Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-02-28

suffered In the loss of drafts, &c, to the
amount of at least two hundred thousand
dollars, which scarcely business man in
either of the two or three cities within
range of the prevailing disorder, escaped
the vexations and often injurious conse-
quences of the depreciation then going on,
for the robber did not stop to select his
booty. Indeed, he could not have done
so, had he wished it, as the reader will
hereafter see.
An investigation of the case was ordered
by the Department, and carried on with
as much energy as prudence would per-
nit yet in the midst of it the robberies
continued unchecked. Hereupon some
Of the bank officers grew very impatient,
as the victim of depredations are apt to
do, if they are not acquainted with every
of narrowing down the investigation.
When had been on the train for near
ly week, one Of these gentlemen-an
excellent fnancier, but by no means pro-
foundly versed in the mysteries of human
nature-in his imprudent zeal to find out
something, took matters into his own
hands, and came near spelling all by
alarming the robber, without detecting
him. He prepared sort of decoy letter,
as he called it, well filled with tissue pa
per, about the size of bank notes, and his
tempting package he addressed to a
cashier to whom several of the missing
letters had been directed. This fell into
the hands of the robber, but the expert
ment was rendered harmless by the fact
stated by himself after his arrest, that he
never stopped 10 read or examine any
letters, except to ascertain whether they
contained money. 1t will never be known
probably, how much good advice the Grim
inal lost when he committed this tissue of
deception to the flames, for the worthy
cashier, in his wen-meant zeal, supplied
the place of bank-notes IN the decoy pack
age with what he doubtless considered of
more value, namely, moral lecture to
the delinquent, displaying in vivid colors
the folly and wickedness of his course,
and closing with the warning that if he
took that letter, he surely would be de-
tected! ,aa..
- The ingenuity and shrewdness of this
device cannot be too much admired. The
threat contained in the letter was SO well
calculated to throw the culprit off his
guard, that if he read it he would no doubt
have fallen an easy prey to such cunning
machination 1t was of course expected
by the deviser of this scheme that the
package would be preserved by the per
son who stole it, in order to afford the
evidence of crime! The pieces of tissue
paper could have easily have been inden-
titled, and lie would naturally preserve
the accompanying document with as much
care as Job was ready to show to the book
which he wished his adversary to write
Such interference as this, with an i'm
portant investigation, is never warranted
by any consideration whatever. The
commander Of an army who has laid all
his plans for surprising an enemy, would
feel under very slight obligations to any
oficious friend, who, in his impotence
and ignorance of the cause intended,
should alarm the foe by some hasty and
ill-advised attack.
Thus it is in the investigation to which
we refer. Secresy is all important to
the successful issue of the plans that may
be devised; and volunteer services, es-
pecially from persons destitute of expe-
rience, are quite as likely to aid the Grim
inal as to assist those who are endeavor.
ing to detect him.
This DEPRESSION has been made princi-
pally for the sake of protesting against
such interference as that above mention
ed, and of inducing other to abstain
from similar unwarrantable experiments
Notwithstanding the unesiness of oul
amateur detective officer, and the re.
markable skill displayed by him (as he
supposed) in that capacity, considerable
progress had already been made by means
much safer than those which he adopted
If not more ingenious. .
There were but few points to which
suspicion could be reasonably directed
as there were but few places where the
stolen packages would have centered
Each OF these points was closely watched
A section of railroad, some thirty-iye
miles In length, over which1most of the
roDoed mails must have passed, seemed
ior a time, to satisfy the conditions of the
problem to be solved, but this hypothesi:
was overturned by the fact that on one
-