The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-04-01
GAVE FALSE DEEDS.
Lawyer H. ]. Morris and
Four Associates Land
in Tombs Prison.

A charge preferred by the police that
an attempt was to be made to obtain
$1,000 on a false mortgage has landed i've
men in the New York Tombs prison, and
four of the men are from Jersey City.
Ons OF them is Lawyer Henry J. Morris,
who resides at No. 20 Wilkes street, and
has his law office at Montgomery and
Washington streets, and the others are
Winfield f. Hartford and C. G. Smith,
both of No. 595 Jersey avenue, and Allen
A. Dutton, of No. 96 Waldo avenue, whose
picture is No. 42l7 in the Rogues gallery
in New York City Prison Headquarters.
The fifth prisoner is George P. Kinne,
real estate dealer of Fifteenth street,
New York
The men were arrested on Saturday
nght;t hey have walked into trap set
for them by the New York police, who
tell the following story
Detectives Nugent and Madden, of the
Central Office, charged in affidavits that
the five men had conspired to rob Arthur
Wilson. a broker in the St. Paul Building,
by endeavoring to sell him two houses
and lots in West Sixty-second street
which did not belong to them.
Theyc allied on Wilson bringing with
acting for the owner of the property.
Wilson refused to transact any further
business with the men unless one Hart
ford, who was said to be the owner, was
brought to the office Yesterday morning
Dutton, Kinne Morris, a man who said
he was Hartford, and Smith went to Will
sons office. In an adjoining room were
secreted Detective Sergeants Garger, Bar
ry, Nugent and Madden. They had been
watching Dutton and Kline for several
days.
Morris introduced Hartford" as the
real owner of the property, and, it is al
leged he signed the deed and made an
affidavit before a notary that he was the
owner. The detectives then placed all five
under arrest. Captain Titus said he ex-
poets to hear of similar complaints
against the prisoners. He says he has
learned that they have operated in jersey
City and elsewhere, obtaining sums rang
ing from $500 to several thousand dollars.
Kinne, according to Captain Titus, has
engaged in similar transactions before.
Dutton is brother of Stephen A. and
Simeon Dutton, whose pictures are in the
Rogues' Gallery, and who swindled a Mrs.
Godfrey of this city out of property
valued at $4,000 several years ago and
served terms for it. Captain Titus was
much pleased to get hold of Dutton, as
he has reason to believe that he has been
operating extensively of late in conjunc-
tion with other members of the defunct
Observation-Disclosures gang. At the time
his brothers were convicted, about five
years ago, Allen, who escaped, was looked
upon as the most dangerous of the lot.
1t was said that he planned most of the
schemes which his brothers carried into.
effect and received a generous share of
the profits He was arrested once while
his brothers were in prison-April Is, 1897
charged with swindling, but, in the par
lance of the Detective Bureau, he 'beat
the case At the time he gave his age
as sixty-three years, but yesterday he
claimed to be but sixty-one.
city. He was once in practice in New
York, but got mixed up in some trouble
there. He married a teacher in Freehold
and for some time did some work in the
Prosecutors office in that town. He was
admitted to the New Jersey Bar and came
to Jersey City a few years ago, having
an office opposite the Court House Law
yers discussing the case this morning said
that Morris had been duped by the others
and merely acted as an attorney in a
matter which he deemed was bona fide
transaction.