The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-09
NIGHT BATTLE IN GRAVEYARD
POLICE SHOOT A SAFEBLOWEA
AND CATCH ANOTHER.
They'd Been Trying 10 Break Into the
Safe OF the Flower FIN Cemetery
In North Bergen. N. J.-surprised ~
Their Work by Eighteen Cops.

SAFE OF inc fOWer Hiu Comotefy
In North Bergen. n. J.-surpriscd ~
Their work by Eighteen Cops.
Eighteen policemen. commanded BY Chief
Hayes OF Hoboken and Chief Sullivan OF
North Bergen. had running fight. In which
forty shots were exchanged. with three
men who were attempting to blow open the
safe in the Office Of the Flower Hill Gene
terry In North Bergen late last night.
One OF the thieves vas shot through
the throat and fatally wounded. Another
was captured after a hand-to-hand fight
with Chief Hayes and Detective Kerrigan
OF Hoboken and the third escaped.
Chief Hayes learned Of the plot to blow
open the safe about Q o'clock last night.
With Detective Nelson and two policemen
he went to North Bergen and informed
Chief Sullivan Of the plan to rob the safe.
Chief Sullivan communicated with Union
Hill and in all eighteen policemen were
rounded up.
In the Flower Hill Cemetery are the graves
OF the sea men who were killed In the great
Hoboken pier end steamship fire. The cor
poration which owns the ce metery II tbs
richest in Hunson county.
number of improvements have been
made recently in the cemetery, and II IL
said that large sum Of money was put
into the safe yesterday to pay the CON-
tractors to-day.
The force Of police got to the cemetery
about 10 o'clock. The offices are In .
granite building in the centre. known ~
the Castle.
Chiefs Hayes and Sullivan had a confer
ence, and they decided that the crooks
hadn't arrived. as there was TO light In
the building. The policemen were posted
behind tombstones and the building was
surrounded.
About II o'clock one Of the policemen
noticed light in the building. The cops
then broke in the front door, and just -
they entered three men were seen to jump
through back window
The police followed and Chief Sullivan
ordered his men to shoot. The thieves
returned tho fire. 1t was raining hard and
pitch dark, and the fugitives, by lodging
behind tombstones gave the police . hard
chase.
Finally Detective Nelson fired at ono
man. who shouted as he toppled over .
grave:
MY God! I'm done fort
Detective Nelson thought he had killed
his man and went on after another.
The next time he fired he missed. but
the third shot went home. The thief fred
back and then dropped.
The wounded man who was caught
said he was John Matthews, an iron
moulder of Albany. He was shot through
the throat and was sent to the hospital in
q dying condition.
Chief Hayes and Detective Kerrigan
caught another man. who gave them .
Axht. He ssid his name was John Co6ey.
but wouldn't tell anything more about
himself
Then the police looked for the man who
shouted that he had been killed and found
that he had disappeared. The police think
that he Is hiding In one Of the mausoleums.
The oemetery was surrounded and the
police began making search for the missing
man. The Hoboken ferries wers also
guarded.
Chief Hayes made an examination Of the
safe and found that It had been drilled and
made ready to be blown open. He also
got two kits OF burglars tools and two
pounds OF nitroglycerine.
Chief Hayes says there were four men In
the gang and that they are all well-known
crooks. Several times attempts have been
made to blow open the same safe. Cohey.
the uninjured prisoner. was locked up In
the Union Hill station.