New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-01-17
gqw Orleans DAILY Grestent,
NFeumstantiai Evidence "A Singular Train
of Events and their Result.
From the Detroit Free Press, Dec. IA.


Circumstantial evidence has convicted more
than half the criminals who are now Justly suffer-
ing the penalties Of the law.
more remarkable case of tracing out the Grim
lnal by circumstances than that which led to the
arrest of young Sullivan, the postoflice robber,
whose capture was announced in the Free Press
OF yesterday morning, we have never met with.
II seems almost provdentia but yet there was
nothing out of the usual course of events only the
several links ilt the chain were exposed to view,
connected palpably with each other and leading
straight from the crime to the criminal
On the 5th or 9Th Of Julay last an old French
near the mouth of the Rasin river picked up a
little package which had been washed ashore by
the waves. He opened it, and found it to contain
documents OF whose nature he was wholly igno-
, rant being unable to read word of English. He
dried it carefully and took it home. His wife and
children were equally unable as himself to divine
the contents. He then became possessed of the
idea that the package contained documents of
great value, perhaps deeds of houses and lands,
which would make him at once millionaire.
Being somewhat superstitious, he believed that he
was providentially led to the discovery of this
mysterious treasure, and that he must keep it a
secret until Providence should disclose to him how
he was to come into full possession of hisriches.
For long time he kept the package concealed
In his house, but finally becoming tired of waiting
for mysterious disclosures, he took 1t to an at
torney at Monroe, having first enjoined secresy.
The attorney discovered at once that the sup
posed package Of debts and mortgages was moth
ing but package of letters that had been thrown
into the lake by some person who probably
wished to destroy them. A further examination
disclosed to him that it was a regular pOstofice
package sent from New York to Detroit, and con-
tanning only registered letters, all of which had
been opened and deprived of their contents, ex.
cept one $50 check which the thief evidently dared
not take, lest it might lead to his detection. Salts
flying the covetous finder that the contents of the
package were not what he supposed them, but old
letters of no value to him, the lawyer brought it
at once to the Detroit pOstoffice. -''fT
This was the first and not least mysterious link
in the chain of evidence which finally bound the
guilty man tight. Then commenced the grouping
for other links. 1t was taken for granted that the
package was thrown oberboard from some passing
steamer. As the regular lake steamers do not
pass in that vicinity, it must have been an excur.
sion steamer. 1t was found on the 9Th or 9Th of
July: evidently, then, the personw who threw it into
the lake must have been a passenger on Fourth
Of July excursion. This settled, the next point
was to find out which of the postoffce clerks par
tcipated in the excursion down the lake. BY re-
ference to the list Of passengers it discovered
that only two of them were on board. Here was
the whole thing narrowed down to point.
But which of the two men was the criminal? The
most difficult part of the whole case was reached
Which should be arrested and on what evidence
, could he be convicted? The two men were mar
rowly watched, until finally suspicion was aroused
against Sullivan He was arrested and with what
result is already known. The contents of the riied
letters were found in his possession to the amount
of nearly s2500 Other valuables were also found.
One gold watch, which was mailed at New York,
to gentleman in Milwaukee, and could be traced
to the Detroit postofice but no further, found
in the same trunk. A quantity of gold pens which
had been deposited here, found their destination
in the same trunk. He had carried on a systematic
course of thieving for long time, and with sngu-
lar economy had carefully preserved his treasures
to answer as witness against him. So conclusive
was the evidence that he made clean breast of
the whole thing, pleaded guilty on his examination
and was remanded for sentence. Under the law
the lightest sentence that can be passed upon him
is ten years in the State prison.