Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-01-05
How Tuckerman, the Mail Eobber, was
 Datected


 The New Haven Register, 1st inst, gives the following particulars of the detection and arrest of Wm. s. Tuckerman, now in ial in that city under S20OOO bonds, on the charge of robbing the mails:
 A most important arrest took place in this city on Sunday evening, for extensive mail rob- berries, committed within few weeks past These robberies embraced the entire letter mail on several occasions, made up at Philadelphia, New Orleans and other points, for Boston; st 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 these alarming depredations were commltted--the management of the case having been placed in the hands of Mir. Holbrook, one ot the most experienced special agents. tsoon appeared that the missing mails were chiefly those which would go by the railroad route be- tween New York and Boston, on the Sunday night trains. After good deal of watching and efuilnvestigaton, it was believed that Spring field was one of the points selected by tho rob- Der for his bold operations, but it was not until Sunday night, the 22d ult that any discoveries were made at that locality. The trains from New ork and Boston meet there. and it was observed that the mail car from New York was sometimes left for few moments without lights or fastenings. On the night in question Mir. Holbrook and MT. Clark of the New York Post Office, were on the train, in disguise, on it's ar rival at Springfield and just as the lights were withdrawn from the baggage or mail car, took up their position therein near the mails, and ready for any emergency, naturally supposng that the robber, his deeds being evil, preferred darkness rather than light.
 A moments suspense. and footsteps were heard near the car and upon the platform. In an instant the door opened and the expected visitor entered and instantly struck match, ostensibly with which to light cigar, already "in position" but really, no doubt, to see if all was right. During the momentary light from the aforesaid match, il is difficult to determine 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 Gin tending to pass himself and companion of as bona .ide passengers, just stepping into the bag gage car for smoke) cooIy says to his assist ant, Tom, where's that good cigar you offered me?' To which Tom immediately responded by handing out the cigar. Before even this was accomplished the match had done its worst on both sides, the watchers and the watch ed. "Give me light, if you please" says Holbrook to the supposed mail robber, where upon the favor 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 of while 1t was Tn motion. To carry out the idea of being ordinary passengers, the rest of the company, joined by MT. Chapin, postmaster of Spring. field, had to continue on the train, believing that the object of the robber had been thwart- ed for that night at least, if, indeed, he had not been permanently alarmed. Not so how ever, for the New York letter pouch from Bos- ton was distracted that night, while the vigil ant officers were going east, towards Boston.
 Fully satisfied from this discovery that the employees of the railroad companies were in no way implicated, more rapid progress could now be safely made in ascertaining who this stranger could be, when, on comparing notes. the description answered well to that of per- son who had frequently passed over the route, endeavorlng, with too much success, to secure the confidence and favor of the conductor aud baggage men, particularly those on the Sunday night trains. No suspicion had arisen, how ever, as of course the loss of the mails were un- known to them, and yet it now appears his fre- Quent passage and unusual familiarity had been made the subject of some conversation. Fur ther eXertlons resulted i'll ascertainng 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 evening he arrived at the depot in Twenty Seventh street, but the special agent had'arrived before him, and taken position in ha bauu ha bao 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 saving that if he met a gentleman at Springfield, where the trains meet, he should return to New York that night "All right" said the baggage master, and the aforesaid trunk was placed by itself where it could readily be controlled by the final decision of its owner
 Before reaching Stamford he again appeared in the baggage car, where he was purposelv left alone for a few moments while wooding up," and the opportunity was improved by transferring the New Orleans mail pouch from It's proper place to the trunk of uncertain dest- nation. Becoming subsequently, alarmed at an unguarded vet trivial movement Of the con- ductor, and being left alone for a moment while the hands were breaking up," he as dexter- ously removed the deposits from the trunk back to their former position.
 The rest of the story can be told in few words. At the depot in this city MT. H. came out from his close quarters and at once arrested William $. Tuckerman as the author of all these bold mail robberies. Upon his person and in his valise were found the most over- whelming evidences that no mistake had been made in the man, and he was soon after con- mitted to jail.
 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 peculiar lock to admit of its being opened without the slightest incon- venience, 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 heaviness at another, after receiving the mails, should attract attention and lead to suspicion.
 His uniform and gentemanly department, and very respectable appearance, had prevent ed any suspicious among the hands as to the object of his unusual civlities and familiarity
 -and his fondness for smoking and liberal dis tribution of the best quality of cigars, had fur nished the pretext, and paved the way for often riding in the baggage car. It is hoped that the lesson taught in this instance, of the risk and impropriety of allowing outsiders in the cars provided for mails and baggage, will not be lost upon the managers and employees of New Eng land and other railroads.
 Notifications and Defences.