The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-26
HOUSEFUL
OF LOOT IS
UNEARTHED
Mystery Of Nutley Burglar.
les Solved in Arrest of
Negro Couple.

Mystery surrounding Inany robberies
which have ccurred in NutleX within the
last year is believed by the police Of that
town to be partially solved by the un-
earthing of a houseful of stolen articles
there and the arrest yesterday of the occu-
pants, a negro couple. The place was a
veritable storehouse OF stolen goods, from
furniture to silverware, and including
among other things a family Bible.
The prisoners are Mr.. and Mrs. John
Scofield. who lived in 6 small house in
Passaic avenue. that town, They are now
held in the county jail without bail. The
wife went out working Zach day, while
the husband stayed home and cared for
the children. The police think that he did
his work at night upon information gained
by his spouse during the day.
They were caught yesterday by Chief
Henry Knabb, ST., and Policemen John
Adams and Thomas L. Brandreth, Of that
town. The arrests were The outcome Of
a discovery by Mrs. Alice Mcclure. Of
western New York State. a former resident
OF Nutley. who, upon leaving town two
years ago on account of i'll health, stored
her furniture and belongings in a room
over Straits livery stables in Chestnut
street, Nutley. A few days ago Mrs. Nc
CURE returned to Nutley to see about
having HST RDOuS removed 10 ueI new
home in New York State. and was aston
isned to find that the room had been for
chilly entered and her property looted.
Among the things missing were silk
dresses, linens, silver knives, forks and
spoons, besides other articles Of value
amounting to several hundred dollars. Mrs.
Mcclure went before Justice Of the Peace
James NJ. Post, of NutIey, and stated her
case. Justice Post issued a search warrant
against Scofield and his wife, Constable
Brandreth, who served the warrant, was
accompanied by Mrs. Mcclure
They found Scofeld at home attending
his baby, his wife being in sBelleville wash
ing for a family there. The constable was
almost struck dumb by what he discovered,
the place being a storehouse of goods
consisting of silverware of all description,
silk dresses, an oil stove, bric-a-brac and
numerous other articles. which had evil
IDENTIFY been gathered In by the couple,
the police say.
Among the loot Mrs. Mcclure identified
a great deal of her missing property,
among which was an old family Bible
which had been brought over from Eng
land by Mrs. McGuire's father many years
ago, and a number of antique articles
which she highly priced, not only for
their Intrinsic value, but for old associa-
llDH ) Sdht.
The promiscuous collection shows, the po-
lice say, that it mattered not what an arti-
Gle was or of what description, everything
was grist that came under the negro
couples hands.
Besides Mrs. McGuire's goods, there were
numerous other things of value, presumably
the result of other robberies, and efforts
will be made to have residents who have
suffered from the visitations Of nocturnal
intruders, endeavor to identify the goods
.Sco1eld and his wife were committed tc
the Essex County Jail last night, without
bail, Chief Knabb and Constables JohT
Adams and Thomas L. Brandreth taking
them down and committing them.
The robberies, which have vexed the resi-
dents and perplexed the authorities of Nut
ley for over a year, gave evidence of ar
intimate knowledge of the interior of
houses robbed and the habits Of the oc-
cupants, and no clue was left to follow
up, so shrewdly did the thieves do theiI
work, but the authorities long ago came
to the conclusion that the robberies were
the work Of local persons. Scofield, who
was employed about the stirratt stables
frequently was called upon to drive q
hack or carriage, and he thus acquired q
knowledge of the houses and the people