The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-01-09
THE MAIL ROBBERY.
Examination before the u. 3.
Commissioner.
A Strong Case.
THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS
BAIL.

VIM. A. james, charged with robbing
the mails, an account of whose arrest
we published last Monday morning, had
a hearing before United States Commits
sioner Forbes yesterday afternoon. The
case naturally excited much interest,
and number of spectators waspresent.
The hearing was had in the Municipal
Court room. The case was conducted
by Mr.. Chandler on behalf Of the Gov
eminent, and Mr.. Wheat for the prison
er. Col. j. G. Lane, Special Agent of
the Postoffice Department, o. S. Long,
postmaster at Wheeling, Mr.. Cameron,
deputy postmaster at Cameron, and
VIM. b. Pussy, Jr., and John A. Brown,
employees in the Wheeling post office,
appeared as witnesses and testified in
relation to the case. The evidence adj
duced disclosed the following particu-
lars:
Some suspicion had been cast upon
Mr.. James by tho fact that nearly all the
losses by mail that have taken place
during the past three months on the
western end Of the Baltimore & Ohio
railroad have occurred upon the days
when James had charge of the mails.
1t was resolved to test, by means Of
"decoy letters" whether he was re-
sponsible for these losses. Accordingly,
or last Saturday, January 9Th, that be-
ing James day to bring the way mail
from Cumberland to Wheeling, Colonel
Lane prepared three letters in Wheel
ing, each containing money. One
of the letters was addressed
to the "REGIsrER Office" one to "a. J.
Livingston" and one to "E. Whipple."
These letters were exhibited to Mr..
Long in the Postmaster's room in the
Wheeling Office and the money to be en-
closed in each was carefully examined
and marked in such a manner as to be
easily identified. A memorandum was
also made of the numbers, series, &C.,
Of the notes. Colonel Lane then went
to Cameron on the noon train and
showed the letters to the Postmaster
there and called his attention to Fiji
ty Dollar note which was placed in the
envelope addressed to "E. Whipple."
The Postmaster at Cameron
made "a written memorandum
Of the address npon the letters. These
letters were then placed loose in the
mail pouch and the pouch was locked.
Colonel Lane returned to Wheeling on
the Express train, about thirty minutes
in tho advance of the mail, and the
acting Postmaster at Cameron deliv-
cred the pouch containing the letters
into the hands of Mr.. James in person.
Upon the arrival of the mail ut the
Wheeling Postoffice on Saturday night,
Mr.. James went into the Office and was
detained there while registering his ar
rival and reading letter which he
found in his box and conversing with
Mr.. Long and others, until the mail
was opened and carefully examined.
The letters addressed to the "REGIsTER
office" and to "a. j. Livingston" were
found to have arrived safely, but the
one addressed to "E. Whippple" was
missing. Alter some delay and parley
during which Colonel Lane hest
tated to arrest Mr.. James, think
ing it barely possible that the
letter might have been accidentally
mislaid, Mr.. James was closely ques-
toned by him in relation to the condi-
ton of affairs ut the Cameron Postofiice,
the manner in which tho mails We're
put up, &c. James then, after having
been in the Office about half an hour,
produced from his pocket blank gov
eminent envelope, unaddressed, unseal-
ed, and having no postmark. Hestated
that that envelope had been put in the
mail at Cameron in the precise condi-
ton in which it then was; that
he had thought it mistake
of the Postmaster and had put it
in his pocket for his own use; that af-
forwards he discovered that it contained
money that it was his intention to re-
turn it to the Postmaster at Cameron
and that it contained no scrap of wri-
ting whatever. lie gave the envelope
to Mr.. Long to be examined and it was
found that the money in the envelope
was the money which had been placed
by Colonel Lane in the letter addressed
to "E. Whipple," the marked Fifty
dollar bill being produced along with
the rest.
Mr.. James was then detained in the
Office while Sheriff Campbell and Officer
Wallace were sent for, and upon their
arrival he was taken in custody by
them. Colonel Lane, Mr.. Long and
others then procured lights and visited
and searched the mail car upon
which Mr.. James had come in.
Examining infinitely every scrap
Of paper in the car, they found
q fragment of the letter which
had been addressed to "E. Whinple'
and which had contained tho Fifty
Dollar bill. The piece found was the
upper left hand corner of the sheet and
contained the words "Mr. Whipple,"
also the beginning of words in several
lines. 1t was positively identified by
Mr.. Lane as having been written by
him and put in the mail at Cameron
under the circumstances stated above.
They also found fragments of envelopes
addressed to Booth, Battelle & Co., and
to W. d. johnson, Wheeling, West yir-
ginia. The deputy postmaster at Cam
eron, deposed that he had no such en-
velopes in his office as that produced by