Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-02-02
Tuckerman's Case.

The examination Of Tuckerman, the mail rob-
Der, was concluded in New Haven, on Saturday,
before Commissioner Ingersoll.
James Holbrook, special n all agent, was ex-
amined at length, his evidence relating to the
fact that certain mails having been dispatched
on certain occasions from certain points, and
which never came to hand that on such occa-
sions Tuckerman was on the trains, and In and
out Of the mail car, and was finally caught under
circumstances that can leave no doubt that he
had pursued a systematic course of mail rob-
berry.
The particulars Of the arrest, as given by Mr.
II are interesting. He says:
Con Sunday night, the goth, / was again on the
train from New York had arranged with Hoyt
the superintendent, and French, the Conductor, ,
TO be secreted in the closet in the bappape-car:
was in the closet with the KEY inside, more than
half an hour before the train left, and continued
there until the train arrived at New Haven; on
sunday p m, i arranged the mails in the New
York Post Office for the evening trains I found
ready TO go forward mail from New Orleans
one from w ashington, one from PHILADELPHIA
and one from BaltimOre-all for Boston, one from
New York to each Springfield, Worcester and
Boston j took out the mail matter from the Bal
timore bag and place d it in the Philadelphia bag,
e1e Sl one M puI5y package which put in anoth
bag will hold about a bushel ! One Of them
the New Orleans) was less than half full and
was LEFT OF convenient size to carry OF; the
n
utes after got into the closet trunk was showed
In; John, the baggage-man, inquired where il was
10 CO. some one replied, 1T Is mine wi tell Won
you need not mark 1t; in moment after the
deieGdantgot into the baggage-car, and told John
ne DID not know how far he would 90 that mig hit
ana IL ne met person he expected at Springfield
ne would return that night; he then lighted a
cigar and gave the baggage-master one and It
commenced reading newspaper; he remained
In the car until the we took steam powe. and
then went into passenger car; saw nothing
more OF him until we got within two or three
miles from Stamford he came in and Law down
upon the mail bags; he stayed there until we
nearly reached New Haven; at Stamford. the
otner persons In the car left for about five min
utes; Tuckerman remained the lights were
removed the car was very still while they were
out; 1.-THE prisoners trunk was now shown: IL is a
large, plain, black trunk; j as the car was
oark heard steps across the car, and the rafting
OF the staples and locks of a mail bag and heard
fdll, as OF something dropping into trunk and
Gediu trunk SHUT then steps again toward
the mail bags, and another Iattling of locks
tne car was after that still until the persons who
had LETT IL returned; after the light was brought
BACK Tue herman was then lying on the mails;
saw this through a crack in the partition: inst
before arriving at New Haven saw defendant
al the trunk taking out mailbag; ii was the
New Orleans bag, for Boston, doubled in his Left
nandj ne went toward the pile Of mails where
ne had been lying; after moments hesitation I
went out into the car, told Tue keIman believ q
ne was The man who had got my pocket book;
ne said be had not been in the passenger car
since be left Stamford Just then he told the BAG
gage master TO go for French: he said he knew
French, aud French knew who he was; after
got the handouts on him, told the crowd he
was a mail rObber, and had been carving il ON
Tor some time; TuckeIman said nothing; / took
him and bis trunk to the conductors room in
depot when there, said to T"ckerman: "this
is serious business; yOur robberies of the mails
nave been very extensive, and have been on
your track Two or three weeks; the amount of
1Iaits and other aluable enclosures taken from
those mails have been very large and the d ST
thing Tor me TO know is whether You can make
restitution Of the valuable contents of these let
Ieisi as feaf that in some cases the endorsers
Will De lost Tue herman looked at me earnestly,
and said = is this Mr.. HOlbrook;', | said YES
ana asked him IL he knew me; he said no. but
knew all about nae;'' he then said he wished he
knew who be was talking to; I asked him what
be meant; he said he would like 10 know inst
now much control had in these matters and
tnat In case all said was true, and he could re-
store the stolen property, or any considerable
par OF u, what could he done; | told him !
could make no bargains with him. but that il he
made restitution, would what influence
had with the District Attorney and Postma Ster
General to make the penalty as LIGHT Az nossibJe
reminding hin that the Court could send him 10
Sta'e Prison two or ten years for each offence
NJ. Tdckerman's counsel claimed that three of
the four counts against him must I've set aside as
the Government cannot fix upon the place where
the robbery took place, nor designate the iuEis-
diction that las co.nizancr Of the offence Il is
clear that the mails were robbed four times be-
A"- NC" ioiA anu Springfield but in three
cases ar. HoloTook identifying the spot where
one OF them took place. the question arises, did
the robbery take place In the state Of New York
Connecticut or Massachusetts, This is an inter
esting question, Is the robbery took place on the
cars whrl they were going at theSate of 40 miles
an hour. Perhaps some further legislation will
be necessary In order that mail robberies on the
cars may be placed within the Jurisdiction from
whence the mails start, or through which they
pass
Tuckerman waived any further examination,
ana was ordered TO be held In $50 OOO for trial on
the fourth Tuesday OF February. In default Of
Dali ne was committed 10 Jail. The indictment
against MN charges four distinct mail robberes,
and contains thirty-si1 counts.