The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-01-28
He and a Police Ser
geant in an Uhruly
Car That Skaters a
Telegraph Pole
COPS TROUSERS
LOST IN CRASH
Mishap Occurs When Men Are Going in
Quest of Supposed Member of Trio
Who Break Into and Rob the Half
Way House in steelton

Thomas ]. Nelley, widelv.known
politician, chairman of the Police Com.
mittee of Steelton Borough Council and
proprietor of the Half Way House, of
that town, and Valentine Maesters, ser
geant of the Steelton police force, had
thrilling ride i'll an unmanageable au-
tomobile and narrow escape from
death when the machine this morning
struck and snapped off telegraph pole
ON South Front street, Steelton. lust
below the overhead bridge at the Cum
bier stone quarries.
The men had jumped into the ma
chine at the Half Way House garage
at 7.lO O'Clock, intending to make a
quick run to Middletown, where n for
eigner was being held by Policeman
Soulliard, of the Pennsylvania railroad
police force. They wanted to learn
whether this prisoner was one of a
party of three foreigners who had
smashed the large plate glass window
at the Half Way House at o'clock
this morning and stolen the entire CON
tents, consisting of 15 quarts of whis-
key and gin.
"A few seconds after Nelley and
Maesters, in the auto. had passed be-
meath the bridge at the quarries the
steering gear OF the auto refused to
work, the machine swerved to the left
and began climbing the cinder bank
leading to the steel company railroad
at n sharp angle. The machine side
swiped telegraph pole supporting "a
wire of the Harrisburg Railways Com
pany and snapped The pole off at the
ground
Loses Trousers in Clash
The machine kept on the incline un-
J til a deep rut in the c:nder hill stopped
/ its further progress. When this oc-
Cured Nelley climbed out the wreck,
followed by Maesters. TIE latter is a
very large man aud when he attempted
to leap from the auto part of his
trousers caught on sharp projection
of the broken windshield. He landed
safely, but found to his chagrin that
his trousers ornamented, the broken
shield.
After obtaining a Substitute pair of
trousers for Maesters the two men
jumped passing auto truck headed
for Highspire, and from there the trip
to Middletown was made on trolley
car. The foreigner held at that town
was not the man wanted for the Steel
ton robbery and the two Steeltonites
returned to the borough.
! About O'Clock this morning, on
information received Chief Long
maker, Sergeant Maesters and Police
man Tromboni searched several for
eigners living along the steel company
railroad, not far from where the robbery
occurred. The police say six quarts of
the stolen liquor were removed from
the persons of Mike and Joe Bonovie,
who were placed in the borough lookup.
The third man implicated escaped the
police, and it was while following up
the clue that Nelley and Maesters met
with their mishap.
Auto Much Damaged
The damage to th' auto consists of
a disarranged steering apparatus, brok-
en- windshield, right front mud guard
damaged beyond repair and right step
of the machine stripped off. The metal
rim of the right front wheel also was
bent. Both men escaped unscratched.
Nelley was police sergeant in Har-
risburg under Mayor John A. Fritchey.
IlHe has been active in Democratic poll
tics.