The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-11-04
THE POST-OrFICE ROBBERY.
BY A BOW. STREET OFFICER.

! am an old man now, and though my
life has been fall of adventures, some ot a
rather odd, aud some of hazardous des-
crIplon, il is very little that has been said
about them. IL was not near SO much the
fashion in my lime, as il is now, TO let ali
the world know how the secret aud silent
machinery Of justice did its business. We,
whose function il was to work out the retri-
button due to crime, kept our own counsel.
and made no more revelations than we
we're obliged to ::iake. We had not the
means aud facilities that latter times have
afforded 10 our successors. Railways ex-
lsled only in the brains Of projectors and
| spectators, whom tho wise world looked
upon Us msdmen; and the electric tele
graph bad not even got SO far as to be
| laughed at. which have ob>er7ea is gen
orally the first step forward of all great
discoveries, So, as ] said, we kept our
own counsel, and made up, as far as we
could, by secrecy. cunning aud stratagcm,
Tor The want ot better tools to work with
Filly years ago thiet-taking had not grown
tn,o a science, and there was then much
more uncertainty in The practice even o.
sciences than there is at present. Still,
We did not let all the rogues escape Us and
| am given 10 understand they are not all
caugh, even now. In depreciation Of the
present fashion Of decrS ing us old fellows
who are laid upon the shelf, perhaps may
| be allowed 10 present the reader with "A
shor, sample Of my own experience, which
will show that we did something, at any
rate, towards the capture and punishment
or offenders
|, is now between thirty and forty years
ago, tha, tradesman, in large way oi
business in the city OF Bath, inclosed in Il
lvefy corpuient letter, directed to whole
sale house in London, a heavy sum Of
money, amounting, if recuIeci right, ,o
ia,le short oi $4,000 in Bank OF England
notes. The letter, which was posted BY
the tradesman himself, never reached llS
destination. No trace OF it could be dis
covered, upon inquiry at the post offices,
either IN Bah, or London but IL was tonnd
chat, before ans investigation had been set
on foot, some days having unavoIdab'N
elapsed ere any suspicion ot robbery occur
red, The whole Of the stolen notes had been
passed in London, and most of them had
tuunG their way TO the cash boxes o! differ
cut bankers. To me was assigned tn"
ask OF seeming out the trail OF The th'ef;
tud immediately set about the business.
though must confess. with very iudlier'
leu, hope OF success The notes had, as
soon became aware, all been changed bN
me person. s. that there was probably II"
lconiederate in the crime. aud consequent
I, less chance Of discovery. The descrlp-
ions given by the different persons who
HAD changed the notes OF the person who
4 had paid them away, though they varied
VERY much ia many particulars, as descrip-
lions of persons always do, vet Tailed in
one respect: they all described him as q
merry, viyacious, gentleman'y man, OF
about thirty five years Of age, and little
under the middle size. In one place.
moreover, where he had changed a hun
Idred-pound note to pay for a green striped
silk dress, he was accompanied by lady,
Iyoung, tall, sprightly, but not handsome. -
The young shopman at the draper's IN Ok,
ford-street, who gave me this clue, added
further, that he thought the lady was DC
stranger to town, she having been to the
shop since alone for ribbons to match the
silk, and that perhaps she might be met
with without much trouble. | though, so
too, and, furnished with n pattern OF silk
ffom the same piece, commenced prow
which continued day and night In all
likely and unlikely localities, endeavorIne
10 match my pattern upon the dresses 0!
young ladies stall, sprighlly, bu, not hand
some."
MY exer,ions were not without reward
f found the lady, habited, as expected, ii
the green.slriped sik--but was no nearer
TO the thief than before. She was the
daughter OF a woman who kept lodging
house in Plccadilly. The person who hao
changed the notes was lodger, who hae
: staid in town for few days only--wh'
had appeared to take = particular pleasure
in her socely--had induced her, with he
: parents consent, to accompany him IN
n round of sight seeing--had treated he
very handsomely, and purchased for he'
several trinkets and the dress in question
lle had given out that he was on his wa,
to France; hut this soon discovered wa
IT nothing but blind, since he had never ap
piled for passport in London, and coul,
? meet with no trace of him at Calais G
'R,nlorne where he might have obi ains