Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-08-12
NE WARk FORGER
WHO BROKE JAIL,
IN Tolls AGAIN
William Gillespie May Now Get
Life Sentence in
New York.
DETECTIVES CATCH HIM
THROUGH RAISED CHECK.
Takes Arrest Calmly and Admits
His Identity When Con-
frOnted by Police.

William F. Gillespie. the forger,
who escaped on July Is from
the COUNTY jail in Camden,
arrest in this city, was nabbed
today by detectives on the upper
west side of New York city. Gillespie.
who was about to begin serving a
seven years term in the Trenton
prison when made his escape, was
traced to New York and definitely To-
Gated through the appearance at the
Garfield National Bank of a local
check that had apparently been raised
from s17S to sSs5.7S.
Detectives went TO the house where
Gillespie was believed to be and met
him just as he was coming out. He
made no resistance and when taken to
the West Side Court in New York 20
he arraigned as a fugitive from justice,
admitted he was the man whom the
New Jersey police wanted. His wife
lives at 20 State street, this city. and it
was while he WIS going to visit her
that he was caught on June 90.
At the time he broke Camden jail
Gillespie was accompanied by another
convict, Charles Berger. serving a six
months sentence for picking pockets.
They sawed through two iron bars in
a window, reached the roof of the
prison and made their escape by slid
ing down a raln-spout to the street.
Gillespie is also known as Brown"
The other escaped prisoner is a Cam
den character
Makes Escape.
Gillespie jumped into a big gray
motor car which had dashed up in
front of the jail just before he ap-
peared and was whisked off in this be-
fore it was known that he had escaped.
Berger boarded a trolley car and got
away 1t is said a woman aided them
to escape.
Billy Gillespie, as he is known to
the police all over the country, is a
hard man TO keep in Jail, and when
the Newark police turned him over the
Camden authorities were told to keep
a sharp lookout. as Gillespie had a
knack of getting out of Jail Some
years ago he got out of the Tombs. He
is said to have influential pals. who are
ever ready to take a chance to get him
free.
After two others had been arrested
in New York, charged with forging
checks on New York saloon-keepers,
the police OF New York sought Giles
pie. They knew that he had a wife
living in this city. and the Newark
police were asked to watch the State
street house.
Caught In saloon.
The day before his arrest Gillespie
telephoaed his wife that he would be
over the following day and told her to
be prepared to go away with him; that
he had secured a fine position He
was caught as he was coming out of a
saloon in Plane street.
That night his wife waited on the
veranda of her State street home.
When she heard of his arrest she said
she would never have anything more
to do with him; that he had broken
all his promises TO reform.
When Gillespie was arraigned in this
city his lawyer made a successful fight
to have him tried in Camden, where he
was wanted for forgery. A return to
New York might mean a life sentence.
as on two other occasions he had been
convicted and. under the laws of New
York state, a third conviction meant
a life sentence. Gillespie took calmly
his sentence of seven years. He is said
to have declared that he much pre-
ferred seven years in Trenton than the
possibility of life sentence in New
York.