Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-08-09
TIE TREASURY ROBBERY.
G0GD WORK OP WASHINGTON
OFFICERS.
TIE Eiae aud How u was Follow ed.
Three Arrests ami q Con iessEOn.
sif,No0o Of the stolen Money Recovered
TIC EsNcPri,nna To. Rnu.

AHf
The announcement IN the STAR OF Satur-
day hat or Washington detectives bad ar
rested Theodore ". Brown and BENJAMIN e.
HailCCk or The cEs age OF being connected
with The larceny of the package of al ,GgI 50
rom the caSn room OF the u. : Treasury on
The "a of Jdne last, caused some excitement
~ the community, particularly among
tEose connected with the Treasury. Among
Tie latter class, ne announcement was par
hculaTiy pleasant IN ttose VINO haf charge
of the money Mt ;he time Of Tie robbery, OF
whose business called them 10 the cash room
tEat day, a. since then they have been more
or less under cloud Of suspicion A. soon
rs Judge Wyiie had dismissed the writ of
hsb-as corpus aui Tanandei Brown 10 the
custody Of Major Richards on Saturday, rs
stated IN The stan, he was accompanied
back to police headquarters by the Off .ers.
OTTMAN'S INTERVIEW WITH BROWN,AND
WHAT FOLLOWED.
1t appears that after Browns arrest and
detention at police headquarters by Detec-
tive Miller, on Thursday, he was not locked
up, but was allowed 10 sit about the office,
but was under surveillance. On Friday af-
teTnOOn W. III. Gilman, who keeps a reStau-
rant on Pennsylvania avenue, just above
i2th street. called at headquarters and had a
short conference with Brown, which was in
terrupted, after "a time. by the policeman de-
tailed to watch him. In short time after
this interview Mr.. Newman. OF the firm of
Moore Il Newman, called and had a CONSUL
tation with Brown, the result of which was
tie application for the writ of habeaS corpus
IL is thought about headquarters that this
action was not thought of by Brown, but was
suggested py Gilman alone. Be this as il
may. il is certain that up 10 Saturday after
noon Brown appeared 10 be perfectly satisfied
with his situation. Our detectives aIthOuph
the case properly belonged to the Treasury
secret service men, have been for some time
diligently searching for a clue. being careful
at the same time not to do anything which
might interfere with the plans of the Treas
NY officials.
THE FIRST CLUE.
About the 2cth OF July information was
communicated 10 the Washington detectives
that Brown had short time before askei
Nh. John Kelly, a well known sporting IN an
here to change him q $500 note stating that
he was getting ii broken for Mr.. Ottman.
Brown was not then in town. and IL was
Surmised that he had gone to the springs
Although ii was known that Halleck, a
clerk IN the cash room OF the Treasury, was
Intimate with Gilman, il was not deemed
advisable 10 arrest him or any one else Just
then. ON Tuesday. July =, Detective Miller
received telegram from New YORK from
person well known To him, asking him to
come on at once ami bring with him a blank
warrant. Not knowing what was wanted,
Mr.. Miller consulted with Major Richards
and Chief ClarvOe, and as a result telegraph
ed that he could not come with the warrant
and asking what was wanted. \ second tel
rant Being satisfied that there must be
something worth going for. Mr. Miller start
ed for New York on the night of the 18th
There he met his friend, and soon learned
that Theodore w. Brown was at Saratoga
living high, and
SINGING 500 BILLS AROUND.
He Immediately went 10 Saratoga, put up
at the Grand Union, and kept an eye upon
Brown, was then questioned. and Mr.. Miller
soon learned that Brown had passed a mum
Der of $500 bills. On being questioned a. to
how he was so flush, he stated that he had
borrowed $500 from Ottman, OF Washing
ton, and had won considerable at French
pool ON the races. Mr.. Miller informed
Brown OF his suspicious, and the LATER con
sented TO come to this city; but he was not
taken into custody until Thursday as above
stated.
ON Tuesday Brown had telegrsphed 10 OFT
man TO come on a. he was in trouble.
From Saratoga Mr.. Miller teegTaphed TO
Major Richards 10 look out for Ottuan aud
Halleck, and the force here aScertained that
they had both left town on the Saturday
previous, July 3lst, for New York. The
officers were Informed about the same time
that Brown had Just after the Treasury rob
berry been seen with Halleck; that the next
day he had borrowed five dollars 10 leave
town, and that he had not been seen here
since, that during his absence he had been to
New York, Boston, and Saratoga, and that
wherever he went he had plenty of money.
OTTMAN's EXPERIMENT.
They further found that Ottman hal re-
Gently been investing in a couple OF extra
fine trotting horses; that he had been ne
gotiating for the sale OF certain OF his prop
erty; that ne talked about selling out his
well-paying establishment and removing To
another city. They found also that al a very
recent date Mr.. -. had walked into the CASH
room of the Treasury, and asked for change
for two $500 notes, which had been given him,
ana they found that but a short time pre-
vious he had gone to a well-known banking
house, and asked for and obtained the
Identical two $500 notes in exchange for
small bills. This looked bad. II looked a.
though MIR. o. had, in spirit of bravado.
concluded to beard the lion in his den but
had taken the precautiOn to secure the notes
in advance from reliable source. They also
ascertained that HaIleck, the clerk, was an
intimate friend of Ottman.
Messrs. ClarvOe, Sargent, MCDevitt and
McElfTesh worked up the case To this point
here. under the personal supervision of Major
Richards. When this information had been
secured they were satisfied that the three
that Halleck had stolen the money aud
handed 1t TO either Gilman or Brown, and
that Brown was showing II.
HOW HALLECK GAVE HIMSELF AWAY.
Major Richards next obtained an inter
view with Urea surer New and laid the facts
before that somewhat astOnished gentleman.
He told him he was satisfied that the clew
was right, and that they intended To push
the matter, but that as Major WaShburn MAJ
not seen nj 10 ask their cooperation. he re-
Autsteu inal he De not informed OF The steps
they had taken, as they felt fully com petent
10 reach successful contamination of the
matter without any aid of the secret service
division. To this Mr.. New assented and the
work went on. 1t was ascertained that the
duty of Halleck in the Office was TO make the
last count and place one seal on the envelope,
after which 1t was passed to another man
who sealed IL on either end that some time
after the robbery, in conversation on the
subject, Halleck had alluded to the ease with
which the theft might have been accom-
plished and successfully concealed owing to
the fact that the notes were all old ones, and
the numbers OF them had not been taken.
This statement OF the notes being old ones
was not generally known.
on THE TRAIL OF HALLECK.
On Thursday night Detectives McDevitt
and McElfresh started for New York and
reaching there next morning they took quar-
tiers at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. When start
ing they were furnished with the office OF the
Globe Insurance company, on Broadway, a
the address OF Halleck, and they spent ali
day looking around and in the evening sent
the following dispatch TO Major Richards:
Anything new there? Have not seen par
ties yet. MCDEyITr
To which the Major replied:
"Ottman is here. ACR-
On Friday morning the following dispatch
was received:
What shall we do about the other man?
"MCELFREsH AND MCDEyIrTn
This was answered by one directing them