Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1912-01-15
DESERTER AND
LYNCHER HERE
Charles BIomberg of Pensa-
cola, Florida, Gives Himself
Up TO Local Police.
SUFFERED WITH REMORsE
Lett Army Four Years Ago
After Helping Lynch Negro
Who Shot Relative.

ing aiKnieesly about, Charles Blom-
berg. q Swede. forty-two years old,
walked into police headquarters
about o'clock Saturday night and
gave himself up asNa deserter OF the
y. 8. army and one OF band OF
lyncherB In Florida, He calmly told
Chief OF Police Burke that his con-
science troubled him and that he
wanted to give himself up because
he had helped to hang a negro and
had deserted the army the latter
part OF April or May OF 1908 in
Pensacola, Fla. He said the negro
had shot and killed his brother-in-
law, who was policeman In Pensa-
cola. With party OF seven men,
Blomberg said he helped to hang
the negro to q tree and then escaped.
He -as since wandered about the
country and OF late served as
boatswain on the steamship Ashfield
which carries asphalt from Trinidad
to the Barber asphalt plant in this
city. He is now in a cell, while the
police are communicating with gov
ernment authorities.
Wanted Officers to Get Reward.
Knowing that the government had
~
ture because he deserted the army,
as is done In all such cases. Blom-
berg wanted to give Detective Ser
geant Lawrence A. Long and Patrol
man Niels Tonnesen an opportun-
ity to collect the money. As the
officers were walking up High street
near the city hall park to report OF
about s o'clock Saturday night,
Blomberg stepped out from In front
of house and hailed them. He
asked II they wanted to earn $50
and then-lbegan his story of crime
and desertion. They listened for a
moment and then suggested that
the man 90 to headquarters and tell
his story He accompanied them
At the station he addressed Police
Sergeant William McDermott md
began his story over again, The
sergeant referred the man to Chief
Of Police Burke, who gathered to-
gether all details possible.
TO the chief, Biomberg told his
tale OF woe. He said he was q de-
serter from the United States army,
having served In the twenty%second
scoast artillery until April Or May,
1906 AK the time, he saia Captain
Lawson was Ia command ok the
squad. He said he was stationed at
Z Pensacola after three months OF
service, When the chief asked the
man why he gave himself up, he
replied that besides deserting he
had another weight on his mind. 1t
being that he WAS one OF party of
eight men who lynched negro. He
said the men broke into the jail
about 4 o'clock In the morning. se-
cured the prisoner, dragged him out
and hanged him to tree in Pa1afox
park In Pensacola.
Blomberg said the negro had shot
and killed his brofher-in-law, a po-
liceman, because the latter had at
tempted to arrest him. That hap
pened after Blomberg had served
about three months In the army he
said and he escaped northward
That made him deserter and ever
since he has feared the clutches of
the law. The matter so preyed up
on his mind that, although al
most four years elapsed, his con-
science SO troubled him that he
gave himself up.
Government Notified.
The man Is now a prisoner In q
cell at police headquarters and feels
eased Al mind as = result. II Ii
hardly likely that he will be sent
to Florida to answer to any charge
OF lynching. because happenings Of
that sort are known to be common
In the south. Despite the fact that
more than three years has elapsed
since he deserted, the man may have
to answer to charge OF desertion
to the government
Blomberg says he has been wan
dering about since the crime with
no aim In life except to elude mag
Unable pursuers. He has travelled
from coast to coast and few
months ago became q sailor He
was engaged as boatswain on the
steamship Ashfield, which comes TO
this port from Trinidad He sald
that ON Tuesday last, he with q num-
ber Of other sailors on the vessel
wore discharged. He wandered
about this city for few days until
remorse took such grip on him
as to cause him to give himself up.
He told Chief OF Police Burke he had
q brother named Fred. who was one
Of the men blown up with the bat
t1eship Maine.
B1oniberg will probably be sent to
Fort Wadswerth, Staten leland, to-
morrow, according to word received
BY Chief Burke this morning. The
ebfef teIeuh0ued to government Of