The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-08-05

goods swindling. Those Indictments, al
though never tried, have kept green
goods" men away from this city for come
time.
When all efforts of the Chief failed to
entrap the green goods men in this
jurisdiction, Captain Titus, of the New
York City Detective Bureau, was asked
to take the case. Chief Murphy again
wrote to Mr.. A1inot and asked him to
send the dispatch referred to in the Sec
ond letter, saying he would be at the
Astor House on Friday, August 2. Cap
tain Titus was notified of the arrange
ments and he agreed to have man
register at the Astor House and personate
Mr.. Minot.
In order to ascertain If any collusior
existed as heretofore between telegraph
operators in this city and green goods
men and to find out whether the address
had been changed from Third avenue, SO
as to assist Captain Titus in the capture
of the whole gang, the Chief sent Captain
McKaig to the Claremont station and
Captains Cox and Nugent to the office OF
Superintendent Adams, who has charge
of the Western Union offices on the Gen.
trail Railroad of New Jersey. Alfred
Kaiser, the operator at Claremont. ana
Mr.. Adams were each shown letter
from the Chief saying that for some time
back William A. Gray was receiving tele-
grams at Claremont that pertained to a
green goods swindle, that it was a
crime for any person to aid or abet such
a crime and also crime to refuse infor-
nation of the commission of thee crime
and if they refused to give the police the
Information as to the final disposition or
the messages to Gray the Chief would
arrest them for being party to the
crime.
Kaiser fatty refused to give Captain
McKaig any information at all and re-
ferred him to his boss, Mr.. Adams. A1r.
Adams told Nugent and Cox he would
give no information, but when threatened
with arrest Adams said he would let his
superiors know of the demand for the in
formation and let the police know some
other time. The conduct of Adams was
reported by telephone to the Chief, who
talked to Mr.. Adams, and told him the
information as to where the dispatches
We're sent, if not called for. was needed
at once in the interest of justice and to
aid in the capture of the criminals.
Adams said he would refer the matter
to the Western Union Company lawyers
and would do as they said. Finally after
waiting from eleven until one o'clock
Adams read a message as follcws to the
captains:-
August 2, 1901.
We cannot disclose any information
in regard to our business except under
due process OF law.
Adams refused 10 say from whom the
message came, but after a while said:-"f
refer you to our general attorney, G. Fl.
Fearons, No. 1876 Broadway, N. Y"
When this was reported to the Chief ne
told Captains Cox and Nugent to return
Mr.. Fearons was called up on the phone
by the Chief and talked to about the
case The Chief said the information was
wanted to aid in the capture of criminals,
that he had positive information the Gray
messages had been delivered, as answers
had been received from them. Mr.. Fear
ons said to the Chief the law and their
rules forbade operators giving such infor-
nation but that possibly the next day he
would tell the Chief about it. He was
told by the Chief that might be too late.
The Chief says he will see if corporation
law can be so construed as to protect
criminals and make it possible for them
to operate in this State without fear of
arrest Were it not for the protection
The .greengoods" swindlers get from the
Western Union operators they would have
to quit business in week he says. They
dare not get mail, so all they have to do
IS to get the protection assured them by
the Western Union Company's law ami
they are as safe from arrest as banker.
Five weeks ago Captain Nugcnt learned
that "greengoods" men were using the
Western Union office in his precinct under
the name of L w. Ellis. The captain de-
tailed Detectives Bennett and Hottie to
watch the office but Mr.. Ellis never came
there.
Captain Titus, as agreed upon with
Chief Murphy, had man register at the
Astor House as r. H Minot on Friday
afternoon and take a room. AS no agent
from the green goods, men called upon
him up to Saturday night the man left
the hotel.
On Friday morning last Mr.. Minot got
a letter from the swindlers asking If ne
got their letter, saying they would 90
business only at their office, No. l92l
Third avenue, New York. The letter
further said they would only wait ten
days more to hear from him after which
time they could do no business with him
as others would get the opportunity to
make money. The ''green goods men
wrote this letter the day before Mr.. Minot
sent them his message saying he would
come to New York on August 2.
The Chief made complaint against
Charles P. Adams, the superintendent of
the Western Union offices on the line OF
the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and
Alfred Kaiser, operator at Claremont sta
ton. before Judge Hoos, under section 1876
of the Crimes Act of 1898 for aiding and
abetting a green goods" swindle. The
warrants for their arrest were issued Sat
urday morning.
The law by which operators of the Wes-
ern Union Company claim protection is
the twelfth section of the act concerning
telegraph companies, passed in 1874. This
law says that no operator shall make
make known the contents of any mes
sage except to those to whom 1t is ad-
dressed. The Chief says that this law Is
enforced only when convenient for the
onerator or others interested. The police
rot all the information they wanted from
n Western Union operator, whose name
is withheld, on this case, and scarcely a
week goes by that the Chief doesn't get
information from the Postal Telegraph
Company when the information is wanted
=, +lo i,,taract of i11Sticp