The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-15
$4,000 in
GOLD GONE;
BARRY HELD
MergOtt & Co.'s Trusted
BOOkkeeper Locked Up,
Calls Charge Outrage.
SHOCK TO HIS FRIENDS
SHOCK TO HIS FRIENDS
Accused Man of Family Said to
Have Profited by Short-weigh.
ing Precious MetaI.-Firm
Believes Him Guilty of
Grand Larceny.

Richard Barry. employed as a book
manufacturers of novelties, was ar
rested Saturday afternoon in the FIRMS
Office. 320 Jelliff avenue, by Detective
Sergeants Fohs and Templeton, of the
central office, charged with having
stolen gold amounting in value to
$4,000 from the firm during the last
three years by a system of shortweigh-
ing the platers employed at the plant,
the theft being made possible only by
the implicit confidence his employers
had In his honesty.
Barry is 81 years old and lives at 676
Hunterdon street with his wife and
daughter His appearance and actions
denote that he is a gentleman and his
neighbors can hardly believe that he
was guilty of the theft, He was locked
morning was arraigned before Judge
David T. Howell in the First Criminal
Court and held, bail being fixed at $500
by Judge Howell after a consultation
with Prosecutor Young.
Ludwig Mergott, of S22 South Tenth
street. member of the accusing firm,
made formal charge of grand larceny
against Barry.
While the Arm alleges that the
amount lost in the last three years
amounts to 10000, the warrant OF
which Barry was taken into custody
charges him with the specific theft oi
gold amounting to $1,000 Frank Nc
Dermit, the prisoners counsel, has Wis
tied Barry several times since the lat
ter's arrest and will try to procure the
amount necessary for his release.
Barry had been in the employ of the
firm for about three and one-half years
and up to several months ago had never
been suspected, but several months ago
the gold was being missed at intervals.
and William S. Howell, superintendent
of the plant. visited Captain Carroll
and reported the mysterious disappear
ances, and since then Fohs and Tenn
pleton have been on the case, since
which time the amounts disappeared
in smaller quantities.
When seen this morning by an
EVENING STAR reporter Superin-
IeHutnl I1ONell ItluSGu 10 IlldhG ii
statement, saying that the matter was
in the hands of the police. The detec-
tives who made the arrest are certain,
they say, that they have the guilty
man, and it Is said that the place where
the gold was sold has been located and
that others will be taken into custody
when wanted.
Barry declares that his arrest is an
outrage and that some one will sweat
for ii before he is through.
Barry's recent employers allege that
Barry as a trusted bookkeeper of the
firm weighed the gold given to the
platter of the firm. and gave the platter
short weight, giving less gold than the
jewelers. requisltion. The gold used is
the purest procurable, and the platter
in using his solution on number OF
pieces of fine work found 1t unsatisfac-
factory, and an analysis of the solution
showed that it contained less gold thar
was called for in the formula.
The platter reported the matter tc
members of the firm, burt so strong was
their confidence in Barry that they
believed him when he said that the
platter must be using the gold for his
own purpose, and the man was
watched, with the result that when
he made out another requisition and
was given the gold by Barry a mem
ber of the firm weighed it and found
1t short weight. Several times after
this the gold given TO the mechanic
was found to be less than the order
specified.
While it is said that Barry has taken
S100 900 worth of the precious metal
since he began operations, this state
ment could not be verified, as the mem
bers of the firm refused to make g
statement. Investigation revealed that
it would apparently have been impos-
sible for Barry to have taken thai
amount OF gold, nearly one-third of the
gold used in the plant having beer
missed before Barry was suspected.
1t was learned that the firm uses
about $4,000 worth of gold per year
$50, 900 being used in the period cover
ing the three years that the book
keeper has been supposed to be steal
ing, and it would be nearly impossible
for $4,000 worth of this to be stolen
without the matter being discovered
in short time, as the jewelers. can
tell to the fraction OF a pennyweighi
the amount of gold needed and used.