Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-21
A Stolen Mail-PGuch.

A Stolen Mail-PCuch.
II was nearly year ago when the maj,
agents connected with the overland stsna
route were completely puzzled by rn}
berry which, leaving no clew in its wako
baffied the shrewdest detectives and Iea
neither train nor track for the specisi
agents Of the Government to follow
mail-pouch, containing valuable draN
gold-dust and greenbacks, was dispatcbs5
from Portland to San Francisco, but dI
not arrive. 1t was expected ard LOOKED
for, inquiries were instituted, rigid mea.
ures were taken to discover its wbe,s
abouts, but all efforts to find the missi,.
pouch were fruitless. 1t had disappear
The robbery and the utter darkness Vbt%
enveloped il were fruitful themes of ~
lecture and surmise, and the topic y,
worn threadbare by the people roma
about As other subjects arose, engrossib,
their immediate attention, the theme Il
the robbery would be dropped, only 70 l.
revived again with the same interest, The
the press, from which vague insinuatioDs
commenced to emanate, To the effect tia,
the agents of the Postoffice Department
knew more regarding the robbery than
they were willing to divulge. A political
canvass was then pending, and hints began
to be dropped here and there, by the press
that the missing pouch was enacting
prominent role in the farce of politics
The newspaper criticism was incisive and
impelled by its sting, the agents
renewed their efforts to recover the miss
ing pouch. About this time il was by
chance discovered that one of the parties
on whom suspicion had rested had leh
for parts unknown. He was Dan Smith
one of the stage-drivers. 1t was known
that he had been accompanied on his
hegira by the wife of one Montgomery
Here was a clew. Slight, but nevertheless
a clew. The authorities reasoned thata
man who would take another mans wife
would not hesitate TO plumber mail
pouch, and by inquiry speedily ascer
tanned that Dan Smith had been dis
charged, and for overturning coach
The ground where the vehicle was upset
was carefully examined, and the conclu
sion was that the coach was overturned
not through accident, but by design. The
clew increased in plainness and was brisk.
ly followed up. AS a driver, Smith was
an expert and the best whip on the route
The overturning of the coach was eyi.
IDENTIFY by design, as a mere child could
have driven the coach over the ground
with no danger of overturning There
was but one and ready inference: Smith
upset the coach as a pretext for being iis.
charged in order that he might leave the
country. Special Agent Underwood
knowing that Montgomery had been init.
of xyifh Smith or1 .Lnt
Montgomery, if he had anything pertain.
ing to the affair to disclose, would readily
do so in a spirit Of revenge for Smiths
treachery, interviewed him. The result
was gratifying in an unexpected degree.
Montgomery confessed that Smith had
stolen the mail-pouch and was the guilty
man. After carrying it for several days in
his feed-sack Smith rified its contents,
filled it with stones and sunk 1t in Tie
Umpqua River. Acting upon this COZ.
fession the bed of the stream adjacltD
the stage road was carefully searched and
the long-missing mail-pouch found It
was opened, and contained, besides
portion of the valuables, striking illus
tration of the love of Californian for
hard coin and his contempt for paper
money. The bag of gold-dust, amounting
in value to $4,000, was nowhere TO be
found; but all of the drafts and rollof
greenbacks were regained intact. Smith
and his paramour were tracked to San
Francisco, and very soon Special-Age
Underwood arrived and registered under
an assumed name at the Russ House.
With the aid of Special-Agent Alexander,
of California, vigorous plans of pursuit
were adopted. The telegraph was putin
requisition, and ii was ascerained
that the fleeing Dan had gone %
Salt Lake, from thence TO Iowa.
and finally to Philadelphia, where il
was subsequently ascertained he had dis
posed of the bag OF gold-dust. BY this
time special agents and detectives Of every
State were hot upon the robbers track.
But, as Dan had been cunning before, be
was wary and suspicious now. He sus-
pected that that terrible, invisible phantom
the detective, was shadowing him, and he
sloped for Texas" Special-Ageni
Stuart, of Iowa, and Underwood followed
closely and swiftly behind, and finallya
Seqnin, Gaudaloupe County, Tex, Owe,
hauled Smith and his paramour, who had
SO long detied capture. Smith, whose real
name is Hamilton, came to this coast
from Iowa. His object in carrying the
mail-pouch for nearly week without
opening it previous to his flight was thst
If he could geta run" with nopassenger'
he could then have an opportunity OF ab
stracting the desired plumber alone and in
safety. He never succeeded in obtaining
the !" empty rum but finally one night
while his solitary passenger was sleeping
at station, entered the barn and se-
stracted the gold-dust unseen. San Fran
cisco Chroaicte.
Everything should be sacrificed 70
keeping the expenses of business inside Of
the receipts. That eminent philosopher,