Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-11-30
GUSTAVE ZIRUTH, FAMOUS
DETECTIVE, DIES HERE
Long Illness Finally Ends Life of Sleuth Who Helped Break Up
the Notorious Shepherd Rims" That Robbed Washington
Citizens of Thousands in Pavement Steal.

One of the Oldest and cleverest de.
tectives in this country, Gustave
Ziruth, died early yesterday at his
home, 721 South Fourteenth. street, IN
the nth year of his age. He gave up
active work as a detective about ten
wears ago, because of llness- For sew
eral years past he made n trip TO
Coney Island by boat q summer.
His last one was on one OF the EVE
MING STARS excursions for poor
babies. At the island he took more
than a score OF the mothers into a res
taurant and bought them clam chow
der, tea or coffee, n then paid for
ice cream and soda water for their
little boys and girls.
Fol several months the old detective
had been confined to his home. He Is
survived by two ons Herman Ziruth.
of SO Crawford street, and Gustave
| Ziruth. of SO South street. His wife
died years ago. The funeral will take
place from 721 South Fourteenth street
| at 9:15 O'Clock tomorrow morning, and
| at 10 o'clock a solemn high mass OF
| requiem will De sung by the Rev.
| Father Marshal in ST. Peters Church,
Belmont avenue. Interment will be
made in the family plot at the Gene
| terry Of the Holy Sepulchre.
Gustave Ziruth was born in Germany
He was brought to this country by his
parents when he was Q years old. The
family settled in New York city, where
Young Ziruth went to school and
learned a trade. About half a century
ago he came to Newark. After keep
ing a store he served as a constable.
and showed such detective ability tina
after the Civil War he was employed
by the city and also by the public
prosecutor Of Essex county and In
working up private cases.
The most famous case Ziruth was en-
gagged In was the great Washington
| safe burglary case. in which he and his
| partner, the late Charles Becker, gained
| national and international fame. 1t
was during President Grants first ad-
ministration that the conspiracy was
| Matched in Washington, DC, and In
Newark. Columbus Alexander, a
wealthy and influential citizen Of
| washington, attacked Boss" Shepherd
| and his powerful supporters, who were
| clustering the city with wood pavement
| and making enormous profits out of the
taxpayers.
Mr.. Alexander was assisted in his
| campaign by the late Charles A.. Dana,
editor Of the New York Sun. who was
SO severe In his expose of the "Shep-
herd ring that the latter induced Con-
| gress to enact what was known as the
"press gag law" The object of the law
was to keep the press, especially the
Sun, from attacking the powerful wood
pavement crowd. Dana did not visit
| Washington then, for If he had he
| would have been arrested and thrown
into prison, for the ring" was aIi-pow-
| erful. A congressman who was after
ward President of the United States
was chairman of the Congress commit
tee that controlled the District OF Co
Iumbia then. He was ambitious, and
the citizens were so sure he was In with
the wood pavement crowd that morn
ings Slippery Jim was seen, written
with red ink, on washington sidewalks.