Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-02-08
STEALING COAL.
}. C. Chase Speskes al the Hearing
of Martin Sullivan.

In tho case Of Martin Sullivan, who
Sns arrested by Deputy Marshal
Joseph AIKEN, January ~, for stealing
ioal from q car on the p r Il, tracks
n the Raritan River Railroad siding,
nd who was tried before Justice
trace, January %, D C. Chase, the
'hipping agent, made the following
sihress to the court:
Judge, if may he permitted, /
would like to say here that l do not
sci well in prosecuting this poor
IAN: he is an unfortunate man who
worked for me and was taken with fits
N the dock and fioally our men were
fraid sbe would go overheard, but,
ill thinking that | could do some.
ming for him 1, placed him on one of
ne tugs, but before the tug had
4ached Perth Amhoy he had another
it. The situation is here:
"As you are aware the p. r. r.
re common carriers of this traffic
esterday there arrived in our South
'mboy yard ears L. V. 4GOO8 and
" 5453S containing chestnut coal
rom P~ackerton consigned to Sayre
'isher & Co., Sayreville, N. j. These
,ars were put up on tho Pennsylvania
abroad siding for the Raritan River
2ailroad to pick up and this theft oc.
;Ircd while they were OH our property
waiting movement by the Raritan
river Railroad. OF course the coal
will run short at destination and our
ompany, as common carriers. must
make good the loss of that coal, there
ore 1 Am expected by the p. r. R
nmpany to account for the loss
"Of late coal has been stolen in
arge amounts, and it is being alleged
hat il is stolen at South Amboy In
ist five minutes this morning after
peaking with The witness l looked up
u see some Of the losses and found
;wenty boats which had run short
rom five to seventeen tons each, none
.ss than five, and some as high as
i4venteen, and / could, no doubt,
lnring the day, find probably a hun.
bred more. The company must make
rood these losses and they expect me,
s their agent, o put q stop to it.
"Is is not q matter of three bags of
'oal we are otter, out the wholesale
sealing Of hundreds of tons of coal
hat seems to be up to us here to stop,
md we are going to stop it.
thereafter, whoever visits Jul
ard for The purpose of stealing coal
will be brought before you the follow
ng morning, whether it be stolen
from Jars while standing on the P R.
+. tracks of the Raritan siding, in
ne meadows, on tho docks or else
chere about the yard. | take this
opportunity to to this mar
md to his ftiends or Il other man
sho is Inclined to rob the cars of coal
hat the time has arrived when the
Pennsylvania railroad company in,
tend to prosecute to the extreme every
ne found stealing, whether it be one
ng of coal, three bags or Il hundred
IONS
"This Martin Sullivan has my SYM
p4thy on recount Of his unfor innate
position, but when he tells this court
or tells any man that he docs not
know the two men who were with
him, one on tho car next 10 him and
another in the a alongside of him,
of course we can have no sympa by
with him in living, and | am inclined,
# the court permit me, if it is in my
power, to deal leniently with MIR.
Sullivan provided he will give us the
identity of tho two thieves who were
with him. Unfortunately our marshal
cannot name the two men but am
anxious if we CON do anything for this
man TO do it by his giving up the
other two.
"It is mooted that he has been in
the same work before in which these
hundreds of tons Of coal have boen
stolen and the annoyance TO me repre-
senting the Pennsylvania railroad and
to everybody connected with us i'll
nesting the bills and adjus ing tiIsm,
and of curse eventually paying n
high price for that which is almost
worthless to the man thnt takes it,
leads me to say that if Sullivan will
give us affidavit as 10 who the two
men with him were | think would
do all in my power to be lenient with
him."
Sullivan gave bonds to appear be