Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-12-02
MYSTERY OF R. R.
|. STATION ROBBERY
At ORANGE SOLVED
Police Discover That Missing
Ticket Agent Has Long
Criminal Record.
| WAS SENT TO THE RAILWAY
REFORMATORY AT FIFTEEN
Was Sought Also by Chicago
Sleuths for Burglary in
Windy City.

With police alarm today for John
Sterling street. East Orange, whose
disappearance from home just at a
time when Detective John Drabell, OF
Orange. really wants to have heart
to-heart talk about the receipts
Wednesday night in the Orange sta
ton of the Lackawanna railroad, which
were taken from the Office safe. all
mystery about the burglary at the
Cone street station early yesterday
morning was dissipated in the minds Of
the police.
Hughes was employed by the L4acka-
wanna railroad officials on Sunday
night, but under an assumed name
Edward H. Hughes-a narue. by the
way. under which he married in Mend
ham, in 1906, an Elizabeth young
woman. who was surprised when De-
tective Drabell called to see her yes
terday, and had marvelSd at his ab:-
sence from home. He has two children,
a lad of and an infant, and these, too.
were quite troubled over papa's alb
sence since Wednesday afternoon. when
he went to work.
Suspect Has Police Record.
Detective Drabell has unraveled one
of the strangest problems the city po-
lice have tackled. The suspect has
police record dating since 1901. robbed
several railroad ticket offices, yet man
aged to get references which landed
him in an important job Sunday with
the LackawannR folk. HE gathered UP,
Drabell and the railroad detectives say;
about $500 Wednesday night when the
commuters again gave up their big
charges for railroad tickets for Dece,n-
Der pasteboardB. He ignored $1,000
which Agent William Atno had pur in
the safe as his receipts up to 3 O'Clock,
when Hughes went on duty. The thief
relocked the safe and also relocked the
station door and the police decided at
once, when he was reported u1fssing by
his wife, that Edward H. Hughes and
John Edward Hughes were The sanIe
man.
Detective Drabell was not taking
any chances with this information,
however, until he saw Charles 8.
Moore, chief parole officer Of the Rah-
way Reformatory, and the latter late
last night clinched the information
Drabell had dug up with portrait Of
the man. which was identified this
morning by the railroad folk, and then
the Orange detective told the news
papernnen a story that Is remarkable
in many ways. The missing ticket
man had been arrested for several rob-
berries of ticket offices in railroads. had
served terms in the Railway reforma-
tory for numerous charges against
him in Essex county, and yet had land
ed railroad job where he was given
carte blanche on the funds. He had
half dozen references, and because OF
a technicality the mans bonds had not
been approved and he was told to go to
work pending the Strengthening out of
the tangle.
Detective DrabelPs interview with
Chief Moore showed John Edward
Hughes's first arrest was in 1901, Tor
robbing a bicycle store in Sur Init,
where his family has been known for
years Daniel o. Hughes is his father.
The lad was paroled by the Union
county folk, and on January he was
again arrested by the. Summit police
for robbing the .Iyoming ticket office,
since discontinued. While he was In
the Essex County Jail Chief Brown, of
the lOECC, Woc hNsAHSo ~~AS
Newport News (Va-) police wanted his
charge for robbing the Southern rail-
roads ticket office. The Essex county
folk, however. declined to give over the
youth. The prisoner was sent to Rah-
way, but escaped, and was later re-
captured. Hughes was paroied in 1904,
and went to Chicago. He later re-
turned, and lived In South Tenth
street, Newark He was then rear
rested for leaving the State while on
parole, and spent two years in Rah-
way. The Chicago police notified Chief
Moore that he was wanted for
burglary in the Windy City, but they
let go the case when assured Hughes
was behind the bars. He was let out
of the reformatory in 1908. and the
next heard by Chief Moore was late
last night, when Detective DrabeN in
terviewed him.
gran WANT ADS BRING RESULTS. |