The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-24
RoBBING THE UNITED STATES MAILS
Trial Of Post Office Clerk in the United States
District Court at Trenton-How the
Pilfering Was Detected.

patnant ana DANIEL b ROckalelOW ID the
defendant. The defendant il charged with rob-
bling the United States mail on or about the
9Th OF October. 1872, OF letters. stamps, stamped
envelopes and money, amounting In the aggre-
gate to the sum Of about seven hundred or eight
hundred dollars. Daniel Porter, the postmaster at
Somerville, IL the principal witness for the prose-
cution. The alleged depredations took place at
his post onice. This gentleman Is the proprietor
and publisher OF a newspaperin that place, rad-
cal In politics, and, OF course, warmly attached to
the fortunes OF the present administration at
Washington. The defendant, RockatellOw, was for
the last six years connected with another sheet in
the same town, existing in the interest OF the DEM
ocratlc party. The former also keeps printing
ONCE and the latter is o compositor 1t IL said
that party aspcrities have great deal to do with
the present conflict between the tive Jersey Jour-
nasts. A few months ago the Grand Jury brought
IN an indictment against Rockafelow charging
him with the offence. District Attorney Keasby
appears as counsel for the prosecution, and Jacob
vanatta, with Alvah A. Clark, are engaged by the
accused. Rockafellow is about twenty-six years Of
age, Of medium stature, and possesses an intelli-
gent, brilliant locking physognomy. He is well
and tastefully attired and sports gay looking
moustache and g0atee.
Mr.. Keasby, In his opening address to the jury,
said that the prosecution would show that the
theft could be traced by o direct chain OF circum-
stantial evidence to the accused. Daniel Porter
kept post ONCE in Ssmerve. 1t is located in
building containing grocery store, in q room set
apart by a partition from the store. No other
business was transacted IN 1t but that re-
lating to the post ONCE. Stamps were
missed at various times in most inexplicable
manner. The money accounts were deficient.
Investigations were made which resulted In tracing
the depredations to the defendant, after which the
Grand Jury found an Indictment against him.
Being suspected the defendant was watched
Efforts were made by the Postmaster to arrange
his letters in the box TO detect the thief ana
after observations being made 1t was shown that
Rockafellow was the party who took the letters
out OF the box When the letters were taken out
II they contained money the money was kept and
the letters destroyed. When the letters contained
checks they were all sent back In another envelope
and put in the drop-box. The counsel stated that
the defendant was closely watched during this last
act These letters were IN the handwriting Of
Somerville. After making some 1urther remarks,
the counsel said that other corroboratlve crcum-
stanccmstances would be brought to light before
the jury.
Some argument here ensued between counsel as
TO the meaning OF the word mail. Mr.. Vanatta
commended that letters lying in the Post Once did
NOT, in legal sense, belong to the mail, therefore
the indictment should charge that the Post ONCE
was robbed instead Of the mail. Mr.. Vanatta
therefore moved to override the testimony. Web
ster's dictionary and other authorities quoted
in support OF this point. The Court ruled that the
objection was premature, and ordered that the
evidence be proceeded with.
MIR. Porter, who was on the stand during the
argument, was then sworn, and, alter describing
the location and structure OF the post office, estl
fed, in substance, as fOlows:-He exercised per-
sonal supervision over the Office; his son, aged
Twenty-Five was the attendant; the latter did the
detail work, and was relieved at dinner by his
brother, sixteen years DID, both his sons helped to
make the mail up morning and evening; the eldest
was paid compensation OF &10per week. with board
while the younger got 81 per week, also, with
letters during the last year there were continued
complaints from parties to whom letters were
addressed; missed registered letters also; IN
August last inquiry was made for q registered
letter two weeks after it should have been de-
livered; that letter was traced to my office;
the day myself; in order to test the
truth OF the thcits had two letters prepared and
placed in particular receptacle one evening and
next morning when came to the office they were
missing; wrote to the authorities in New York
for lnstructions this was the first possible evil
tered; afterwards made attempts to dis
cover the thief; not receiving any in
there myself receed
and came back and prepared two decoy letters,
directed to Mr.. Barkalow. and placed them IN his
box; lett the other letters in their usual place;
returned TO the office the morning after and found
they were gone; my first observation was
directed to the Somerset County Bank was
missing; afterwards found the missing letters in
the drop letter box-one directed to Barkalow, the
other to the bank; Barkalow's contained certi-
cate from PlaIn1eld Bank; they were in different
envelopes from those put them in; this was on
saw Rockaiellow in front of the office, starting to
move away. (The letters were here produced and
the handwriting examined). went and procured
Rockaiellow's handwriting and compared 1t with
that on the envelopes put in the drop letter box
and found that both corresponded and were writ
ten by the same person; went to New York again
and received further Instructions; enGeavored to
entrap him by placing watchmen in the office
at a., =, night after that but failed; Mr.: CASTOR
seen Rockafellow drop letter in the box; after
wards picked up some letters from it. and found
adjoining them were three clerks, but they had no
access to the office; lost by these depreda-
tons between six and seven hundred dollars; had
absut three weeks after the charge had been pre-
made an excuse that he came after newspapers; he
did not breach the subject; Rockaiellow disap-
peaTed the gay alter the Indictment was ionnd
his arrest, which was. two months after the
charge had been made; during his absence
on on" the look out for him as was also a
detective; had an interview with Mr.. Clark, Rock
by the Grand Jury. and he told me to hush up the
whole matter; Rockaielow made an appointment
to Sc me bout the matter, but failed to Keep 1t.
Mr.. yanatta, but the examination failed to elicit
anything from him that varied with his direct
Alonzo NORMAN, one OF the clerks in the grocery
store adjoining the Post ONCE. called and gave
some unimportant testimony.
CASTOR, Of Somcrvtllc, was called to the stand at
the conclusion OF Wormans evidence.
CASTOR passed group OF young men engaged In
earnest conversation on october s, 1872; Rocka-
he was sure OF this; although he could not
recall the names of some OF the others;
RockafellOw seemed to 60 through the familiar
motion ofputting letter in the drop box; CASTOR
hurried into the Post Offlce but no one was in; he
fastened to Porter's office In the adjoining build
ing and told Porter OF the matter; Porter hurried
down, got the top letter, came back to Porter's
own Office and displayed enc OF his 'decoy letters"
already stamped with the Ssmerville Post ONCE
mark; this act according to CASTOR, took not more
than enc minute and a half.
Vanatta wound Castor up, and IN few moments
Judge Nixon dismissed the Court with the usual
adrronltiOn to the jury
Ten more witnesses are 10 be examined for the
prosecution. and twenty-five have been subppnaed
for the defence. The trial Will last all the week,
and up to the present time 1t mas occasoned good
deal OF gossip.