sible the tramps came to standstiH and
showered the officers with missiles for
| nearly quarter of an hour.
| Detectives Bumsted and Larkins pulled
| their reyolvers and fired several shots
| over the heads of the tramps, hoping the
men would submit. At the sound of the
shooting the tramps fell into places of
| safety.
The detectives climed the hill in pursuit
| of the OFFENDERS and finally captured
twenty-five of m. The patrol wagon
was quickly summoned and the men were
| taken to the Gregory street station house
Police Justice Nevin was summoned to
court and he gave thep risoners hear
/ ing. The men pleaded guilty to charge
| o fassault and battery : They We're each
/ sent to Jail for ninety days.
/ James McGowan, a thirteen-year-old
I boy. of No. 376 Henderson street. was ar
rested by Special officer Ryerson, of the
/ p r. r.. charged with breaking, enter
! ing and larceny. The boys were accused
For stealing berries from car in the
yards Of the company. MCGOWAN was
identified as one Of the boys who fre-
quented the yards. The boy was held
/ until tomorrow
strange kaIutatioD.
! "a sign Of politeness in Thibet, on meet
Ainr 4 PERSON is to hold up the clasped
HANDS and stick out the tongue.