The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-02-15

IN charge of public work in washington
and the District of Columbia. But so
strenuous was the work of Mr.. Alex
ander that the ring resolved to get rid
of him by any means. Tom Sommer-
vile, a New York lawyer, was the
trusted counsel for crooks. and was en-
ployed to. help in the conspiracy.
Ichabod c. Nettleship. of the United
States secret service, with Governor
Dix. on Fire island, showed him Gre
dentials from high officials in the ma
tional capital, and Governor Dix signed
a pardon for a notorious burglar, who
was serving a term in Auburn prison,
and the burglar went to Washington.
blew open the safe in Mr.. Alexander's
office and inserted forged documents
which the conspirators hoped would
incriminate Mr.. Alexander and break
down his powerful influence.
But his friends had private detectives
watching the conspirators and their
tools, among the detectives being the
late Charles Becker and Gus Ziruth,
who yet lives in Newark at a ripe age.
The Washington officers caught the
burglars in the act, but when
they were arraigned the powerful
influences back of the ring had them
freed on bail and they fed. But indict-
ments were returned by a Washington
grand jury against several of the con-
spirators and the prosecuting attorney
sent his detective to Newark to serve
on Chief John Whitley. of the United
States secret service, the evidence
against men in this city.
Facts Ascertained.
Chief Whitley later laid the facts
before the United States district attor-
ney and United States Commissioner
John Whitehead. Developments caused
the disappearances of Assistant United
States District Attorney King and De-
tective Ichabod C. Nettleship, who took
a yaction in Canada for a time, as
did other Newark men and a woman.
Mr.. Guild was engaged as advisory
counsel by these parties, with the re-
salt that an attempt was made 20 send
Detective Ziruth out of the country.
Truth was put On a ship in lower New
York bay, but as the man who took
him there went down one side of the
ship Firth jumped from the port
side of the vessel into a fishing smack,
and he was in New York that night,
where he hid until he was needed as
a witness against the safe burglary
conspirators. Nettleship schemed after
Rutherford B. Hayes was President to
be appointed chief of the secret service.
He induced the treasury officials in
Washington to trust him with some of
the private government paper used for
United States bonds, On h plea that
he could capture clever counterfeiters
He took the paper to New York, where
Charles Engel and Tom Sommerville
came one night to Nettleship's home II
Sherman avenue, where tools Of the
willy schemer were secreted, and wher
the bondsT Iere placed on a table
the detSlo o. appeared from closets,
arrested En6el and Sommerville ant
they were sent to the Essex county
Jail.
They obtained Mr.. Guild as theil
lawyer.
Told of Conspiracy.
One day a reporter got an interview
with Engel n Sommerville in the jail
and after giving them messages from
their wives and New York lawyer
friends, he got from them the whole in:
side facts about the great safe bur
glary conspiracy. Late that night thu
reporter saw Nettleship in his home
When the full story appeared in thu
paper the next morning Nettleship wa