Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-22
TRAPPED THE THIEF
HOW ONE DETECTIVE WON A RePu.
TATiON FOR CLEVeRNESs.

He Got the CIew While lie Was
Asleep In the station House Tint
Resulted In the Arrest and Convie-
ton of the Criminal.
81 was just thinking" said one Of par.
~ OF old time detectives, Just thinking of
how, away back in 'G6, Ernest Fischer
fooled all the other detectives in Newark
and cleared mp the mystery Of series Of
house robberies in the upper part Of the
city. 1t seems that a happy thought
which solved the problem came to him
one night when he awokc suddenly from
u sound sleep. lie couldn't rest after it.
and when he got up III the morning, sew
eral hours ahead OF his usual time, he told
me about it, Fischer was IN old fash
toned German, with an active mind and
an ability to see into and reason out
things III remarkable manner. Ia this
way he earned n splendid reputation as a
detective.
There was only one police station in
| Newark at that time. 1t served as head
quarters and everything else, and from it
the whole city had to be covered. What
Is now the best residential part Of the
Eighth ward was then nothing but open
fields and woodlands. just before that
time Cyrus r. Woolson and a number Of
others realized the future Of that section
invested in large tracts Of land there and
built and occupied quite a few houses
Soon after the houses were taken pos
session of the police began to get frequent
reports OF robberies in that section. De-
tectives and ordinary policemen were put
on the matter, but they accomplished
nothing. The robberies continued and be-
came so frequent as to cause the police
department much worry and the resi-
dents of the new settlement in the Eighth
ward much alarm.
Every policeman who did duty in that
part Of the city was given special instruc-
tons and practically was made a detec-
tive, while the entire regular detective
force was told to devote oil the time pos
sible to the series Of robberies. Even this
resulted in nothing, however
"No one had worked harder on the mys-
FERROUS affair than Detective Fischer. but
while the others discussed it and ventured
guesses and theories he said little.
1.-The Dutchman's doing lot Of pow
erful head work was the way his fellow
detectives sized up Fischer; but they
didn't think it would amount to anything.
1t came his night to sleep in the station.
Before he went to bed he was discussing
]
was worried but not hopeless of catching
tbe robbers, as most others were. AS he
stsr'ed for bed he laughingly exclaimed,
We catch him yet"
"To my surprise, Fischer came down at
once IN the middle Of the night. I can't
sleep lie declared. Maybe you think I'm
crazy on this robbery business, eh? Well.
| amt, and tonight | catch the robber.
You don't believe me--what? Well, l get
him Just the same
"'Nhat are you going to do, Ernest|
asked.
DO? he queried in surprise. Just
wait until arrest the mason
Then I laughed heartily. The mason
to whom he referred was a well known
young man who worked steadily at his
trade in and around Newark and who
lived in Bellevilie. He had for some time
been working In New York and every
morning had GENE down from Belleville
| with his white canvas bag filled with tools
thrown across his shoulder. He passed
through the newly settled part of the
| Eighth ward and took a train in Newark
Detectives and policemen knew him and
spoke TO him nearly every morning. They
even asked him to watch out for suS-
picious characters while on the way from
pect him OF wrongdoing seemed prepos-
ferrous, and when the other detectives and
policemen heard what Fischer had told
me they, too, laughed heartily.
But Fischer didn't propose TO be turn
ed aside from his sudden belief about the
mason. L was many times thinking L
would like to see the tools what he car
res in that bag he said, and now | Will
see 'em. When | was asleep, l could see
that bag with more than tools in it. l
will arrest the mason, and il he is inno-
! cent he won't be mad
"Fischer's superior officers were op.
posed to his arrcstiug the young mason
because of what the detective had seen in
n dream, but he pleaded his case WELL
! and, as it was every ones desire 20 catch
the thief at whatever risk he was told to
| go ahead. The next morning Fischer
went to the railroad station. The mason
was there as usual waiting for his train.
He said such a CHEEKY good morning and
| seemed so Innocent looking that for a few
! minutes Fischer hesitated to act. Finally.
! however he stepped up to the mason and
said quietly, 'Lebsud we want TO see you
at headquarters The young fellow be-
! came ind gnant and protested vehement
", but Fischer insisted, and they went to
the station together.
IAN the detectives had come in, and
when the mason's tool bag was opened in
their presence nearly every one but
! Fischer almost collapsed. The bag was
filled with plumber from the burgisriEed
Eighth ward houses. Fischer dda't exult
over his Official companions. He simply
remarked h the desk sergeant:
"Lock hlu! up. had a good dream
what? Anyhow, I was thinking for a
good while would like to see what was
in that nice young msson's bag
at developed later that the mason had
been employed in the construction Of
nearly every one of the little colony Of
Eighth ward houses and WIS thus ia
miliar with their interiors. lie pleaded
guilty TO some Of the charges and was
tried aud convicted on others, and long
term of imprisonment followed. After
| that Fisclers reputation as detective
was established and his opinion and the
cries were much sought after by his
brother officers. Newark Call.
Pearls In the Fire.