New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-15
Jersey BLUFFS
STAGE MURDER
LIKE FILM PLAY
WeehaWken Chauffeur IS
Shot to Death on Cliff by
Mysterious Fares.
BURGLAR EQUIPMENT
ABANDONED IN TAXI
Police Station Only 200 Yards
from Scene-Slaycrs Pocket
Guns and Escape.

Guns and Escape.
Weehawken glowed in the noon sum-
dishes ratified briskly in Housewives
mans. mill whistles were sounding the
warning that it was nearly / o'clock
William Bruckner, loating in the shade
If a tree under Kings Bluff, settled
himself for another forty winks. MS
evelids sagged and he sighed IuNu'-
iously.
Bang, Bang! Bang!
Rruckner's sigh was cut short lhoSe
were revolver shots. He rolled over
hastily and sought shelter behind the
troo which shaded him. PeerlEs oui
cautiously as the fuSillade continued
he saw man CldI'oeI
mo for his life up the long nlgSht %
stairs tha, leads to the top ol Ni"s
Bluff. 1..,o,ord he-
n.b Tho huff. broad smears IN the
dnst showing where it had skldded 10
erdden stop. Beside 1t were TWO
ono had n revolver !eveiled AZ
- climbing figure, and the other was
bas+;iv stu6ng cartridges into ms we~,
n"n As Bruckner looked he snaTpea
;be nietol barrel into place and TOOK
careful aim at the fugitive, no" some
tbirtv feet up the face OF the DUN. n
lille spurts of dust few up on es'
Ids of the target Once the fugitiFe
y,rnnc his hand as an up-tung spiihtei
81 roSl struck it. He had left the sec
ond landing of the long flight when a
SnIlat struck him. Whirling, he stoou
@or a moment facing the two, who never
ceased to pull their triggers ana 'nen
toIl down two or three steps 10 the
landing. He lay still, and the two m i
brote 9beir revolvers and put IN fresh
cartridges.
Shot Again Through Heart.
They watched him for a mo'nent' T.
while Bruckner TOOK has hrst Drea'n III
many seconds. he wounded man
stirred. Painfully he got to ms hahaS
and knees. poising like hgh'er "ai'-
ing for the count OF nine Oe;oIe ne
riees While he wavered on all louIs
~ t,yo marksmen again opened fire.
A. the first shot the injured man
s.agcered TO his feet. grasped the hand,
roii and began to haul himself upward
ar inch Al a time Still the revolvers
barked and another bullet found ne
toilinq fugitive. He fell clear OF the
stairway and rolled score OF feet
down the steep hillside. Caught by a
boulder. his body hung awkward and
motionless. Stuffing their revolvers IN
their pockets the men who mad shot
him scrambled up the stars passing
within dozen feet OF their victim as
fhpV ran. E,
Bruckner moistened his dry lips end
Locked around. The warning w1lste
.os still scrceching. The dishes had
ceased 70 raft e and from NEARBY
house two women were staring at lhe
coeerted automobile. Gaining ms feet
Win an effort Bruckner ran to the Po-
lice station, barely 200 yards away
Policemen found that the body on
tho hillside was lifeless. The second
bullet had reached the heart The man
was Charles Gronert, OF l26 Wasnlng
Ton Street, Hoboken. a Spanish war
veteran. Il was Gronerts taXlcao that
cumbered the highway. For two years
il, had been the main support OF MIN
and his mother Two years ago ne was
honorablv DISCHARGED from the army
v here he had made a record not only as
"a soldier but as a pugillst. lie mad
something OF a reputation at local rlnS-
sides a. "Nigger Krobel'
Burglars hit in Car.
Yesterday noon Gronert's car and a
connie more were in Hudson Place. Ho-
boEen. opposite the tube station. Gro
mort and two chauffeur friends were
returning from lunch. A man of me-
dunn heicht and rather below medium
weight trotted up the stairs from the
station and jumpel into Grorerts car
which was the first OF the three. Gro
merits friends remembered that he mad
blue eyes and brown hair and wore
blue serge suit and straw hat. He car
red no luggage. In obedience to IN
structions Gronert drove north on
Hudson Street
In the stalled car under Kings Bluff
was found a black leather travelling
bag. II contained twO-ounce bottle
Of nitroclvcerin. bottle of chlorofoi m,
Il blackjack. a coil Of light copper wire.
two black cloth caps and two blAck
shirts.
An Erie Railroad watchman had seen
two men rush down the hillside TO the
junction tracks used by Enc. Lacka-
wanna and West Shore trains along ;he
shore OF the Hudson. They got aboard
a West Shore train and rode TO .he
mouth Of the tunnel At the mouth OF
the tunnel few minutes later two men
got aboard a north bound train and rode
10 Seventeenth Street. West New York
The Weehawken police did not notify
the West New York police of the muir
der until more than two hours after II
had occurred. They then found II hard
work to pick up the trail OF the men.
The theory now held by the police Is
that the second man 10 enter Gronert:
taxicab did not care TO show himself
in so public a place as the Hudson tube
station and was picked up AZ some
point designated by the man Groner,''
friends saw. 1t is thought that the
pair were discussing some enterprise
they had in mind-an enterprise N
which the contents Of the deadly black
bag figured and that Gronert over
heard enough TO arouse his suspicious
II not his fears,
B II is believed that Gronert was on
/ his way to betray the yeggs 10 the po'
lice when their bullets stopped him.