Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-07-12
Astounding Post once Robbery = The
Thief secured-Foar Thousand Dollars


Thief secured-Foar Thousand Dollars
Recovered.
The most important arrest in the annals of
Post Office depredations ever brought to light in
this country was made in this city Saturday
morning last by Allan Pinkerton, Special Mail
Agent, assisted by Deputy Sheriff Buckley. The
thief was clerk in the Post Office in this city,
and was arrested in the street as he was going to
his breakfast He was thrown into CONSERVATION,
he turned as pale as ashes, and made effort To
threw away the money on his person, which was
prevented, and he was conveyed TO the Jail and.
searched.
The name Of the wretched young man is Theo-
dore +. Denniston. He is between % and 80
years of age, and unmarried. His brother, Perry
Denniston, was arrested for the same crime in
March last, and is now at liberty on bail for 3d.
500. The Dennistons are understood to be me-
phews Of Postmaster Cook, and if this is the case
their opportunity TO commit these depredations
upon the public is due to the relationship. Their
father lives in New Jersey, and the sons, upon
salary Of fire sir hundred dollars year, have
the credit Of having purchased and paid for
farm for him within the last year or two.
On arrestng Dennston, the officers went TO
his boarding house and searched his room. The
search was nearly concluded without finding any
trace of his crimes, when officer Pinkerton de-
cided to search infinitely, and took the pictures
down from the walls On removing the backs Of
several, bank bills to the amount Of 50, 1873 were
found concealed, most of which were of large
denominations. The money was distributed
follows: behind picture OF the Virgin Mary and
the immaculate Conception, 81 SOB; The High
land Lovers, 5000; The Indian Warrior, $1,000;
framed daguerreotype Of his mother, $500. In
his desk was Sl35, which, with that found on his
person, makes nearly four thousand dollars re-
covered.
w. J. Brown, General Agent of the Post Office
Department was in the city, and visited Denniston
in Jail. Upon being told OF the recovery Of the
money, he voluntarily confessed his crimes. He
says he had no accomplish, and that he never inn
parted his secret to any one, that ho did not COM
Ipence stealing letters until after the arrest of
his brother, whose duties in the Office were the
same as his own, and of course each had the
same opportunities. They were ''plers;" that
is, they arranged all the letters for distribution,
and had good opportunity to judge of the ma
ture Of their contents. lie states that he has
burned all the letters; that he never looked to
see who they were for, or from, and cannot fur
nish any aid in restoring the money to its right
owners. The greater part of it was taken III
small sums, although one letter gave him three
hundred dollars He has been in the habit Of
exchanging the money at the BANKS principally
for Eastern funds, and bills of large denomna-
ton. After taking the first package all fear and
conjunction of conscience was gone, and in
little while it became impossible for him to pass
a money package through his hands without
love Of money was before, and he has given full
freedom to his desires since the means ofgratify
ing them was easily obtained.
The United States courts meets to-day, and as
the case will go Immediately before the grand
jury no public investigation will take place until
the trial 1t is not likely that any bail can be
obtained this time to cheat the ends of justice.
The public will feel certain degree of COM
miseration for Denniston, and those to whom he
is intimately related, but that will not repress a
sensation of relief and qualification that the
villainy is at an end, for the complaints against
this office have been Of long standing. To Allan
Pinkerton is due all the credit of lie detection
We cannot attempt to enter into the detail of
the surveillance upon this man Denniston. Mail
depredations are the most difficult to ferret out
and the means of detection used for the other
Denniston would not answer tins one.
For three weeks Mr.. Pinkerton has scarcely
seen rerose in the devotion with which he has
followed up the criminal. Complaint after COM
plant poured into the department, and call after
call came from the department to Pinkcrton to
redouble his vigilance, until body and brain were
nearly exhausted. AS detective police officer,
MIR. Pinkerton has no superior, and we doubt if
he has any equals in this country. There is
danger Of expecting too much of his peculiar
talent and force, for suppose there is some
imposiblities in detection of villainy, even for
him Chicago Press, Juiy2