The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-11-20
FOLLOWED HUSBAND TO JAIL
Mrs. Mitchell Arrested on
the Same Charge, Ut
tering Bad Checks.

Mrs. Ethel Mitchell, a refined looking
woman of fashionable attire, twenty-five
years old, of New Lots, Long Island, was
yesterday afternoon arrested on Newark
avenue by Patrolman William Robinson,
Clerk to Chief Murphy and Inspector
Archibald, on charge of forgery and ut
tering worthless checks. She was arr
raigned before Police Justice Hoos in the
First Criminal Court this morning and
held to await the action of the Grand
Jury in $500 bail. The bail was not fur
nished and she will spend the time await
ing Indictment by the jury in the Hudson
County Jail, where her husband, James,
twenty-seven years old, has been awaiting
Indictment on similar charge since
October IS.
For several months the police of New
York, Brooklyn and Newark were baffled
in their efforts to capture the Mitchells,
who had secured large sums of money
utering false checks in these cities. The
checks were always for SIS. They had
forged the names of several prominent
business people in the vicinity where they
worked and their victims were usually
small grocers and butchers.
to a store and order bill of goods. Then
an agreement between the two as to which
should pay would follow and comprom-
Use would be reached whereby Mitchell
would write a worthless check and offer
it in payment.
After they worked the other fields thor
oughly they came here and fell into the
hands of the police. At the time of their
arrest Mitchell was found guilty but Mrs.
Mitchell appeared to be the innocent VIC
tim of husbands wrong doings and she
was allowed to CO. Nevertheless as a
matter of precaution the police kept a
watch on her. Patrolman Robinson was
detailed to follow the woman on occa-
sions, and she proved to be a clever worn-
an Once when the chase led towards
New York the woman made desperate eff
forts to throw Robinson off the trail. She
walked through the entrance to the ferry
and then went upstairs to the train sta
ton, from which she descended to the
street and re-entered the regular entrance
to the ferry and again went upstairs This
was repeated three times but the ruse was
unsuccessful. Robinson was in her tracks
all the time Having crossed to New York
the woman DOdTQ6d dn Il Tram anu
Robinson was at her heels. She rode sew
eral stations and finally as the train stop
ped at Fourteenth street and all the other
passengers got out Mrs. Mitchell jumped
to the doorway of the car just as the
gate closed
She looked at the guard appealingly.
He could not resist and opened the gate.
Mrs. Mitchell stepped on. the station and
looked back ready to laugh at the eluded
officer, but she saw Robinson right on
her heels and the laugh died.
This showed the calibre of the woman
and her previous actions were more close
ly looked into. Shortly after this chase,
Frederick Bills, a grocer, of No. 322 Sec
ond street, called at Police Headquarters
and told of accepting a false check from.
Mrs. Mitchell. A warrant was sworn out
for her arrest and given to Robinson to
serve. He met her on Newark avenue
yesterday and placed her under arrest.
She took the matter very coolly and re-
fused to talk. At the time of her arrest
she was returning home from visit to
her husband in the JAIL