Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-12-09
POLICE BOARD TO
SPARE NOTHING IN
TRAILING GUNMEN
Every Effort Made to
Capture Gafney's
Slayers.
LIEUT.. RYAN SEEKING
MURDERERS IN N. Y.
Believed That Shooters Intend
ed to Rob Tube Station
in This City.

The Board of Police Commissioners
this afternoon took special action to
secure the speedy capture of the slay-
ers of Piainclothesman John j. Gaff-
ney.
AS directed by the hoard, Chief of
Police Corbitt will scatter descriptions
of the three gunmen over the entire
country.
The Common Council will probably
be asked to offer a reward, in case
some of the pals of the gangstels or
a woman whom detectives are trying
to find might be induced to "speal.
Other plans for running down the
murderers will be discussed. Chief
Corbtt will be asked for whatever
suggestions he has to make, and the
entire resources of the department
will be called into action in an effort
to solve the second assassination of q
policeman within two months.
The three gunmen, the police now
believe, had planned to rob the ticket
agent at the Park place terminal OF
the Hudson tubes on Friday night
They intended to wait until a train
push their way into the ticket office,
hold up the agent with their revolvers,
loot the safe and trust to daring and
their guns in making safe get
away.
This would explain their objection
to being shadowed by Gaffney and
Lieutenant Patrick Ryan. AS soon as
they saw the detectives they moved
away from the shadows of the sta
ton and started toward Mulberry
street
When Gaffney and Ryan followed
them they probably thought that the
bulls had something on them" The
fact that they were carrying loaded
reyolvers would make 1t awkward II
they were arrested, especially If they
had police records in New York or
elsewhere. So they quickly decided
upon the most daring way of escape
to lure the detectives to a dark spot
and shoot them down.
This hypothesis fits exactly with
what actually happened. It was veri-
fed today by an employee of the
Pennsylvania railroad, who informed
the police that railroad detectives had
been watching the men for week.
The trio came to Newark for the
express purpose, the railroad detec-
tives believe, of looking over the
ground and robbing the station
The prosecutors office, as we'll as
the police, is searching for the muir
derers. Chief Frederick A. Weimer
had a half-hour conference with his
detectives this afternoon. All the as
poets and theories of the shooting
were discussed and plans were made.
But the principal reliance OF the po-
lice in aVenging Gaffney death IS the
camera-eye of Lieutenant Patrick
RYAN. who is working today by him.
self in New York.
1t was Ryan who was with Carney
on Friday night when they trailed the
three suspicious men they had
"spotted" at the terminal of the Hud-
son tubes through Mulberry street to
LAFAYETTE and halfway to Broad.
When the trio turned and began to
pump their automatics, Gaffney fell
at the second shot, but Ryan, dashirg
forward and picking up the plain
clothesman's revolver pursued the
eunmen into the freight yard. lie
was very close to them and it is upon
his description that the entire force
Is depending.
Seek Men in TenderlOin.
RYAN believes he can recognize the
men or any one of them when ne
sees them. He expects to find them
in New York, probably in some Zen
derloin resort frequented by the
underworld characters made so
prominent in the Becker trlal ana
that of the four gunmen.
The slayers of Gaffney have more
to fear from Ryan's memory OF races
than anything else. At the last IN
auguration in Washington he picked
out man after man in the crowds ana
turned them over to the police.
Every one had a criminal record and
Ryan had recognized them. This feat
was rewarded by a special letter Oh
thanks and praise from Chief Wilkie,
of the secret service.
Aside from Ryan's gift, the police
have little to work upon. The derby
hat that was found in the old bury
ing ground of the First Presbyterian
Church is of a common make. and
practically impossible to trace.
Lieutenants Harris and Mcconnell.
of Chief Corbitt's staff, and Lieu
tenants Kuhn, Horter and others of
the detective bureau at headquarters,
to which Gaffney was himself at
tached, are at work on local clues.
Looking for Strange Woman.
They are seeking a woman whose
identity is not known. She is believed
To have been friend of at least two
of the murderers. She came to New
ark from New York short time ago,
and has been missing since Gaffney
was killed.
one theory is that the three muir
derers are the men who entered the
south Amboy postoffice on October 20,
blew open two safes, escaped in an
automobile and raced toward Newark
They were ordered to halt at Broad
and Court street by a policeman sta
toned to warn vehicles against a
live wire that had fallen. Instead of
stopping. they put on full speed and
all but ran down the palrolman
Speeding up Court street at sixty
1CantlnuasI an second PnEe.l -