Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-07-25
A Series or Thefts from Edmonas'
It Pettfgrew q Co.'S Bonoes
warehouse.
The Goods Removed through Trap
~ the Ylesr or . Gambling
ttg Room above.

cred that the bonded warehouse Of Ed
monds. Psttigrew q Co., 81 Jefferson
street, had been robbed Of tobacco in
bond to the value Of about $500, and
that the theft was still going on from
night to night, while the thief and
the means by which he succeeded in
carrying on his operations were
wrapped in the profoundest mys-'
terry. There was but one means Of in
gress to the building-by the front door
and this was secured by the government
lock, the key to which was carried only
by the members of the firm. The build
ing, too, being situated in the very heart
of the city, would be almost impossible
Of entry by manipulating the locks with
out discovery, and the frequent repetition
of such an operation was quite out of the
question. The manner in which the
theft was first discovered, too, only served
to mislead those interested in ferreting
it out and still further mystifed the whole
affair. The second story Of the building
is divided into small apartments, all
Of which have been vacant and
kept locked for several months past, save
one only, which is occupied as sleeping
room by Mr.. Griffin, of the firm of Blown
L Griffin, lawyers. The unoccHpied
rooms have been in charge Of Mr.. G. for
rental, and in going into one of them,
about . month ago, to his astonishment
he discovered therein two boxes OF
tobacco. He at once reported this dis.
covery to Messrs. Edmonds, Pettigrew d
Co., supposing possibly that the tobacco
had been stolen from them, and secreted
in the room where it was found. At
FIRST, so sure were they that there
was no possible means of thief
making his way into their storeroom,
these gentlemen we're not disposed to
believe the tobacco their own, though
they finally received it. A night or two
passed, and again Mr.. Griffin discovered
in the same apartment two other boxes,
and in this instance his amazement knew
no bound. As before, he reported his
discovery to Messrs E, P. Il Co., who
now having their own suspicious aroused,
went to work to ascertain if any portion
Of their goods was missing. An inven-
tory of their stock revealed the startling
fact that boxed tobacco, to the value of
about $500, could not be accounted for.
Convinced now that they had been
victims to very extensive robbery,
they lost no time in reporting the fact to
police headquarters, and the case was at
once placed in the hands of detective
Hastings to be worked up" No effort
was spared to ferret out the perpetrator
of the outrage, though not until yester-
day was the mystery cleared up and the
real facts of the case brought to light
A negro, giving his name as Monroe
Bowlen, was arrested on suspicion of
being the guilty party, having been seen
frequently coming out Of the second
story of the building by detective Hast
ings, who had for night after night kept
up q sleepless watch from a room on
the opposite side Of the street. The
negro was arrested, and, on being COM
mitted at the upper station, in detective
parlance,::" squealed," or in other words,
made clean breast of the whole affair.
II would seem that one of the vacant
apartments over the warehouse had at
one time been rented to gamblers, who
had had an ingeniously contrived trap
cut in the floor, by which, in case of
descent upon them by the police during
game, they werelenabed, in the twinkle
of an eye, to secrste their stools" by
dropping them below. So nicely fitted
is this trap that scarcely any one una
aware of its existence would discover it on
entering the room. 1t was even unknown,
as they state, to Mr.. Griffin and to the
gentlemen of the warehouse into whose
premises it afforded SO easy an ingress.
II was known, however, it would seem,
to the negro Bowler, having been dis
covered by him some four months ago
while he was employed to clean out the
apartment in which it exists, and to what
advantage the knowledge was turned, has
already appeared from the facts as
stated. Bowler corfessss to having fire.
quently paid as many as three and four
visits q week to the warehouse, on all oc-
casions appropriating two or three
boxes of tobacco, depositing it in
the room above and removing it
at his leisure to dispose Of whenever he
could And purchaser. By this process
it was naturally very much scattered and
probably not more than half the amount
stolen will ever be recovered, though the
detectives we're busily engaged yester-
day and this morning looking it up. The
robbery, taking into consideration the
ingenious manner in which it was per-
petrated, the amount Of goods stolen, and
the profound mystery in which it has
been enshrouded, is certainly one Of the
most remarkable that has ever occurred
in this city. The perpetrator Of the
theft will have q hearing before magis-
| trate to-day.
soRr Up, Soar UP.-Dealers in The
c;tv and country will Cad speoialtiss for