New-York tribune., 1870-12-05
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
A DETECTIVES STORY.

STEALING AND "wAsfIINGn REVENUE STAMPS
DECENTRALIZATION OF OFFICE -BOY-FAGIN AND
HIS PUPILs-YOUTHFUL ImTAT0Rs OF THE
STOCK GAMBLERS-THE "FENCE'-ARRESTS'
Well, now, sit down and I'll tell you all
about it but Lord bless you you mustn't gave you
the account of It, orwhy, what's the little fellow thero
going to do with the beoki Oh you mustn't put
down say t-that would never do; don't talk gram
matca enough Put up your book. now, anu 'H
you all about IT, and then you two put IL In your own
language to suit yourselves But mind, tell you' soio
Of these things you mustn't print-I keep shoWihgyou
oil along which you write out, and which you must
keep in your own heads You sec, Mr. - came 10 me ana
said Cbut Lord you mustn't print his name-itd never
do nthe wor Sampson, wish you'd look after that
boy of mine that keeps the revenue stamps" SO Ed.
Maoy and I-Eds good fellow, put down his name or
no. no don't put anybodys name-Pn just give you the
facts that's all people care about reading You Sec I'd
and looked around little, and we found out there was
whole lot of boys stealing stamps, and selling em at
discount went TO Mr.. O., an iron merchant, and said
"Have you got boy OF such age In charge OF
stamps1 And could he steall" Yes; he said, he could
hut hope Ihe don't for hos Of such nice family and
Il would almost kill them II he were TO go wrong. Well
said never want 70 be hard on young felow-take
him out and talk to himget him TO confess reform, and
show who 10 recsres the stamps For always say it's
better 20 convict one receiver than five thieves.
Lord bless you, my boy, you've no idea Of the thou
sands Of dollars / found involved I'm this thing. IL
turned out that whole lot Of the boys were stealing
II all OF It come TO be known. the bottom would
fall out from under the brokers' and OF 'em could
tell where they stand whom TO trust Por don't you
sce-now, little one, you put this dOwn-there, all
ready-dont you see there was boy hauled up; he
was a stylish fellow put on airs and he said, "Do you
know who am, siri want you TO know Sir, that I'm
an honest boy; I'm 80 and So" / said, "Oh, my lad,
know you; you live on - Island, and your father Is
and You took day before yesterday s2 worth
stamps the day before that So and yesterday S5 Then
ne burst out crying, and 1 mighty sorry for him.
But says l. tell all about 1t. He tried to blum me,
though; he says, "nobody me take the stamps"
told him was too old an officer to try the buf game
WITH and he better make clean breast Of It. SO found
how It was. iThe boy says, "Mr. Sampson hnyo
taken stamps-I did MT think IL very wrong. Why
one day, right after came to work, l saw Mr. -
the head clerk, do what looked to me Ike seangi and
then in the morning. the partners would come in, and
talk how much they "a made at cards at the club
the night before-and everybody fast and care
leSs-I thought ue way was TO make money almost any
how one could lie spent That he got Tor billiards. ana
fruit and cgars-he got Sl2 week, and sometimes was
shOrtso that he took stamps to pay for his lunches
The restaurant people would take em at one-hat dis
count allowing 2j cents for 30 cent stamp That's Just
how it We spotted dozen bOys-some OF them had
Yet IL was queer how John Schwartz Black, that's
the English Of it, got his money. Leroy Nichols had dis
dressed shOwy, parted his hair in the middle and
stood back on his digllty, like thus. Folding
Worked s around i and GOT lot Of the boys on
string. He'd have one teach another how 10 steal the
stamps and bring them 10 him. boy would bring him
bundle othcm and Schwartz would hand him rsi me
boydSay why, ookhere, doyo know there ~ or 80
shut up d-you, or IN mash your snoOt You fetch
me some more stamps tomorrow, I'll 90 and tell your
employer about y0u. Don't you see I'm officer a.
And then he'd pun out shield that he'd made TO
we made were Schwartz and George Max Keller,
a brokers' boy. Keller confessed he'd taken
2oob @ "Oa We cot cm iast "Wednesday several Of the
houses didn't want their boys arrested The boys were
do better than to punish them thought so, too; for,
don't you see, boys mind isn't Ike mans-its more
easily confused about right and wrong Ana thennow
don't you put tbs down. ~ WoSIht 90 10 sty IT, @ yCu
knowthe fact is some OF these houSe'dont set very
What dye thinki There is brokers' Office where the
they kind o. stunned it. They'd never seen their own
boys there but they reeog7ea other bGoKeIs Doys ana
be sold at Is OF % cent discount and hats what
this brokers' own boy was stealing from him the very
stamps which he was buying in at a heavy discount
Got any Of the receivers OF course we have. Ar
three yesterday Saturday the firm composed OF
Theodore Crommein, Benjamin Hoagiand, and Daniel
a. Sweeney. This firm has been buying stolen stamps
stamps at 20 per cent less than their face value from
! John c. EnsieIdt youth employed by Plume IL Van
Would you ike TO sec Of the washed" stamps
Here's lot that got Frank GOss an office boy employed
| by Glendenniug Dunnng Co., TO buy Tor me OF Ed-
ward Ogden, who we arrested on Friday You see they
look sort crumped, and there's some small nk-marks
left 'cm but they're clean enough to pass generally
Gnzs said ogden wanted sell him washed stamps.
SO gave hIin $40 to buy them with; and when they
| stood in a crowd and Ogden handed out
/ the stamps. and GOss gave him the money and then
scratched lis dixie thisl 10 show which was the
man, stepped in aud made the arrest, and Ogdens IN
jail awaiting trial You see, the plan was 10 let the
boys take the washed" stamps and put them into the
boxes place Of the good stamps and then in the hurry
Of business, and after they were Cancelled again, NO
| bOdy'd notice the difference.
Oh the boys had regular ring" in true stOckbroker
fashion. The thing wasn't confined TO boys in any par
tcuar business; it had spread around in all sorts Of
downtown houses, but particularly around Wall-st,
where there's much slap-ddsh and furry. Now, you
lust put this down. and put it down strong dOut put IL
down my words, but Ill tell it 10 you, and then you
tell him how 10 say 10 I'm his own notes, so itl look
proper print. The Board Of Brokers U'm employed by
them, you know, bound 10 break up this stealing
business They told me 10 leave off my regular duties,
and stick this until I'd worked out the facts. We've
only just begun % make arrests Now, I've told you az
mLch gn... M. hn.l % AnLtllmg AD0mL now.