Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-12-13
Metuchen Residents in High
Pitch of Excitement, Fol.
lowing Series of Robberies
POSTAL INVESTIGATION
$4,000 Worth of Stamps
Taken--Us Crow Bars and
SIedge Hammers on Safe.
BY STAN Correspondent.

BY Stan Correspondent.
METUCHEN, Dec. ia series OF
robberies over the weekend, in
which the post Office, the express Of
flee. freight car and a real estate
office were broken into has aroused
the borough OF Metuchen to a high
pitch of excitement as the local po-
lice. county detectives. railroad men
and postal authorities are conduct
ing Investigations today in an effort
to locate the robbers and arrive at
some conclusion as to the amount
lost.
According to estimates made to.
day by the authorities the post Of
flee. from which stamps and cash
valued at about $4,000 were taken.
was broken into between the hours
of 6:30 o'clock last night and 2:30
o'clock this morning: the express Of
flee was entered between and 9
o'clock last night: part of the equip
ment of an automobile standing In
front of the express Office was stolen
about the same time: and the freight
car robbery occurred about midnight
Saturday night or early Monday
morning.
Percy Mulligan. colored, an em.
ploye in Bowers garage in Middle.
sex avenue. was going home about
12:45 o'clock Sunday morning
making a short cut by way OF the
Pennsylvania railroad tracks wher
he stumbled over 100 pound bag
of coffee. He stopped and examined
the bag and while doing so, saw
man crossing the tracks with a box
on his shoulders. The man was
coming from freight car, the door
of which was open. and Mulligan
quietly slipped away in order to in
form the police.
The three Metuchen policemen
were notified as were the non.
patrolling marshals and the officers
set out for the scene of the suspect
ed robbery. Upon arriving there no
men were found but about ten large
boxes, bags and bales were found
laying on the ground, having been
carried across three tracks to Wood
bridge avenue, where 1t was evil
IDENTIFY the intention of the thieves
10 load UP the goods and make
away with it by automobile.
! The freight was westbound and
/ had been stopped for some unknown
reason in Metuchen. In addition TO
the bag of coffee which Mulligan
originally stumbled over. was an
other similar bag, two boxes OF tea,
two boxes of bon ami, one box OF
soap. and two or three'boxes of pam
cake -four. The tea was going from
the Grand Union Tea company's
Brooklyn office to Alleghaney. Pa.
Another consignment was for the
| Western Electric company, of Pitts
burgh. from the American Eveready
works. A bail containing bite
serge was going from the Wood
/ Worsted Mills. in Massachusetts,, 90
/ Storrs Sohaeffer, in Cincinnati.
The Pennsylvania railroad detec-
| tive Office at Jersey City was notified
and four detectives were sent to Me-
tuchen. These men came on an
express. the first stop of which Is
scheduled for Harrisburg. A spec
cal stop was made here, however.
in order TO bring the men to the
place as soon as possible. The goods
were sent back to Jersey City. fol-
lowing their investigation.
/ Some time between Saturday
night and 1880 o'clock this mornine :
the Office of the American Railway
Express Company, in the old post
| Office building, was broken into and
strong box stolen. Entrance was
gained by prying the bars off a rear
window. First reports were to the
! erect that the strong box had been
/ found near Camp Raritan. The box.
| however. was recovered by Chief
| Willard B. Hutchinson about four
blocks away from the express Office.
broken open but still containinc
several gold pieces. Contents
amounting to s35.7S had been stol-
en-. 1t Is believed the thieves open
! ed the box in the dark and seeing
the gold pieces thought they were
pennies and did not take them.
! \ Merrill Thompson is the agent
at the express office. He discovered
the robbery when he came to open
the office for business this morning.
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