The Jersey City news., 1902-01-24
PET DOC ON GUARD
Colonel Tofey's House Saved
From Being Looted
By Burglars.
POLICE WIN PRAISE
They Responded to a Tele-
phone Summons Very
Quickly Though
Too Late.
VERY ODD COINCIDENCE
Home of Mrs. Toffey's Sister,
Mrs. Throckmorton Robbed
About the Same Hour.
VERY ODD COINCIDENCE

The police are puzzled somewhat over
d strange coincidence that happened early
this morning. An attempt was made to
rob the home of Colonel John J. Toffey
at about twenty minutes past three
o'clock and the home of Mrs. Margaret
Throckmorton, a sister of Mrs. Colonel
Tofey, was burglarized, but little while
before Colonel Toffey's house was enter
sd
The Colonel's home is No. 155 Magnolia
avenue, between Summit avenue and the
boulevard. Mrs. ThrocRmorton's home is
No. 21S6 Boulevard. about four minutes
walk from the Colonel's home, going
southwest.
Mrs. Toffey was aroused by the bark
ing of a pet dog. The barking was con-
tinuous. Mrs Toffey went to the head Of
the stairs and called the dog, but it paid
no attention to her, a very unusual pro-
ceeding on its part. Mrs. Toffey descend
ed the stairs and discovered a light in the
dining room, and felt draft of wind. She
hastened back up stairs and aroused the
Colonel. who jumped to the telephone and
called up Police Headquarters and said
there were burglars in his house.
The police of the Oakland avenue sta
tion house were notified. Patroinian Van
yeckien at that moment entered and was
sent on run for the Colonel's house. Pa
troirlan Van Reipcr and Wolf joined him
and the reserves followed few moments
later on the double quick. The ColoneA's S
home was reached in a few minutes. On
examination it was found that rear
winGow had been entered but nothing was
missing except one of four candles that
had been taken from four scandalabrurn
ana which was evidently used by the
thief and caused the light Mrs. Toffey
saw in the dining room This candle was
subsequently found in the yard.
So much for the attempt to burglarize
The Colonels house.
just before all this excitement, or along
about 2:45 o'clock, Patrolman De Clark
heard a window shade Tapping against a
VII dow in Mrs Throckmorton's house.
on the east SIDE of the Boulevard. A milk
wagon belonging to Eugene Andrews and
in charge Of Henry Korss hove In sight
end De Clark asked the man to ring the
trent door bell of Mrs. Throckmorton'
house while he watched the open window
in the house. The people in the house
were aroused and the house searched. The
burglar or burglars had disappeared and
50 had a lot of silver table spoons, napkin
rings, silver soup ladel and several minor
articles. A lot of candle grease was
found on the floor
The barking of Mrs. Toffey's pet dog
evidently scared off the burglar that en-
tered her house and saved it from being
robbed.
The Colonel highly complimented the
police for their quickness in responding
to his telephone CALL
Chief of Police Murphy said that II me
Colonel had. as he has often advised citi-
zens to do. furnished himself with a
small whistle, of the kind that trills
when blown, and had blown an alarm,
he would doubtless have caught the ear
of Patrolman Van Reipen on the Summit
avenue bridge. This is about third
of the distance from the Oakland avenue
station to the Coloners house. The re-
cords show that Van Reipen was report
ing from a signal box on the bridge at
the time the Colonel called up Headquar-
ters on the phone.
These whistles can be bought for about
twenty cents. The above signal is three
long blasts with pauses between. Every
policeman, said the Chief, must respond
to that alarm on a dead run.
The Chief commented upon the coinci-
dence of the homes of two sisters being
entered at or about the same time. Both
Mrs Toffey and Mrs. Throckmortcn
stand high up in the scale of jersey City.s
society. Mrs. Throckmorton is the widow
OF the late B. w. Throckmorton, wei
known lawyer and politician; who at one
time ran for Congress-