The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-12-03
STRATEGY in CRIME.
The American EXPRESS Onice, nj Ciuctrl.
natl, Robbed OF Sa8,sOO.

The Cincinnati Commercial gives the
following account of the recent gigantic
express robbery in that city. Since the
report was written, the robbers have all
been arrested, but no clue as to the
whereabouts of the money has as yet
been obtained:
When the robbery of which we are
to speak occurred, there were very few
in the office. Between the hours of 2
and 3, when the "trick" was taken,
there were only two employees of the
company in that part of the Office 'front.'
ing on Race street, and at the vital mo-
ment only one. That one, porter named
Charles Moody, has been in the employ
of the company only since July last. He
is comparatively "green" young man
we should Judge 80, at least.
"While Mr.. Moody was sitting at his
post, quite alone and rather weary of the
day, there entered Mr.. Abe Monroe,
lame man, formerly messenger of the
company. Mr.. Monroe was discharged
few months since for an irregularity i'm
his accounts. He took chair by the
side of Moody in an easy sort of way,
and remarked that he'd like smoke.
Mosdy couldn't accommodate him, and
Monroe cleverly proposed to gamble for
the cigars-to "mark." Moody, being
disposed to accommodate him, they
marked, and Moody lost. Then Monroe,
being a lame man, and Moody requiring
exercise, it was concluded that Moody
should 60 across the street for the cigars.
But perhaps we are ahead of our story
triAe. Right here, probably, should
come in the black horse and green wagon.
This drove up on Race at about this
time. 1t was rickety old express
wagon, drawn by spawned, ringboned
old black horse. 1t contained two men
and trunk. 1t backed up and the two
men got out and let down the tail board.
Then they took out the trunk. This
trunk was empty, but when the two men
carried it into the Office they tugged at
it for stall" as if it were heavily
freighted. They set the trunk down,
and remarked that they wanted it to 60
to the cold horse" corner. In express
parlance cold horse" means unclaimed
freight that has stood around a long
time. With the understanding that or
ders for its shipment would be left at the
Office, they drove off. Moody went for
absence Monroe captured the plunder.
He selected from the lot of culinary mes
sengers' safes there one containing large
amount of money-$40,00 we under
stand on good authority. This safe was
for the Chicago messenger, and was to
have started for that city last night. 1t
is supposed that one of his confederates
stepped in again and helped him put
the safe in the trunk during Moody's alb
sence after the cigars. Moody returned
with the cigars, and he and Monroe pro.
ceeded to have q nice smoke. While
they were smoking, up drove the little,
old black horse and the little, old green
wagon, and in came the same two men
again. AS they walked up, they stated,
quietly, that they had made a mistake
that it was to the Adams they had to take
that trunk. So they picked up the
trunk and walked off with it. This time
it took some honest tugging to carry it
rather more than they had made pretense
of in the first place. They walked out
with it quietly and in good order, placed
it in the wagon, and drove off. The
robbers drove up Race street i'm the light
of dull, cloudy afternoon. Where they
uiONC w uOO hhOWhs ~ 10 DCllCNCu
that they drove out into the country,
and at dark, say halfpast 5-selected
some out-of-the-way place where they
could break open the safe, and that they
divided the contents and parted, taking
to the roads. They may have cracked
the safe in some selected rendezvous in
the city. But this is all mere conjec-
ture.
"The fact of the robbery did not come
out until near o'clock p. m, when the
m essenger who was to take this safe to
Chicago drove up with his wagon and
looked for his safe among the dozen that
were piled up there. He couldn't find
il. He tried his key to several, and it
would fit none of them. But he soon be-
came convinced that his safe was gone,
because there was nothing there that re-
sembled it. The safe was new and
freshly painted, with broad bands. There
was no such safe there. Then the porter
told the story of Monroe, the little old
express wagon, and the little black horse,
the trunk that was to have been left and
wasn't left, and the cigars; and, finally,
he confessed to having seen the safe in the
trunk as the trunk went out"