, 1873-10-04
now $4,000 Worth OF Goods WCro
Stolen from The Cars.
A Regularly Organized Gang Of
Robbers Operating Near
Chicago.
Arrest Of tho Leaders, and Dc
tails OF Their Operations.
Ktatement of Man Who Was m In
voluntary Participant in
the Thefts.

Ln6 Ine1C9s
Several fragmontary nccountH havo rooontly
appeared In the newspapers OF this city concerto
lrg tho extensive robbories that hnve boon carried
On during tho past two years from the cars OF tho
Btnr Union Limo Transportation Company.
These accounts have contained ouly Bnoh fncta
ne hnve leakod out nt tho trials OF those who
have beon arrested aB being participants III tito
robborcs, a,, llnvo therefore boon incorrect aid
unsatisfactory in 1nuny particulars An authentic
account In dotail Ia. now, for tho first time,
gtvon to the public. Tho nuount Of goods
Rtolon from the cara OF this limo since
they first began to disappear will oxcced $4,000.
The ownora Of tho stolen property do busincse
for tho most part, In thIs city, aud they haro
boon promptly pnid the full value Of tho goods
they have lost al soon as it WAS settled thas tho
property WAS not to bo found. Tho ArinB TINT
have suffered III this city arc Hamlin, Halo l.
Co., Richards, Shaw Il Winslow, King Bros. Il
Co.. Wilde, Dluott l. Co., tho Western News
Company, Dennis l. Walton, J. B. Wost l. Co.,
3. Kasproutic l. Son, and largo number Of busi-
ness firms Of loss Importance. Messrs. Wilde,
Bluett & Co., tho wel-kuown clothiors, had
moro goods stolen, perhaps, than any other Of
Tho firms mentioned. But while tho loss in tho
Fret instance foil upon tho owners Of tho stolon
property. it finally waa horno by the Star Limo
Company, which has promptly paid tho con-
Bignoes Of lost goods their full ya!ue, through
It's agent in this city, Mr.. WV. Chandler. A
large number Of buyiness houses in San Fran
cisco, aud other plnccs on tho Pacific coast,
have nlso been tho victims OF tAoso robberies.
Whilo but two OF the gang which has boon COM
mitting those deprodntious have bcen appre-
hendod anl arrested. and while thcro Boens but
Nttlo prospect that tho rest will DO etoctod, tho
syatotn Of thioving tint has cost tho Star Limo
managers 80 much uncaafncAB and money ts, 1t is
believed, brokon up aud driven to other fields Of
labor.
The history Of tho thiayory extends bao1s
almost two years, hut the principal doprodatons
upon tho cars have been committed since April
agent Of tho Star Limo in this city that property
ofvalue WAS constantly being extracted from tho
cars, and tho observation caused him much
ve1ation. Every effort to discover tho
porpatratora Of the thefts proved fruitlcgs.
Valuable property still continued to bo missed,
and no CLOVIS to itH whereabouts were ascer-
talnod.
Plforing by rai1road employees from freight
cara is 40 common that mr. Chandler was not ill.,
auced to give the matter worry much attention,
although he WAS unromitting to certain extont
In bis efforts to detoot the robbers, until tho
occurrence On tho night OF tho 1Bt of April lust
Of a robbery from tho cars Of the line Of about
$4,000 worth Of goods. After this ovory effort
was put forth to detect tho pilferers md bring
them to Justice.
The cars Of this limo arc not locked, bnt nre
fastened securely by what aro called seals.
OF explanation II not seen. but 1t can at least DO
anid that il tho seal, whicl, is lend, he broken,
the vicinity whero tho break was made can ba
L k was discovered discovered that tie robboros wore being
porpetrated somewhere between Fort Wayne md
Chicago, on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, l. Chi
oago HALLWAY. Mr. Chandler accordingly sent
TONS lion to such atation.mon as he dcdncd worthy
On S so 'oDads'e nsnt Of fS' Ike stn of Of % Aagast
two cars wore robbed Of about 58, 900 worth OF
SoIboiy Ind been porpetratel in The vicinity Of
Chicago, yet the place whore it vas committed
could not bo settled upon. The Glow which
finally led to the apploilonsion of the thieves.
sa 5ha aafo roar waeri e o
Baum, tho Rtation-agont at Qibaon, q small
place on tue Michigan Ccntral Hallway, on tho
: 50 day of Inst month. In the afternoon
et sso 'hps patolay aay Il mfn o aSGsG sou up in to
green lurnber-wagon, and deposited two boxes.
they were directed to II. f. Mc1Ionry, No. A51
South Clark street. Baum asked tho man his
name. which was answered BY tho question,
Baum replied that it was, md, aftor Hono
quibbling, the man stammered out Charles Ly-
ona. Upon being aakod what tho box con CO
tanned. he replied, Farm m machinery, asd Tho
eyasively, Lyons evidently believing TINT ho
WAS suspected. Baum ssw lit to lotain tho goods
at tho station, and, on tho morning Of Sept. !,
came to this city, aud. proceeding to the head,
quarters Of Police, informed the Superintendent
that he had examined the contoutB Of tho boxes
In the presence of 1--WE witnesses, and TINT tl,oy
contained cigars and tobacco, instead Of farm
machinery" He also informed the superin-
f1,rk I'm nNyl11 1nu unnfi+1 nj
certain time, and suggestod that tho houao No.
451 Cark street be watched, Tho following
morning he placed tho goods on tho train for
Chicago, and just before tho cara lett he saw the
the conductor Of the train, Earl. Of tile sus-
pioion, that hal been cast upon tho follow, mud
diap4telad to, Mr: Washburn to have. the
mai tarrested at tho Michigan Central depot
tile police officers BY getting OF at the Twenty
90, mud hnving heard Of the depredations
committed on the star Union Line cars.
him Of tho discoveries he had made.
These two gentlemen thereupon proceeded to
tho Office Of the American Express Company, at
the corner OF Randolph street and Wabash ave-
nue, and made an examination OF tue contents
OF the boxes which had not yet boon delivered.
One box was found to contain 10,000 cigars aud
another several caddies Of plug tobacco. On tho
bottom Of tho cigar boxes was the card OF 8.
Kaspsowicz j. Son, tobacconists, No. 20 South
CLARK street. BY this card it was ascortained
that the goods had boon stolon from tho ours Of
Star Union Line, and thus tho first tangible clue
Wpa obtained to the robbers,
'DetootiyeB Dixon and 6imonds were at once
employed, and Mr. Chandler attended himself,
with much ardo1, to tho workiug-up Of tho clue
that had boen obtained. OQicors were placed ut
all tho expross offices In the city. About tho
l4th of August man deposited a box Of silks
at the Office OF the Amorican Express O6mpany,
NJ, NJ Iyo1 o1ef o3 ofraat tEIn Iox sypa addrnnanA