Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-23
PRISONERS ADMIT
WIRE ROBDERIES.
Police Declare Three Men Ar
+, rested as Suspects Have
Confessed.

The three men arrested by head
quarters detectives and agents of the
Public Service as suspects in the
thefts of copper wire in five counties
in the northern part of the State have
confessed their guilt, according to the
police. Charles j. Wllderman, of
Paterson, and Joseph Mortimer, alias
Mason, of 81 Elm street, two of the
prisoners, will be taken to Middlesex
county today by Chief of Police Muir
ply, of Woodbridge.
Thomas Gilroy, alias Happy" of
175 McWhorter street, was taken to
Morristown last night in charge of
Norris county prosecutors detectives
Gilroy was implicated only in the two
"jobs" on the line of the Morris
County Traction Company at Den
willie on September II and october 20.
AS a result of the confessions of the
trio. Lieutenant Fohs. OF local head
quarters, and the Public Service men
went to Passaic last night, and, after
procuring a search warrant, arrested
John and Michael Chirchello, of l..
Chirchelo & Sons, junk dealers. of
Aspen street, Passaic. They were held
IN S4VO pan eacH ny haS iSel ato SOS-
tello.
Thieves Methods.
The methods of the thieves were ex-
planned in their confession and veri-
fed BY tho finding in Chirchello's
home in Passaic of a hlge pair of
"buIl nippers" for cutting wire. Ac-
cording to the police, the men would
fasten long pole to one handle OF the
nippers and a rope to the other
handle. Two of them would raise the
nippers on the pole until the wire was
In its jaws. then a pull on the rope
would cut the wire.
In every instance horse ana
wagon would be hired by Mortimer.
He would drive to a spot near
syoere the wire was to be cut and
leave the rig in the brush. With
Miiderman, and in two instances
"Rappy" Gilroy, the thieves would
proceed to the spot selected. The
Jobs would always be done at night
after thel asst car had passed ana
the power was shut off.
Span Wires Cut First
To prevent any flash from reaching
the power house by reason of short
circuit when the wires should drop,
the span wires would always be cut
first. In this way the trolley wire
swung clear of the track and there
was no danger of it dropping on the
rails. The prisoners confessed that
they sold all the wire, more than
5000 feet, from six different thefts
to the Chirchello brothers.
I, On September II they confessed |
they obtained 900 feet from the Nor
ris County Traction Company at
Denville A little over month later
on October 29, they got 800 feet on
the same line. A horse and rig hired
from Prestons livery stable In East
Kinney street for use on the first
robbery was abandoned in North
Bclleville. The second time another
horse and wagon belonging to the
LawrenZ Livery Company, OF Plane
street, was abandoned In Lyndhurst.
Stole 1,7o0 feet In Ten Days.
The next operations were on the
North Jersey Traction Company's
line between Paterson and Suffern.
In two cuts between October l and
10 they stole 100 feet of wire. The
high speed line of the Public Service
TO Trenton was next tapped between
Carteret and Woodbridge. The last
work of the thieves was on the Hack
ensack line In North Arlington. From
the manner in which the cutting was
done the Public Service detectives
decided that Wilderman must be at
and those from the Newark bureau
work. He was sentenced to five
years in States prison in December.
1908. for the same offense, but by good
behavior was released in January of
this year.
All Have Served Sentences.
The others were also in prison at
Various times, the police declare.
Wilderman and Mortimer were pick
ed up in vaudeville theatre Friday
evening by Lieutenant George Fohs,
who traced their operations. He Sc
cured their confessions.