The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-02-09


easily have been Unidentified, and he would
preserve the accompanying docu-
ment with as much care as Job was ready 20
show to the book which he wished his sdver-
sarv to write!
Such interference as this, with an impor-
tant investigation, is never warranted by
any consideration whatever. The comman-
der of an army who has laid all his plans for
surprising an enemy, would feel under very
slight obligations to any offcious friend, who,
in his impatiencc 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. Secrecy is all important to the sue
cessiul issue of the plans that may he devils
ed and volunteer services, especially from
persons destitute Of experience, are quite as
likely to aid the criminal as to assist those
who are endeavoring to detect him.
This iis.re:sior has been made rincipa:-
y for the sake of protesting against such in
reference as that above mentioned, and OF
inducing others to abstain from similar un-
warrantable experiments.
Notwithstanding the uneasincss of our am
ateur detective officer, and the remarkable
skill displayed by him Gas he supposedly in
that capacity, considerable progress had al
ready been made by means much safer than
those which he adopted, If not more insen-
iouS.
There were but few points to which suspi-
cion could be reasonably directed. As there
were but few places where the stolen pack
ages would have ccntered Each of these
points was closely watched. \ section of
railroad. some thirty five miles in length, o.
yer which most of the robbed mails mus,
have passed, seemed, for time, to satisfy the
conditions OF the problem to be solved. bu,
this hypothesis was overturned bv the fact
that on one and the same night psckarc>
were taken from the mails which had passed
each other on this road, in opposite trains
on separate tracks and at Il high rate Of
speed.
The mail messengers cmIloved TO convr,
the mails to and from the several railroad d.
pots at central points, were carefully lookct
ai;er. but all appeared ri.h: anon. them
And as for the post Offices. there were mo-
more than two ont OF al! affected bv .hr nu
m"rous losses. through which half dozen G.
the lost letters would have passed.
There was, however. one man who had no
thus far been included in the investigation
chiefly because in the DISCHARGE of his or,li
nary duties as baggage master, at a ccntra
station or lnnc'ion where m,il-carricrs wer,
provided hy the railroad companies, he wa
not supposed to have even tvmrorar,
charge Of any of the mails But while watch
ing one OF the mail carriers on certain even
lnI. a. he WAS CONVEYING. number OF mail
from a cit, post oliire to the ears, the A.en
observed hm pla ing them in charge Of tn
aforesaid baggage master. prior to the ar,i
val OF the tram by which they were to b
forwarded.
A.ier they had thus been committed I, hi
custody. hr was seen to throw them careless
~ INTO ms Baggage room. and enter the room
closing the door behind him. After laps
OF several minutes, he CAME out, pied TN
bags upon barrow or baggage truck. an,
wheeled them 10 point upon the platform
oPpu>,t" which the approaching tram was I,
stop. he unnecessary operation OF plarin,
the ba.s lii the room, when the tram WI
nearly or I'Iitr due, was verv suspicion
circumstance. esp {, iaiy when taken in con
nectlon with the other movements of the ba :
gage master, and tI means of the tclcera,
the postmaster OF a ncinhborinr city was re
que>tcd 70 be present at the crcni"- OF th
nal, To 81" whether cortMn letter ~ Aa"r
arrived which Were known to hav, been i
the through nai. pouch tor his olcc that E
vcning. The reply vas, "opcnc,i mail NV
self no letters for this delivery"
An hour and Il halt had nov passed s;n,.
the tram had lett, ,..l if the m,iiS had bee
rlllcd N til. baggage room, sufficient tim
had zen offered the rchbcr to have concealc
or destroyed all t,c direct rroot OF his gull
nron tins OCCASION. Hence no open artlo
was then taken in view of the discover,
made. Besides, there was too much a
stake to warrant the incurrins Of any risk o
the strength o! these facts.
The following evening the movements OF
the suspected person were again watched, tn
A"en: having a better knowledge rcspcctin
the exact nature ard value of a portion o
the mail bays which were to be forwarded a
that time.
Upon this occasion, the train was 60
time and the carrier a little later than IL.
ual, SO the mails were placed directly upo
the barrow, and wheeled by the bagsag.
master to an obscure part Of the depot, NOR
remote from ObScr-a.'"n and less in tn
way OF passcrS. than whore they were carrie
the previous night. After rem ,ininc ther
a short time, he rolled the truck and its va
uatle load back to the usual spot, in read
ness for the train
The strange manTuvre Indicted still ar
other and boIder operation, but the probabii
tiles were that he had been foilcd in anv AT
tempt he night have designed to make, by
rerSon whom saw following him into hi
dark retrea: to make application for baggage
as supposed, for they both entered the bag
gage room. and soon came out, the strange
with valse in his hand. This conte temp
excited in my mind no very amiablc feeling
towards It's innocent cause, for had conclu,l
ed to bring the affair to a crisis at once
should the telegraph report anything miss
ing from the mails. But the dispatch re
ceived that evening, was "All right" whicl
confirmed my belief that my plans and thos,
of the baggage master had been frustrated b,
the stranger.
Another train from the opposite direction
and bringing mails for delivery at this point
were due at late hour, and as there had a!
so been losses from these mails, decided t.
wait and see what usage they received or
their arrival, which owing to heavy snow
drifts somewhere on the road, was delayed
till near midnight.
| When the train came in, and the baggage
was disposed of, the mails were all carried te
the baggage room instead of the post office
and, after putting out the gas-liehts about the
depot, the faithful baggage master returned
to his apartments.
Through small swinging window design