Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1909-03-25
Officers Catch Them Selling
and Stealing Brass Jour-
mails from Coal Cars.
ONE PRISONER TAKEN
AT REvOLvER'S POINT
Other Seen Taking Journals
Gets AWay--Junk Driver
Arraigned-- Dangerous.

Andrew Mata and Wasil Kosak, bosll
twenty-three years old and living in
Pulaski avenue, were ararigned before
Recorder Pickersgill this morning ON a
charge Of stealing brass journals from
Lehigh Valley railroad cars. The com
plant was preferred by Special Officer
James McDermott. Both men pleaded
guilty and were held under 5000 bail
TO await the action Of the grand jury.
Mata said that he had stolen the
brasses because he was a poor man and
needed the money. He said that Tues
day night he and three other men went
to the creosote yards and removed ten
of the journals from coal cars and that
all but the few found in his possession
yesterday were sold to a junkman.
James Mansfield, one of the railroad g
special officers, while walking through
Pulaski avenue shortly after 2 O'Clock
yesterday afternoon, noticed man call
ing a junkman into his cellar. Mans
field, out of curiosity, followed and dis
covered that what the man wanted to
sell was several brass journals. AS he
easily identified them as being from
Iehigh Valley cars, Mansfield placed
Mata under arrest. The junkman, Ma
him, because they were not broken up,
and that he was trying to accomplish
the task when Mansfield appeared.
Mata Confesses.
McDermott and Mansfield questioned
Mata closely and he finally confessed
and said that three men had gone a
short time before to the Creosote yards
to get more journals. The officers hur-
ried there and discovered two men at
work behind a car. Mansfield drew his
revolver and covered them, while Nc
Dermott went around the other side
As soon as the thieves saw him they
gave yell and ran. Mansfield followed
and succeeded in catching one of the
fugitives, who later gave his name as
Wasil Kosak.
Arrested After Struggle.
The officer had quite tussle with
Kosak but finally subdued him. The
officers then took their prisoners tt
Fingerote's junk yard in Paterson
street to have them identify the driv
er who had bought some of the stoleI
brasses. Kosak said that a friend had
stolen his for him and that he had re
ceived only sixty cents for two.
Mansfield and McDermott waited
quite a while at the junk yard for the
suspected driver to come in. McDer
mott says that he finally saw him ap
preaching but, before he reached the
place, someone tipped him off. The of
fcer, when the junkman turned around
gave chase but the driver whipped uI
his horse and eluded capture. A crowd
followed the officers and the prisoners
from the Lehigh Valley to Paterson
street. After leaving the junk yard
the officers took their prisoners to the
police station and had them locked up.
One of Mr.. Fingerote g drivers was
arraigned before the recorder this morn
ing, accused of having purchased stol-
en brass journals from the prisoners, but
he denied the charge. Kosak thought
that he was the man, but was not sure,
so the recorder paroled him in the Gus
tody of&Mike Fipgerote to appear at 8
o CLOCK Tomorrow morning.
1k Dangerous Practice.
---zs5i15ecial Officer McDermott says that
the stealing of brass journals from the
cars must be stopped and that, if pos
sible, an example will be made of the
two prisoners. Efforts are being made
today to catch the other two men who
helped steal the ten journals Tuesday
night, and the junkmen who bought
part of the loot. Hundreds of journals
have been stolen from Lehigh Valley
cars recently and the special officers are
sure that it is the work of gang. The
thieves remove the brasses by jacking
up the cars and, after they are removed,
the car is liable to have serious ac-
cident, if it is run at any speed. For
this reason, more than for the value of
the Journals, the railroad wants to
break up the practice.