Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-07-16
Caught Thieving in
Metuchen, He Fools
the Police.
FEIGNS UNCONSCIOUSNESS
AND THEY Go TO SEEK AID
Vanishing, Is TraiIed 2 Miles,
When All Trace of Him
Is Lost.
Especial to the Nexark star

METUCHEN, July 16.-Handcuffed
and supposedly dying from shotgun
wounds a burglar escaped here today
while his captors had gone in search
of medical aid.
He left a trail OF blood for about
two miles. when all trace of his
movements were lost. The police of
the surrounding cities have been
notified to keep a sharp lookout for
him.
The burglar, who has been work.
ing in this section some time, was
caught just after leaving the resi-
dence of William Walling. When he
refused to halt, Frederick Peck, who
with Chief of Police Flaherty. had
followed him several blocks, emptied
a double-barreled shotgun al him.
He received most of the load and
dropped in his tracks.
Kill me now he cried. This
pain is more than I can stand"
Peck and the chief carried him to
the porch of the home of A. c. Lit
t~erest, in Middlesex avenue, where
after being handcuffed. he was left
for a few moments, Peck and the
chief going In different directions to
summon medical aid. When they re-
turned their prisoner had disap-
peared.
Summoning several policemen and
with several neighbors who Joined In
the chase the chief set out after the
prisoner. The trail of blood which
issued from his bullet wounds n
abled the p%ursuers to keep on his
rack for two miles. Then the trail
stopped. He had managed to stop the
flow OF blood or to conceal himself
somewhere until the party had
passed. They still are searching.
The burglar first entered the resi-
dence of Mrs. Celie Beck in Grove
avenue Mrs. Peck, however, heard
him on the first floor and awakened
her sons. Frederick and Louis. Both
grabbed shotguns and made for the
first floor. When they got there.
however, the intruder had disap-
peared. and they traced him to the
home of Ralph Corbin next door.
1t was while searching here that
they noticed a light moving in the
Walling home about a block away.
By this time Chief Flaherty was on
the scene and the party made for
the Walling place.
Placing the Peck brothers on guard
in the front. Flaherty went to the
real of the house and entered
through the kitchen. AS he opened
the door he saw the burglar making
for the front of the place. and after
yelling a warning to the Pecks in
front, made after him.
As he came put on the front porch
tile burglar was greeted by two shot
guns In the hands of the Peck broth
ers. Fred Peck called him to stop
or he would shoot. He paid no atten-
ton to the command and Peck fired
both barrels at his fleeing figure.
With the SOUND of the gun tho
burglar threw up both hands and
dropped to the pavement. As the
Pecks ran up to him he pleaded with
them to end his misery by shooting
him in the head. Flaherty, who fol-
lowed closely, ordered him taken to
the nearest porch.
Here he placed a pair of handouts
on him and went about searching
his clothes. 1t was then that the
prisoner feigned Inconsistencies and
led the eaptives to believe he was
dying. Telling the Pecks to find a
telephone and summon a doctor,
Flaherty a into the Interest home
to telephone. This was the last seen
of his prisoner.
Although he had got only about
half through with his searching. Chief
Fiaherty found a roll of several hun
bred dollars on the prisoner, besides
a gold watch. stolen from his house
about a year ago.