The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-18
JEWELERS. UNION.
An Organization for Preventing Rob
berries and It's Powerful Work.

Der1eS ana lCS EOWerIul WOTk.
New York Sum
The recent robbery and murder of an
east side jewelry salesman in this city,
whose streets are patrolled by thousands
of police, brings to Mid the risks run by
the travelling statesmen of the great jewel
~ houses, who carry with them into all
parts of the country stocks worth many
thousands of dollars. These risks were so
great and rC5beries were of such frequent
occurrence rs to lead to the formation
several years ago of q powerful alliance
in the jewelTy trade, whose aim is to pre-
vent rObberieS, or 10 run down and pun
ism the robbers where all precautions nave
failed. As a consequence il is long
time now since the newspapers have been
able to print the details of the thrilling
robbery of a jewelry salesman. The or
ganiZdtiOn which has brought about this
great change is known as the jewelers.
Protective union, and although it has
been in existence for more than twenty
years and has been "a power in its own
field, very little of its workings has been
generally known. 1t took a long time
for 1t TO gain the respect and fear of
criminals. There was a struggle between
the union on one side and the crooks on
the other which extended over "a long
period, d desperate robber indeed who viii
tackle one of its members.
The union was organized in 1878, largely
through the influence of W. J. Alling. a
jeweler. Two years previously one of Mr..
Alling's statesmen was travelling through
Sl9,G00 worth of goods. One night he went
from Boston to Springfield. checking his
trunk When he got to Springfield ne
presented his check at the Luggage room
and got for il a Valise instead. When he
opened the valise he found it full of bad
fruit and waste paper. Mr.. Alling was
notified and went to William Murray, who
was then an inspector of the New York
police department,
IF YOU can catch those thieves, said
Mr.. Alling, you'll yet sit in. the big
chair.
Murray went at the job He found that
the check of the trunk had been eX-
changed in transit TO Hartford Conn,
and thence TO New York, where the con-
tents were rifed. Then the empty trunk
was shipped to Baltimore. After long
chase Murray fastened the crime on Lam
don w Moore, "Gussie Raymond and
George Briggs, well known crooks OF
that time, and they We're sent TO prison
Mr. Allings prophecy that Murray would
sit in the big chair" meaning that he
would be at the head of the police depart
ment, came true, and the old superintend-
ent's success in the case had something to
After the robbery Mr. AHing made up
his mind that If all the men who sold
iewelry about the country We're united
they would stand a better chance of fight
ing the thieves. Robberies were occurring
the rate of ten or more a year and IT
was getting to be serious question for
the jewelers.. They entered into the pan,
elected Mr. Alling president and IRA God
dard, now of II John street. SeCrs tary. and
since then the union has been growing
steadily II now has 600 members and il
serves not only as check on thieves, but
as check on careless statesmen, who
never know when agents Of the union may
be watching them.
A great deal of money has been spent
by the union IN the hunting and prosecu-
ton of robbers. A detective agency is
retained to work up all cases and IL has
orders to get out after every robbery and
never let up until il lands the guilty men
In the old days the usual scheme of the
crooks was 10 follow a salesman leaving
his house with a treasure trunk until
good opportunity came to nab it, Often
they would keep on the trail of a trunk
for weeks, going from place to place with
the salesman The trick of exchanging
trunk checks was the most frequently
worked. This was usually done while
trunk was in transit from one station to
another or while 1t was piled up with a
lot of other trunks in some baggage room.
The first thing done on organizing was
10 instruct all drummers TO keen the
closest possible watch ON their Trunks
Iers is a copy of the instructions IN de-
tail.
Statesmen holding certificates from The