MILLTOWN, June 28-Preparations are being made for the erection of a new Raritan River Railroad station near as the present one is far from being adequate since so many of the employees of the Michelin Tire Company, the Russell Playing Card Company and powder works employees make use of this line to get back and forth to their work.
It is proposed to build an up-to-date station in every respect in order that there will be sufficient room for an office as well as a waiting room.
The present structure will be torn down and while the work is being done the office force will make themselves comfortable in a baggage car which has been provided for the convenience and equipped for an office.
Chester Okerson Made a Flying Trip to Newark for Russell Card Co.-Mr. Russell Made the Best Guess of His Time -Gone 1 Hour and 55 Minutes.
MILLTOWN, June 19. Chester Okerson, receiving and shipping clerk for the Willis W. Russell Card Company, recently purchased an Indian motorcycle. He makes frequent trips via Pennsylvania Railroad to Newark for the purpose of purchasing internal revenue stamps for the Russell cards. On Friday he decided to use his motorcycle.
He left the National Bank of New Jersey with a certified check at 9.10 a. m. for the internal revenue office on Broad street, Newark.
After he had left the card plant here, and without his knowledge, a pool, guessing the time of his return, was made by the managers of the concern, as follows:
Willis W. Russell, 11.55 a. m.; John W. Dickinson, 11.53 a. m.; Charles Durham, 11.45 a. m. Mr. Okerson arrived at Milltown at 12.05, and would have made Mr. Russell’s time had not the draw on the Albany street bridge been open. Mr. Russell won, and Mr. Okerson beat the Pennsy by one hour and a half.
The North Brunswick “school day” was held at Parson’s Grove on Saturday afternoon.
Public School To Not Reopen Till Jan. 7, To Conserve Coal
MILLTOWN, Dec. 24-Christmas exercises were held in the individual class rooms of the Milltown public school on Friday afternoon which marked the closing of the local institution until Monday, January It was originally intended to reopen the school on the 3rd, but since their action by the School Board, official notice from the fuel administrator has been received to the effect that the school shall not be reopened until the 7th, with a view to conserving coal.
Vesper Service This Afternoon Christmas vesper service was held at the German Reformed Church yesterday afternoon at 4 o’clock. A special choir, the best talent of the town, rendered selections.
Milltown, As Usual, Goes Over Top.
Milltown again went over the top in the Red Cross drive waged in the borough during the past week, securing a large percentage over her allotment. The quota for the borough was placed at $800, but in addition to this, there were hundreds of subscriptions taken in the Michelin Tire Co. plant and Russell Card factory that brought this number considerably over and above the number set.
Milltown was divided into 16 districts, and an army of 50 or more willing workers canvassed each home. The workers are to be congratulated upon the enthusiasm and good spirit which prevailed throughout the campaign, and by which the exceptionally good results were obtained.
While it was originally suggested that all members place a candle behind their window display card on Christmas Eve, this idea has been abandoned at the request of the fire insurance underwriters, owing to the hazardous possibility of such action “Better Prepared for Next Drive.” 1 With a view of being still better 1 prepared in distributing the district 8 for the next drive the canvasser each reported back to the general committee in this drive the number of houses and families in each district, by which means those in charge will be better enabled to equalize the work in the future.
Milltown Mission Notes.
Today is the Vigil of Christmas and is a fast day. The Sisters of St. Peter’s Hospital have given the Mission the stations of the Cross An organ has also been given to the church for Christmas by Mrs. Celestine Haefner, of Riva avenue
A choir is going to be started and all those desiring to join should give their names to Mrs. Mary Kopetz (Dee Zenewich). Mass will be held on Christmas Day at A. M.
The Red Cross will meet on Thursday of this week.
Miss Helen Emens has accepted a clerical position at the Michelin office.
Frederick Wagner, of New York fs visiting his mother, Ms. K Wagner, of Main street,
“Sailor” Voorhees Is Captured With Watson In Daring Attempt to Rob Milltown Bank; Knocked Unconscious by Bullet; Two Escape
Force Way Into Vault But Abandon $3,000 in Silver When Surprised by Posse
Local Man Charged with Long Series of Crimes Captured by Posse – Bandits Fail to Get Bank Loot – Planned to Rob Post Office.
Frank “Sailor” Voorhees of this city, sought for nearly two years by the police of New Brunswick and a dozen other cities, was captured last night with a companion. Walter Watson. of Melrose, Mass., in an attempt to rob the First National Bank of Milltown. Two other men who were with them managed to escape.
Voorhees and Watson, who first gave his name as Clifford Jackson of New York, were captured after a top chase by a posse of citizens hastily gathered by Mayor Christian Kuthlthau of Milltown after Herman Willenbrock, a nightwatchman at the Michelin Tire Co. plant, had reported the robbers at work. In attempting to scale the wall in front of the bank, Voorhees was struck a glancing blow in the head by a bullet and was knocked unconscious. He was seized as he fell to the ground and Watson was captured at the same time. The two other men escaped through the rear of the bank property along Lawrence brook and eluded their pursuers there.
The robbery occurred at about midnight last night. Shortly after even o’clock an automobile, without lights, and said to contain four men and a woman, was seen proceeding along Main street, Milltown, in the direction of the bank. The car was seen by a group of young men in front of the Michelin Community House, but little attention was paid to it. The car turned into John street and stopped there.
Some time later when Night Watchman Herman Willenbrock was making his rounds of the Michelin plant the bank being located in one of Michelin buildings he saw a man standing in a doorway opposite the bank. As Willenbrock passed the man whistled, and Willenbrock saw another man inside.
Posse Called Out.
Instead of attacking the men. Willenbrock at once informed Head watchman Charles Beecher. The latter got in touch with Mayor Christian Kuhlthau of Milltown, who immediately went to the bank, gathering a posse of about forty men, armed with rifles, shotguns and revolvers, on the way. So quick were they that they reached the bank within ten minutes after the alarm was given.
The robbers apparently had not, paid much attention to the watchman, for they were still in the bank when the posse approached. The posse closed in from all sides in an attempt to surround the robbers, but their eagerness to get Voorhees and Watson the other men eluded them.
Several volleys were fired at the escaping robbers, but apparently, the only one that took effect was the shot that hit Voorhees. It passed through his derby hat and glanced along the top of his head.
Voorhees was picked up and caried into the bank office. Dr. Riva was immediately summoned, but before he completed his examination of the man Voorhees came to and was able to sit up. Both prisoners were brought to New Brunswick and were lodged in the county jail.
County Detective John Ferguson was summoned from New Brunswick and began an investigation of the case at once.
The car which the men had used was found on John street and was seized and brought to New Brunswick by Detective Ferguson and Superintendent Robert Matlack of the Russell Playing Card Co. No trace could be found of the woman said to have been with the party and Voorhees and his companion denied that any woman had been with them.
“Sailor” Voorhees
Broke Into Vault.
It was found that the robbers had forced an entrance into the bank by wrenching a bar from a rear window and that they then dug a hole about a foot square through the brick wall of the bank vault, but. they were unable to force the safe inside the vault in which most of the money was contained.
A bag containing $3,000 to silver was found in the yard in the rear of the bank, apparently handed out by one of the men but abandoned when they were surprised.
All the safe deposit boxes in the vault had been opened and their contents scattered around, but it was impossible for bank officials to say whether anything had been taken from these or not, and it was reported that $2,400 in Liberty Bonds had been secured. Bank officials said that nothing else had been taken and they were not sure whether these bonds were secured or not.
Voorhees was quite willing to talk after his arrest and said that he had planned this to be his “last trick” and that if he had been given five minutes more he would have escaped. He said that it had also been planned to rob the Milltown post office.
A man was said to have been seen loitering around the post office last night. He also declared that it had been planned to take the loot to Trenton by automobile and then go back to New York by train.
Long Wanted Here.
Voorhees has long been a thorn in the sides of police and county officials here and has been suspected of being the ringleader in half a dozen holdups and robberies. He is wanted by the county detectives for the two Wolfson robberies, the attempt to rob Tepper Brothers, the holdup of the Hanover Shoe Store, and robberies of Houghton and Strauss, S. Spitz, Stewart and Clayton, in New Brunswick, the local Y. M. C. A. and Sol Rubenstein’s at Perth Amboy.
He is also wanted in New Bedford, Mass., where he broke Jail on July 30 last, New Rochelle, Peekskill and White Plains, N. Y., and Elizabeth and Plainfield in this State. Watson is also wanted in New Bedford.
The men have been in New York for some time, they said, and Voorhees declared this morning that on one occasion he escaped from a house there just as County Detective. Fred David entered.
Detective David has taken up the chase of the two men who escaped end hopes to have them in custody shortly. He refused to talk in reference to the statements made by the men.
It is not known yet whether Voorhees and Watson were implicated in the Stillman and Woolworth robberies, but these are being carefully investigated.
Alfred S. Puerschner, warden of the county jail, took no chances on letting his prisoner escape and he remained on guard himself all night, at the jail. Special precautions are being taken to safeguard the prisoners.
Russell Playing Card Co. at Milltown Gives Employees Shorter Hours
The Russell Playing Card Company needs no introduction to the public, especially to New Brunswick people. Their employees receive consideration in so many ways and such a high standard is maintained for them that this company has won a well deserved reputation for being a splendid one to work for, as the 200 employees there, mostly girls, will testify.
For a long time It has been the custom of this company to furnish hot coffee to employees, and rubbers and umbrellas to the girls on rainy days, and recently they have issued cards announcing new rules that will Interest and please their employees, in regard to shortening the hours of work, though no reduction in wages will follow.
The president of the Russell Playing Card Company, Mr. Benjamin Rosenthal, of New York, is a man with progressive ideas and the ability to carry them out. This is well demonstrated by the fact that in the eight years of Mr. Rosenthal’s management of the Russell company it has grown constantly and surely into one of the leading independent playing card industries of the country.
This is the notice just issued to their employees by the Russell company:
Beginning Monday, October 18, the hours of employment will be 7.45 a. m. to 12 noon, and from 12.43 noon to 5.30 P.M. Saturdays, from 7.45 a. m. to 12.45 noon.
There will be no reduction In wages. The same wages will be paid for this shorter work day as we are now paying for the present one.
Bonus systems are being installed In all departments as far and as rapidly as possible. In reducing the hours of employment without any decrease in wages, the management hopes all employees will be stimulated to greater effort, so that production may be increased and greater efficiency manifested throughout.
