The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-25 00:00:00

DrE C E ATIVE R 2 5 1 8 5" 1.

At the time she spoke to me I was dull, and she was
sitting on the floor, and she suddenly began to Fay some•
thing to me. She told me all she had to say, and I put
some qoestions to her afterwards.
By Mr. Iferiot—She is an intelligent child, and has
an excellent memory.
Cross-examined by Mr. Moncrieff—l never snibbed
Agnes' door inside, and cannot speak as to the kind of
lock. My sister's feet and face were swollen. Janet
slept with me before and after the Sunday.
The Lord Justice Clerk complimented the witness on
the clear and intelligible way she bad given her evidence.
After some further evidence of a c )mparatively unim-
portant nature, the court adjmirned till the next day.

The jury appointed to inquire into the origin of the
accident which occurred at the Ou-e Vitriol Works at

TIE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT NEAR lIOTVDEN. yon,, concrete. A. T erefs(pd fel- Mr. Gtt:er had a
o! 22 feet in diameter, but the foundathin of the
chimney shouid have been Etronw,r on acconn, ..f its
greater solidity. Would prefer a concrete ft,ondation
under ad circumstances, whatever the nature of th, soil.
Carter's tower has never given way ; it is about GO feet.
high ; concrete should not. contain stones of greater size
than 2 inches cube. When a ch4iney is observed
giving way when near completion, the proper wsy world
be, in my opinion, to rectify it or take it down. Did z
hear of any of the workmen refusing to go to work On
the day of the accident.
The inquest as again adj turned on Wednesday
evening till Monday next.
Mr. Leeman and Mr. Carter watched the proceedings
on behalf of Mr. Auderton, jun., pinprietor of the
works ; Mr. Stead, on behalf of Mr. Wilde, who under-
took the rectification of the chimney ; and Mr D.iwlby,
on behalf of the widows of three of the dectwi(d.

THE AMERICAN MAIL ROBBER.

The _Newhaven Register gives full particulars of
the detection and arrears of William S. Tucker-

man :

A most important arroet took place in this city on
Sunday evening, for extensive mail robberies committed
within a few weeks past. These robberies embraced the
entice letter mail on several occasions made up at Phila.
delpbia, New Orleans, and other points, for Boston, at
least one mail from Boston for New York, and several
others of less importance. The officers of the Post-office
department, it seems, have been secretly on the alert
to ascertain where and by whom the alarming depreda-
tions were committed, the management of the case
baying been placed in the hands of Mr. Holbrook,
one of the most experienced special agents. It soon
appeared that the missing mails were chiefly those
which would go by the railroad route between New
York and Boston in the Sunday night trains. Alter
a good deal of watching and careful investigation it
was believed that Springfield was one of the points
selected by the robber for his boll operations,
but it was not known until Sunday night, the 22d ult.,
that any discoveries were made at that locality. The
trains from New York and Boston meet there, and it
was observed that the mail car from Now York was
sometimes left for a few moments without lights or fas-
tenings. On the night in question Mr. Holbrook and.
Mr. Clark, of the New York Post-offiee, were on the
train, in dieguise, on its arrival at Spring,field, and just
as the lights were withdraw,' from the baggage or mail
car, took up their position therein near the mails, and
ready for an emergency, naturally supposing that the
rubber, his deeds being evil, preferred darkness rather
than lignt. A roomettes euspeeee, and foot-tees were
beard near the car and uperi the platierin. In au in-
4a,rit the dtier opened, and the expected visitor entered
and in-tanily struck a match, ostensitev with which to
light a cigar, already "in po=ition," but really, no
doubt, to see if all was right. During the momentary
light from the aforesaid match, it is difficult to deter•
mine which had the advantage, Uncle Sam's men or
the lucifer match adventurer ; but, believing that
the latter would have the best of it unless something'
was done speedily (Holbrook intending to pass himself
and companion off as bona fide passengers just stepped,
into the baggage car for a "smoke"), coolly says to his
assistant, "Tom, where's that good cigar you offered
me?" To which Torn immediately responded by hand-
ing out the cigar. Before even this was accomplished the
match had done its worst on both sides, the watchers
and the watched. " Give me a light, if you please," says
Holbrook to the supposed mail robber, whereupon the
favour was instantly granted, and both were smoking
away, thus far equally in the dark. Presently the train
began to move, and the stranger moved too, jumping off
while it was in motion. To carry out the it el of being
ordinary passengers, the company, joined by Mr. Chapin,
postmaster of Springfield, had to continue in the train,
believing that the object of the robber had been thwarted
for that night, at least, if indeed he had not been per-
manently alarmed. Not so, however ; for the New York
letter-pouch from Boston was abstracted that night.
while the vigilant officers were going east towards Boa
ton. Fully satisfied from this discovery that the em.
ployes of the railroad companies were in na way impli-
cated, more rapid progress could now be safely made in
ascertaining who the stranger could be, when on com-
paring notes the description answered well to that of
a person who had frequently passed over the route,
endeavouring, with too much euccesse to secure the
confidence and favour of the conductor and baggage-
men, particularly those on the Sunday night trains. No
suspicion has arisen, however, as of course the loss of
the mails was unknown to them, and yet it now appears
his frequent passage and unusual familiarity had been
made the subject of some conversation. Further exer-
tions resulted in ascertaining the name and locality of
this agreeable traveller, and a close watch was set
upon all his movements, and every preparation made
for his detection if he repeated the robberies. Just
before the train left New York on last Sunday even-
ing he arrived at the depot, in Twenty-seventh-street,
but the special agent had arrived before him and taken
a position in the baggage or mail car, where he could
both hear and see without being seen or heard. On this
occasion, as had often happened before, the baggage of
the suspected party consisted of a large trunk, which he
declined to have marked for any particular point, saying
that if be met a gentleman at Springfield, where the
trains meet, he should return to New York that night.
" All right," says the baggage-master, and the afore-
said trunk was placed by itself, where it could be rest-
dily controlled by the final dec'teion of its owner. Before
reaching Stamford he again appeared in the baggage-
car, where he was purposely left alone for afe iv moments
while "wooding-up," and the opportunity was improved
by transferring the New Orleans mail ponce from its
proper place to the trunk of uncertain destination. Be-
coming subsequently a'arrned at an unguarded yet trivial
v illeernete nwt
hoi ht
thee ehoannddusc two r:r ae bb
:jerk
i lnegft
uapl e forbe aas
dexterously removed the deposits from the trunk back to
their former position. The rest of the story can be told.
in a few words. At the depot in this city, Mr. Hol-
brook came out from his close quarters, and at once
arrested Wm. S. Tuckertnan as the author of all these
bold mail robberies. Upon hie person and in his valise
were found the most overwhelming evidences that no
mistake had been made in the man, and he was soon
after committed to gaol. The trunk referred to and
its fixtures bear the strongest proofs of having been
prepared for the illegal purposes to which it was put
on this occasion, having a peculiar lock to admit of its
being opened without the slightest inconvenience or
noise of a key, and the valise which was found
inside containing heavy iron weights, lest the
lightness of the trunk at one point and the heaviness
at another, after receiving the mails, slieud attract
attention and lead to suspicion. His uniform and gen.
almanly deportment and very respectable appearance
had prevented any suspicion among the hands as to the
object of his unusual civilities and familiarity, and fonds
ness for emoting and liberal distribution of the best
quality of cigars had furnished the pretext and paved
the way fur often riding in the baggage-car. It is hoped
that the lesson taught of the risk and impropriety of al-
lowing outsiders in the cars provided for mails and bag-
gage, wi'l not be lost upon the managers and employes
of New England and other railroads.
The prisoner was formally brought before the United
States' Commissioner, C. R. Ingersoll, yesterday, and hie
hail fixed at 20,000 dots. his examination has nut yet
taken place.
Tuckerman is about 35 years of age, and he was for-
merly trea'urer of the Boston and Maine Railroad
Company. He has an estimable wife residing in New
York.—Nett/ York. Times, Dec. 3.