Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-01-30
Women axe to Beds
So Scared Are They
After Robbefies.
THIEF HAS TASTE AND IS
NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS
Takes Only What He Wants
and Jokingly Enters Prose-
cutor's and Cops Homes.
IFrom a stan corre.pon.Iert.I

lfFom n staff CorresponfIeuf.T
PERTH AMBOY, n. j.. Jan. 90
So alarmed have residents of this
eity's fashionable southern section he
come over repeated nightly robberies
that they have asked TO have detec-
tives from the William J. Burns
agency employed 10 find the thief.
ihene have been rebberies almost every
night since Christmas. and these
have 50 preyed upon the minds of
Local women that a number OF them
are suffering from nervousness. MANY
are even confined 10 their beds.
1t IS believed the thefts are tina
york Of a society Rafies. Z man
well acquainted with the habits and
movements Of people in this section.
He works between and D. M. sell
dom later, and takes nothing but
jeweiry. Valuable siIverware and
bric-a-brae he ignores. and If II j.
necessary for him to search for what
he wants. he generally rearrangcz
what he has disturbed. In one in
stance he took an overeoat. wasrlst
impressed with it, and left IT on the
porch of house a few doors away
Scared, Though Not Robbed.
1t was admitted by several phssl-
clans today that they are attending
women suffering from nervousness
due to the robbery scare. And
strange feature about it is that the
thief has not entered the homes OF
any Of them. Mrs Harold Carlton
Gregg. who recently came TO this city.
has been so affected that she win not
venture out nights. The scare has
also affected Mrs. Arthur H. Wins
low. although she does not reside
within the zone of the burglars ops
erations. Both have asked for pros
lection
The first big thest was reportes.,
when the home of Van Crisfizfa. ~
Rector street. was entered Mr.. CriS-
tiani is superintendent of the Archi-
tectural Tile and Faience Company's
big plant at Maurer He and Mrs
Cristiani were dining out the evening
of the robbery, and when they re-
turned, about s p. NJ, they found
iewelry to the extent of $500 had
been stolen
A valuable silver service and cost
ly cut glass were undisturbed, but
dicated that the thief had seen them.
Joseph Brimlow. a prominent mem-
ber Of the Raritan Yacht Club, who
lives in Rector street a few houses
from cristiani, lost several hundred
dollars worth of jewelry the same
night that the home Of Frank Dun
ham. in Market street. was entered
The thief evidently acquainted with
the movements of the Dunham fam
lily, knew they would be out. it is
declared. and after he finished his
job there. he scaled fence and en-
tered Brimlow's by a rear window
That "Raffies'' is trying to work in
an occasional Joke Is evident by ths
fact that ne entered the home OF As
sistant Prosecutor Joseph E. Striclsr
several days ago and secured jew
elry valued in the hundreds. He
waited a few days and then broke
into the home Of Patrolman Hugh
Steed. who is the night patrolman in
the southern section. 1t is on Steed's
beat that most of the thefts have
been committed. Steed lives in First
street. The thief had 10 90 out OF
his way somewhat to reach the pa
trolman's house. He turned things
ltopsy-turvy there. 10 let it be known
that he had paid the officer visit.
Thief Frightened Away.
James Henderson, of High and
Lewis streets. who owns the largest
trucking business in Middlesex coun-
ty. is one of the latest victims. The
thief secured valuable jewelrv at his
home. An. attempt was made 10 en-
ter the home of r. L. Fowler, super
intendent Of the Barber Asphalt
Works here. but the thief made 30
much noise he was heard and fright
ened off.
That the marauder is not an ordin-
ary sneak thief is borne out BY the
: fact that his thefts are timed With
: clock-liSe precision. Then, too. Mrs.
Walter eager, Of Brighton avenue.
saw him a few nights ago. but was
too frightened TO attempt 70 capture
him. She describes him as a young
man with a dark. weli-fitting snit,
and marvelously white hands She
surprised him as he was entering her
home. and he was so astonished he
fell over q balustrade to the ground
floor. twelve feet below He lay on
the floor groaning for q few minufes
! then limped away. His face was
muffled in dark cloth, Mrs. eager
says. or. else WIS 80 obscured bS
shadow that she could not see ii
A ls-year-old boy. Stephen Van
koski. was arrested sunday night
after he had climbed a rear porch and
walked into the home Of David II
Eldridge, at 224 Fayette street. The
police. however do not connect him
With the continued thefts.
One person greets another on the
street here now something like this;
Good morning, whose house WAS
robbed last night? -
Monday night was an off night for
the thief Tuesday the local papers
put that startling news on their re-
spective first pages, one under the.
heading mo Robberies During the.
1 Night
The police are not in favor Of haR-
ing Burns or Pinkerton detectives IN
wade the city They believe they wil'
l.be able to cakch The fhtef sefofa
llonK. and to that END many It the d4T
force are putting II thefr sYen.nks Is