The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-08-20
Clever Capture.

County Detective Ellis II. Parker and
Deputy Sheriff Joseph B. Fleetwood are
not making history Of the methods which
they employed in effecting the apprehen-
sion of Howard Mathis, Jr., of Philsdel-
phia, who was surprised on Sunday when
he ran up against the Deputy at New
Egypt, and almost stunned when the
latter made known the contents Of two
warrants which may send the defendant
to state prison.
1t was while In the employ Of ]. H..
Blackwell & Sons, of Trenton, that Mathis
get into trouble. For three months, jan
uary, February and March, this year,
he acted as q salesman and collector for
the firm, and during that time, 1t Is
charged, he embezzled over $500 from
merchants In this section.
Deputy Sheriff Fleetwood brought the
prisoner to Mount Holly, and 1t Is not
known II he has been confined In prison
before. At any rate the situation was
such an unpleasant one, and with nothing
but gloom for the future, the young man,
after spending one night in jail. relieved
his mind to the extent of admitting his
guilt. The authorities have been looking
for Mathis since last April.
A feature In connection with his arrest
is clearing up Of the following swindle,
the facts having been published In a
PHILADELPHIA newspaper:
"John N. Ross, manager of Childs'
grocery store, at Ocean City, was the
victim of a clever swindle shortly before
midnight on August 10, and police chief
Scull is searching for the swindler.
Shortly after II o'clock Ross received a
telephone message, purporting to be from
his employer, David Childs, of Haddon
Heights, announcing that one James
Martin would be at the store In short
time with a sealed letter for Ross, the
contents of which Martin did not know.
Later the man appeared and gave Ross
the letter, which contained instructions to
him to turn over the store management,
together with the days receipts, to Mar
tin. Ross gave Martin $500 and accom-
panied him to big hotel, where he left
him Inside the door, Ross went to see
Martin at the hotel this morning, but 1t
was found he had not gone to bed there.
Ross telephoned his employer and found
that nothing was known of Martin"
With their established reputation for
running down crooks, the Camden author
tiles enlisted the services OF Parker and
Fleetwood and they made good. When
the Deputy Sheriff caught the man at New
Egypt, he remarked on producing the
second warrant: Howard, you made a
clever swindle Of that Ocean City job
There is no use In denying that crime for
we have the dead wood on you
On arriving at the Burlington county
Jail, Mathis was identified by Ross as the
man to whom he turned over the money
and key of the store. AS the case seemed
hopeless against him, Mathis also con-
fessed to this crime, and Parker and
Fleetwood were complimented for their
successful capture of the fugitive by Mr..
Childs.
In order to secure all leniency possible
from the court, Mathis has promised to
make restitution In both cases as far as he
Is able. His father weat to Trenton
yesterday and settled with the Black wells,
who had suspicious against Mathis while
he was in their employ. They wrote
letters of inquiry to grocerymen In Mount
Holly and other places concerning his
conduct and actions while out on the road
Mathis stated yesterday that fast womer
and rum were the cause of his downfall.