New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-08
MILLING CO. CASHIER
PLANNED SAFE BLOWING
Prisoner Tells Police He Laid
Plot to Cover His De-
faICationS.
ACC0MPLICE IN CRIME DIES
Fellow Clerk in Concern, Who
Was Arrested, Says He Was
Too Drunk to Know What
Happened.
ACC0MPLICE IN CRIME DIES

night beside the opened safe Of the Long
Dock Milling Company. of Jersey City.
died without "squealing" on the man
who hired him to do the Job" 1t was
brave in a way but it was useless, for
the Jersey City police. through the con-
| fession Of Samuel Brown. the cashier of
the company. uncovered a story Of crime
and defalcation which bears out another
! charge that truth is al least as roman
tic if not stranger than fiction. Brown
had arranged with Walsh to burn the
books in the safe.
| Walsh was game He stuck TO his
story that. wandering about looking for
a place to sleep. he found the door OF
the office open and went in. The fire he
laid to lighted cigarette he said he
had in his fingers when he became
drowsy. He had been burned from head
10 foot and both eyes were gone. The
surgeons marvelled that he lived as long
as he did.
But he kept his nerve and skilfully
rvaded questions telling the police only
that he had once been respectable He
named Mrs. William Valance. of No. 3l3
Central avenue. Newark. as his sister.
Later she claimed his body. His step
mother. he said, was a sister OF
Edward Kenny, Speaker Of the lower
house Of the New Jersey Legislature.
Convinced II Was Inside job"
Despite Walsh's story, the Jersey de-
! tectives We're convinced that II was an
inside job" The circumstances all
| pointed to il. The people who saw
smoke coming from the building al No.
| SIS Pavonia avenue. Saturday night.
| heard screams Of pain, and rushing in.
found the room bright with flames. The
safe was open. and the contents streWn
on the floor. The smell of gasolene was
evident. They stumbled over the body
of Walsh and he was taken to St
| F'rancis's Hospital. just as the firemen
arrived to fight what would have been
dangerous blaze ten minutes later.
Daniel Lee, captain of detectives and
his men investigated thoroughly. They
found the doors had been opened With
of the Office was soaked with oil
They were waiting at the mill for
Brown when he came over to his work
from his home at No. 3l5 West ll3th
street, Manhattan. He showed consid
cradle surprise when told Of the fire,
but the police lost no time in taking
him to the Seventh street police station.
where Captain Lee, Captain Richards
and Detectives Prescott, Curry and
Hoffman fired questions at him. When
he heard the books were not al all
destroyed he began to give way. Soon
he admitted he was $500 short in his
accounts since January I. The police
ruthlessly twisted and tangled Brown.
getting the story by piece-meal, until at
last they made him write his confession
in full. 1t is veritable dime-novel
plot.
Took Clerk in His Confidence.
knowing his situation was desperate
he took into his confidence one Of his
friends and a fellow clerk Patrick B.
Timmins, of No. 900 Clinton avenue.
Newark Tlmmins and Brown left the
Long Dock Milling Company a 8 O'Clock
Sunday evening and went 10 a saloon in
Provost street. jersey City, where they
talked over the matter. According 10
Browns confession, Timmins said he
knew a man in East Newark, a hanger
on at the river front. a man who had
gone so low that he was desperate and
his price was cheap. but not so low that
he was not trustworthy. for he had been
something more than he was and he re-
membered it sometimes. Brown did not
have the nerve TO burn the books him
self. so he Jumped n Timmins sugges-
tion Of the flrebug.
The two went by a turnpike trolley
car TO a roadhouse in East Newark kept
bv a man named Roach. and there they
net Frank Walsh. They drank together
for a time, and then huddled about the
table. Walsh was told what they want
ed. He assented. and was taught the
combination of the safe, and the keys
were left with him.
Brown Ulduf Il q III tll'l std tfiil'ilt li7t
evening. in which he added some details
10 his first confession. Throughout his
statement he referred to Walsh as "the
man" not once mentioning Walsh by
name
'Timmins and ] had been talking
about destroying the books for the last
two months" he said. "as | was short
in my accounts. We had an understand
ing on Sunday night that we should not
talk about il in the mans presence until
We got to Jersey City. We stopped al
a garage on the way down from N-war6
and Timmins and the man came out
with a can which l supposed contained
gasolene and put 1t in the cab. We
stopped at Cavanaugh's saloon and had
a couple Of rounds of drinks and the
chauffeur then left us.
Burned Books Over Gas Jet.
..'Timmin, I and the man then w"iif 10
tho office II .ho Long Dock Milling Cori-
many o;sned the door and the t1rce
~ us entered. / opened the safe door
and ,ook out three checkbooks and the
,osh hook The man with us held the
hooks over a gas jet and set them on
sr, watched until one book was bum
r-ot.. .n4 then | left 10 go = Now |