Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-07-15
The Story Of a Chew of Tobacco.

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The Chicago Evening Post relates an
extraordinary case of detection of a mail
robber through the latter's use Of plug
tobacco. A registered letter was for
warded to- Chicago, which ought to have
contained FIVE one hundred dollar bills !;
when the envelope was opened the money
was missing. The matter was placed in
the hands of an experienced aud skillful
detective. The envelope had arrived in
tact at Chicago, and to all appearance had
not been tampered with in the least.
There wasn't the slightest clue to the
robber, and the detective finally abandoned
the matter in despair Of success. But
one day. from what motive he did not him
self realize at the time, the officer took the
envelope soaked it in water, and carefully
removed the portion where the sealing
process had been effected. By the assist
ance of microscope, he found that small
parcels of plug tobacco still adhered to the
paper, and from this fact become con-
vinced that whoever wet the mucilage of
the envelope must have used that descrip.
ton of the weed. Here then was found a
faint clue upon which the. investigation
might be continued. He determined, in
the first place, to ascertain if any one con-
nected with any of the Offices through
which the letter had passed used tobacco
of that description. Office after Office was
visited, from Chicago to the locality where
the letter was first mailed, but not in one
of these was there single person who
masticated anything but fue-cut." He
arrived at the last Office with faint heart,
fully convinced that the last clue by which
to entrap the guilty party had utterly failed
in its accomplishment.
The postmaster was an old acquaintance
and friend Of the detective. He was an
upright, respectable citizen was loud in
his denunciation of crime, and regretted,
with manifest sincerity, that the culprit
could not be brought to justice. The
Chicago official had not the slightest sus-
picion in this honest postmaster; but he
had asked so many persons for ga chew" /"
that the habit had grown upon him, and,
addressing the worthy P. NJ. by name he
said
"Will you give me chew Of tobacco 2"
Really" was the reply, II don't think
have any that you would use. 1 NEVER
CHEW ANYTHING''BUT pLUGw
The detective was dumb founded. That
respectable man whom he had known for
years, and maintained a character among
his neighbors above reproach, was the only
man in all the Offices through which the
latter had passed who chewed plug tobac-
co; the person who sealed the envelope
used the article; consequently the convic-
tion unwillingly forced itself upon the
officers mind that his friend was the thief.
He believed the postmaster to be guilty,
and acting upon this belief,i at once in
formed that 'functionary that he was a
prisoner
His residence was then searched, and
after every crevice and corner had been
examined without finding any money, the
officer was about to leave, when spying
upon the parlor table daguerreotype
case, he took it up and found carefully
folded up in it five one hundred dollar
bills.
The Postmaster is now in the State
Prison working out penalty assessed for
the crime.