The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-09-22
SHERIFF RA|DED.
Hudson County Thieves
Robbed Mr.. Virtue in
Broad Daylight.

Instead of raiding others, Sheriff George
Virtue of Essex was himself raided
Thursday afternoon to the extent Of a fine
gold watch and chain that for eighteen
Years had ornamented a succession of
waistcoats upon his solid figure. 1t hap
pened at Gutenberg, where the Tri-State
Fair is running for the education and edi-
fcation of city and country folks. He was
in company with his predecessor, Henry
M. Doremus, Frederick Castles, Barnard
Sires, Frank M. Parker, John H. Bonnell
and former Police Commissioners Edward
H. Uffert
The party was a merry one and the
Jovial former Sheriff made it his particu-
lar duty to guard his successor in office,
as ne had never been there before and
was liable to fall into pitfalls or snares
worse than that of Simple Simon, who
met pieman going to the fair.
With such body guard the High Sher-
iff Of the state of Essex" felt safe, even
in that maddening crowds ignoble
strife" and was ready, almost anxious, in
fact, to do and to dare with the rest of
them. In fact, it is understood, that he
actually dallied with his digestion by
swallowing sundry hot frankfurters, and,
thus armed, was ready for the widest
daylight dissipation of the track.
The merry party in the course of its
travels reached the street made up of
cheap shows, known as "The Midway"
There was the loud bark of the barkers,
the wheezy tone of the hand organ and
the crash of brass instruments. Far
above it all could be heard the voice of
a female. singing, in strident, metallic
ION fOII r 1oxxr
but do, 90, oo.' One of the party sug-
gested that good entertainment could be
had there, and the Sheriff, like Barkis,
was willin'" to go into the tent es-
pecially as his body guard stood so brave
ly by him. But when they got there
sundry swishes of white skirts on the
little stage within fascinated their at
tention, so that the song was soon lost
to memory dear and the party tarried
quite a while. The Sheriff tried to get
away more than once, so rudely shocked
was he, but the former Sheriff gently
whispered
'sYou are perfectly safe If anything hap
pens. will show you What did when
1 was Sheriff.
SO they tarried little, and after sum
dry philosophical reflections about fans,
the party rose to go. Suddenly the Sheriff
gave a startled cry. 1t was half moan
and half groan. Then, more in sorrow
than in anger, he pointed to his waist
coat His friends at first thought that
he would once more daily with his di-
gestion, but as the Sheriff's face grew
more rueful it finally dawned upon them
that his handsome gold watch and chain
had been lifted" by some audacioes
crook.
Then the air assumed an azure tinge,
and all Williams were loudly denounced.
The denunciation of his friends were so
fierce that the Sheriff at first suspected
that they were at the bottom of a dia-
bolical plot to harass him, but when
they had searched the grounds for hours
and finally went to Jersey City to report
the theft to Chief of Police Murphy, and
that official, +too. had secured the coun-
try far and wide, it dawned upon the
Sheriff that he had been robbed sure
enough.
His brother, Frank Virtue, the Prosecu-
tors detective, head the following array
of talent, which is yer yanxious to rescue
the property from it's unholy possessor:-
Constables Teed, Rummel, Rever, Griffin,
Birn. Sager, Schnibbe, Weimer, Sehroe-
der. Raunsley Osborne, Theobald, Martin,
Leonard, Wallace, Barrett, Arcularius,
Hayes, Dey, John B. Smith, John v.
Smith, Marshall, Dixon, Wilson ano San
ford, Michael Devita. the Sheriff broth
ers assistant; Sergeant-at-Arms Mills, of
Jude SINNERS Court of Quarter Ses-
sions; Sergeant-at-Arms Blackman of
Chief Justice Depue's Supreme Court Cir
cult, and Dominick Orgo, the italian in
terpreter, may also be pressed into SER
vice.
Sheriff Virtue smilingly admits his loss,
simply saying:-
"a good name is better than riches"