Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-02-24

cago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Rail-
way, was arrested at Portage City, on
Tuesday, for robbing the mails. The
arrest was made by W. r. Hawley. a
special agent sent from Chicago for
that purpose. Hawey took bis prison
er to Mad son, where, after an ex-
animation before Court Commissions
er, i.e was committed for trial.
The particulars Of the arrest OF Bal
ley, as we learn them, are about as
follows:
Complaints had reache' -. j..
Office Department ,ron, ,;n,a '"s ,; o''
during the past few months, that the
esafIs on the La Crosse division were
tampered with, and letters containing Q
renittances Of money stolen. Desec
tlVes were at once detailed to investi-
gate the matter, and, although suBpi
o'on rested upon Bailey, no evidence
could be produced upon which to base
an arrest. In common with other
AGENTS % OF tie route, Bailey performed
duty for ore week and then laid of the
next, usually spending his vacations at
his home in Portage City. During
these vacations he made practice, Of
late, of visiting the morning passenger
trains bound east. and stopping in the
postal Car while the other route agents
ate their breakfast. On Thursday last
the route agent on duty, suspecting
that the robberies were perpetrated by
Bailey, 1hads q, careful count of the
letters in the pigson-hoIes of his car
before ,. leaving Portage City, and left
Bailey In the car as usual while he
took his breakfast. After the depart
ure of the train from Portage another
count was made, which resulted in the
discovery that several letters had been
distracted. The agent at once com-
municated information of his discov
cry to the proper authorities, aud on
his next trip East, Saturday morning,
bad an emp'oye of the railway CON-
pany concealed in the car while be
took his breakfast at Portage City,
Bailey, as usual, being on hand and
left in charge. This employe saw
Bailey open several letters, abstrac,
the money they contained, and then
throw them into the stoyet This eyi-
zenee. althoa cok'ciuss1s, wss still
not deemed sufficient by the red. tape
ofbcials at Chicago to warrant an ar
rest Accordingly detective Hawley
was put upon the road to work up the
case. He caused the route agent to
drop note to Bailey. asking bin to
call and see him Tuesday morning
when the train arrived, as be wished
to speak TO him in reference to-
change of assistants. Hawley eou
cealed himself in the car. and upon
the arrival oe the train at Portage Cay
Bailey called, aod was left in the car
while the route' agent in charge break
tasted. During the absence Of the
agent Bailey again abstracted letters
from the cases, took out the money
they contained, and burned them, alb
of which was observed by Hawlay,
who, upon the return OF the route
agent, emerged from his place of con-
csalment, arrested Bailey, and proceed
ed with him to Madison.
Bailey is a man of IS or so years Of
age, and has an interesting family liy-
lns in Portage City. One Of his
daughters has gown up to woman
hood, and is engaged as teacher in
a school at that place. Il seems that
be bas been addicted to fast living,
paytng more atteneion to other women
than married man. should. aud also
drinking freely. From these spend
thrift habits, no doubt contracted 10
early life, he could. not free himself,
and bis salary proving insufficient for
the support Of himself and family, he
r. orted to stealing money from letters
70 replenish his purse The success
which attended his depredations upon
the mails entrusted to him led him to
steal from the cass of other agents, and
he has for this reason at last been
caught in the act.
The money taken By Bailey was
mainly from letters containing small
remittances from farmers to James
Wick and other Eastern seedsmen and
florists, and to various newspapers at
the East In sbis way he had hoped
to escape detection, as the sums taken
were In most eases So small that be
thought they would not be looked af-
ter.
Bailey had not been employed as a
route agent on the Lacrosse division
for about three aud a half years. His
withdrawal from the service has been
sudden but will not be mourned. as
it lifts the burden OF suspicion from
all agents on the route-a suspicion
that attaches to the innocent as well as
the guilty whenever Irregularities of
this nature are discovered M2vau-