The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-12
MAZE ROBBERY ~ HANCOCK.
The POstmastcr's wife the criminal
Her Confession.

Her confession,
A correspondent of the Boston Tran
sc1ipt, writing from Granville, Addison
county, under date of June Sth, gives us
the following particulars of a mail robbery |
which has Just come to light. The pretty |
villages, he says, which nestle in the valleys |
and dot the hillsidcs of the picturesque por-
ton OF the Green Mountain state known as
the White Valley, are Just now enjoying a
rare sensation which the gossipers, male
and female, are rolling in their mouths as a
sweet morsel In this locality, famed for
its sturdy virtue and pure morality. the
disclosure Of crime among those who oc-
cupy good positions in the community is
unfrequent The latest case OF the kind
which has occurred hcrcabouls was dsclos-
cd yesterday at the village of Hancock. Il
few miles above here, the crime being the
rillng of letters from the mails, and the
confessed criminal being Mrs. Fannie \.
Jewett, wife of the postmaster, and the
sworn and only assistant of her husband in
the performance of his duties.
The circumstances of the crime, the in
cidents leading to the disclosure Gall Of
which it would not be proper to publish
lest the ends of justice be defeated in SINH
lar cases, and the final confession Of the
wife in the presence of her loving and af-
| fiictcd husband form chain OF events Of
/ ;,,fp Z. oil la, 1nilN qitri1
their money or other yaluables' to the care
of the mail bags, and should eeryc as Il
warning to all who are guilty OF yielding to
the temptation of opening letters aud peck
citing their contents.
Mr. Jewett has been The postmaster at
Hancock for several years he has been
superintendent Of schools has long occu-
pied leading position in the community.
been highly respected, and no shadow Of
suspicion has ever rested upon his public
or private integrity, As husband and
father be has been provcrhally iudulgent
and alfccionatc and there would seem to
NIT the crime which She conlesses commit
ting and the only plausible solution of the
problem can he found in the doctrine Of
total dcpmvity. But to the story.
Complaints were made as early as last
March that letters passing over the mai
route between Bethel and Middlebury ha(
C been rined. and about Il fortnight cgc
: Specia-Agcnt Camp of BostoA was detailed
ii, to, "a
, locality and work up the case. He made
i. a minute survey of the field, and final,
1 took lodgings at an old farm house, nea
=, Hancock, where he assumed the character
i OF railroad conductor On vacation
$ Willing away his leisure hours in fishinl
i for the spccklcd beauties which frequen
i the brooks neandering among the hills
@ and dressed in farmers old and fade
9 suit, with tall and antiquated'looldn
l. white felt hat, of the fashion OF half
n century ago. he would drive from point t.
IS point, starting his dccoy letters, tracn
! them from one Office to another. intercept
ing the mails on the highway, frightenin
the carrier out Of his wits by producn
Y his commission, stating his business, an
!. proceeding leisurely to open the bags an
d make investigations.
Repeated efforts in this direction /;
length disclosed the fact that the letter
" would proceed safely as far as lIancocI
SC and there disappear from the mails. II
y, office being located, the next point was
: ho nj tnel in, t-ia
of the fact that only Mr. Jcwclt and Ii
ty wife ever attended to the mails and Il
a. reputation of both would successfully con
$. bat suspicion until evidence Of actual gui
as could be obtaine Mr.. Camps suspicion
Ii reluctantly fastened upon Mrs. Jcwctt, f
ly twice, in passing the Office, he had observe
d her overhauling the letters while no Oh
IN else was in the office, and it was not Il
1g hour for either distributing or making I
the mails
i'll 1t was necessary TO find the money up'
the person of the offender before an ARE
Ts could be made, and to do that he secure
ir- the assistance of acquaintance, wi
of bought small quantities of stamps at /
)rt Office, giving bills in payment and recei
he ing scrip in change. But all these trii
ID, failed, and the special agent determined
IL make direct attack. On Monday NOR
nd ing early he called upon Mr. Iewett Al
Eek entered into conversation with him abo
ne the missing letters. Mr.. Jcwett was
rs, anxious to discover the pcrpolrator as a
,se officer of the government could possibly !
up and proifered Mr.. Camp the hearticst {
in, operation and every facility in his pow,
In compliance with Mr. Camps rcque
by Mr.. Jcwctt produced all the money he h
yer IN the Office and in the house, but none
all the marked bills sent in the decoy lett
were to be seen. Mr. Camp then ash
ing where Mrs. Jewctt was, and requested Il
he might see her, saying, "Perhaps, :
may have some suggestions to make" NJ
: Jewett came in after brief delay, and
her husbands request produced two W
aga lets, each containing small sums of mon
nee in bills. Mr.. Camp professed to be hu
cnt ing for five and a two dollar bill VIII
an he had put in the Bethel Office Fri(
the night, and which had disappeared WI
the the mail was passing through Hancock,
only one in that Office at that time he
was Mrs. Jcwett.
AT length an old greasy wallet was
luctantly produced by Mrs. Jewctt, VIII
", she said contained ''only some scrip" {
Iov' in it were -four marked ten-cent scri
/. + which Mr.. Camp had mailed at Bet
rds, The proof was adduced, the crime char
ot upon the wife in the presence of her i
W band, who was completely overcome
EAU, unable to utter a word for few minu
ohm Mrs. Jewett. after repeated dcnials. {