Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1908-11-13
Police DoSome Clever Detective Work
inLanding Men Who RobbedWo!ffs
Store in South AmbOv.
FOUND LOOT IN A GARRET
Men We're Packing As Pair Of Shoes
inEgg Crates When Police Rushed
Them With Drawn RevoIvers.

Through the efforts of Chief
Burke and some subsequent clever
work by Detectives Huff and Long,
Ralph Reynolds, twenty-five years
old, of Ohio, and James Mersfon,
twenty-three years old. of "a Watson
avenue, this city, were arrested yes
terday afternoon on a charge of hav-
ing robbed the store of Henry Wolff,
at South Amboy, Tuesday night.
The detectives, with Chief McDon-
aid, of the South Amboy police,
found the loot in the garret of tho
house at "a Watson avenue where
the two men were arrested. The
prisoners confessed to the robbery
and were taken to South Amboy this
morning by Chief Mcdonald.
Local Police Notified.
The Perth Amboy police were
notified Wednesday morning of the
robbery and later in the morning
Chief Burke, ON account of a shoe
tag which was found on the county
bridge, decided that the thieves must
have brought their plunder to this
city, He gave Detective Sergeant
Huff and Detective Long the clue
and set them working on the case.
The other members of the force were
also told to be on the alert.
Bought Egg Crates.
Yesterday morning Patrolman
Chris Hanson, who has a beat on
Smith street west of the Central rail-
road, saw two strangers acting in a
suspicious manner. He watched the
pair and later saw them bury three
empty egg crates at a grocery store
, and take them to "a Watson avenue.
Chief Burke, at noon yesterday,
was told by the policeman of what
he had seen and the former immed-
lately sent Detectives Huff and Long
to Investigate. First the detectives
went to the store and found that the
men had been very particular about
getting the covers of the crates.
Word was imm ediately sent to
Chief Mcdonald, of South Amboy, to
come here without delay. Detective
HUFF went to the station to meet him
while Detective Long watched the
house. Chief Mcdonald just had
time to catch a train In South Amboy
and arrived here in uniform. De-
tective Long took him to his own
home and loaned him suit of cloth
Ing, as the chief in uniform would
The officers then met Detective
Huff and hurried back to the house
on Watson avenue and rang the bell
While conversing with member of
the Mershon family, who lived on the
first floor, the detectives could hear
sounds of pounding in the attic and
became sure that their prey was in
side.
Mershon had told his sister that
he and Reynolds were building a
club room In the attic for his little
brother and that she should not
come up or let anyone else disturb
them. The sister believed it and
was surprised when the truth was
learned.
Detective Long hurried to the rear
door while Detective Huff and Chief
Mcdonald, with drawn revolvers,
went cautiously up the attic stairs.
AS they entered the two men, who
proved to be Reynolds and Mershon,
rushed toward them, but gave them
selves up when they saw the revol-
vers.
Searched the Attic.
This was at 3:45 o'clock and
while Mcdonald and Huff took their
prisoners to the lookup, Detective
Long searched the attic and found
thirty-one pairs of shoes nailed in
the egg crates ready to be shipped
away, and package of knives and
jewelry was on a box nearby.
In the meantime Detective Huff
secured a wagon and went to the
house, where the shoes were loaded