New-York tribune., 1921-02-27
Three Men i'm Midnight
Attack ON Jersey Troll
lev Routed by Bullets of
Passenger; One Is Shot
ALI Plead Guilty
TO Robbery Charge
Accused of 20 Offenses,
Including Raids at the
Baltusrol Golf Club

ELlLAbE I1s N. D.. req. Zo.--An un-
successful attempt to hold up a trolley
rar of the Morris County Traction
Company at midnight near Hillside re-
suited to-day in the arrest of three
men, one of them wounded in the
shoulder, who are suspected rot only
Of trying to hold up the trolley car,
bat of being members of gang which
has held up two trolley cars and
numerous motorists.
The prisoners are said to have con-
fessed trying to hold up the trolley
ear and to participating in at least
twenty hold-ups in Union County in
the last few weeks. According to Coun-
BY Detective Galatian, they admitted
taking part in the hold-up of several
automobile parties near the Baltusrol
Coli Club recently, in the course of
which Robert S. Huse, a New York at
torney, was shot in the arm.
Prisoners Plead Guilty
The three prisoners pleaded guilty to
charges of highway robbery when ar
| fbtEHcQ POltSC SOA1S iiCiC tO-iA6hSs
and had no reply to make when County
Prosecutor Walter l.. Hetfield read
list of fifteen hoId-ups committed in
the last three months in this county in
which he asserted they had taken part.
Prosecutor Hetfeld said he had OBJ
tanned written confessions from. all
three involving them in all the impor-
tsnt highway robberies from which
Union County has suffered in the last
three months. They were held without
bail tonight, and the Prosecutor will
arraign them in County Court Monday.
at is probable,' ne said, that they
will waive Indictment and be sentenced
torthwith.'
The arrests were due to the fact
that Carl Schmidling, passenger on
1.-The trolley car, carried revolver and
began to blaze away at the highwaymen
|e soon as they stopped the car.
/ l@hmidling is instructor in physical
naming in the public schools in Sum-
ait, N. j., and lives in Elizabeth. In
hsl7, while he was in the Elizabeth
EAyA School, he was picked as q mem
beroi the AllNew Jersey football team.
Caught by Posses
The three men were arrested by one
0f the numerous posses of policemen
and members of vigilance committees
which began to scour the countryside
as soon as the alarm was given. They
said they were Martin Shannon, of
Rosele Park, N. J.; Charles D. Krebs,
of Kenilworth, N. j., and his brother.
John Krebs, of Roselle Park.
They were arrested at 5 q. m. at the
home Of Charles Krebs, who had bull
I let wound in his shoulder. The posse
jgisited his home because a physician
! bad been called there to attend man
Shannon were found with him. The
beth Hospital and the others were
locked up in the Union County Jail
here.
The place where they were arrested
Il about eight miles from the bridge
On which the Lehigh Valley Railroad
tracks cross the Morris County Trac-
4ton Company tracks, where the high
waymen laid their ambush. They had
placed plank across the trolley wires
50 as to throw the trolley off when the
tar went under the bridge.
Several Women on Car
AZ soon as the car came to step,
oil its lights extinguished, two men
ganped on the rear Platform and q
snlrd made for the front platform.
There were more than a score of pas
3sengers in the car, some of them
women. Harvey Smith, conductor of
the ear, who had been cropping for the
alroliey rope, jumped inside and slammed
tne door and locked it. William Lee,
tae motorman, followed the same tac-
I 'lgs on the front platform.
4 "0pen up there, or I'll shoot" yelled
4 sne OF the robbers on the rear plat
4 tvtn, hammering on the door with the
putt Of his revolver.
. ;, Everybody duckl" advised Schmid-
thg, the militant passenger, as he drew
MS revolver and began shooting.
ny his second shot the man at the
aOof fell back exclaiming, "I'm shot,
se. me out Of this!"
assisted by his companion he scram-
/ .ie .ae tracks, where they were Joined by
sae man who had made for the motor
@ahs platform. The next moment
syoiyer was discharged by one of them
sNu the bullet crashed through q win
uow Of the car.
everybody in the car by this time
1 Sas prostrate on the floor. For several
4 7t.nates the reports of revolvers were
gseafa' diminishing with increasing dis
ssnee and at intervals windows were
fssttered by the bullets. AS soon as
as aM shooting ceased Schmidling and an
ff,aer Passenger, Michael Murphy, of
mon, mon, n. j., started to trail the high
Trail Marked by Blood Spots
s,y .aey found a splotch of blood on the
ssss ss near the rear step, and noticed
Io Ief stains Of crimson as they fol-
s@eu the trail of the three men north
frUa ,om the track. Fifty yards or 80
ann ym the track they found stalled
jaS jasSt0mobiie, but the blood-stained trail
hsla On n and Schmidling and Murphy
Bm Bl,.,lss lsd them along the Green Lane in
aaa'sue aaa to shed near barn, about
kss, 9afas from where the hold-up had
''a attempted. There they lost it.