The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-04-12
MR.. JORDAN ROBBED.
Thieves Ransacked the House
Of the City Comptroller
Last Night.

City Comptroller Robert Jordan's house
at No. 81 Madison avenue, was entered
last night at eight o'clock and a number
of valuable articles stolen. The robbers
were evidently experts as they did the
job in first class style and in short time.
The amount of work done in this short
time was extraordinary. The robbers
were frightened away.
No clue to. the identit yof the thieves
was found. 1t is thought that the same
men have been operating with unusual
success on the Hill for some time past.
Mr.. Jordan and his family left the
house a few minutes before eight o'clock.
Mr.. Jordan went to meet a friend at the
Junction, intending to return home short
ly as he was to entertain a few visitors.
MIR. Jordan was detained longer than he
anticipated. Two of his visitors, Vincent
Butler, a friend of the family, and Will
liam Learned, Mr.. Jordan's nephew, ar
rived at the house and after receiving no
reply to continued ringing of the bell went
in search of Mr.. Jordan. They found him
at the Junction. The number of robberies
in the vicinity made the gentlemen fear
burglars
While they were searching for Mr. Jor-
don, another visitor, w. L. Mcclure ar
rived at the house, but he was in doubt
which was the right house. He noticed a
man leaning against a tree and asked
him.
'Doy gu know where Mr.. Jordan
lives?"
mo" replied the man, 81 am a stranger
here myself"
Then the stranger left and Mr.. Jordan
and the two men went to the house Mr..
Jordan tried TO open the door with his
key, but could not and went to the Fourth
Precinct Police Station, three blocks
away, where he told his suspicious.
A dozen officers were sent to the house
and they tried to effect an entrance, but
could not for some time. Finally one of
the officers got through parlor window
and went into the hall. There he found a
small sofa jammed against the front door
so that it was impossible to open it from
the outside without breaking it. The Off
GERS and Mr.. Jordan went through the
house and found that every piece of fur
niture had been thrown around.
All the drawers were ransacked and the
contents strewn about the floor. Even the
bedding was thrown about Evidently
the robbers were in the middle of their
work when the bell ringing by Mr.. Jor-
dams visitors frightened them away.
The burglars took two gold watches, a
pair of opera glasses, a scarf pin set with
eight small diamonds and gold ring.
Great care was taken by the thieves to
avoid capture by surprise. Evidently
there was one man acting as lookout and
two inside as it was impossible for one
man to do the work accomplished.
Entrance was effected by springing the
lock of the front door with a Jimmy
Traces of the use of this instrument were
seen on the woodwork. When the men
got inside they carefully opened the door
leading into the rear yard and all the
windows.
When they left it was by the rear door.
They then jumped over two fences and
reached Grand street. From that point
no trace could be found of the men.
At the time the men entered the house
a large arc light was burning. Mr.. Jordan
said the stoop was as brightly lighted as
it is in the middle of the day.
Mr.. Mcclure described the man leaning
against the tree as being about medium
height, rather poorly dressed and light
complexion.