The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-06-10

A Kentucky Editor Caught RObbing
the Mails.

Paducah News, June 5.
Our community was startled this morn
ing by the announcement that Mr.. K. j.
Beaumont, editor of the Mayfield Demo
crat, had been arrested for robbing regis.
tered letters in that city; that he was in
Puducah in charge of Government off
GERS, and numbers of our citizens went to
the Court. house to take look at him,
hardly believing the report, which, upon
investigation, they found il to be correct
The Post office at Mayfield is more than
half mile from the depot, and 1t seems
that Mr.. Beaumont was employed by the
Government at salary, to convey the
mail from the depot to the Post-otfice.
Tine registered letter packages had been
convey I'd outside the mail-pouch, and the
agent of the train has been in the habit
of delivering them TO the mail-carrier.
who gave his receipt to the agent, who
in turn took receipt from the Postmas-
ter upon their delivery tc him. How
this manner of transmitting registered
letter packages came into vogue has moth
ing to do with this case.
Since the year 1871 there have been
repeated complaints that money had been
extracted frem registered packages, and
the Government took the matter in hand
determined to ferret out the guilty party,
or parties, and we are assured that dur
ing the time that has elapsed since 1871
no less than fifteen Special Agents have
been detailed at different times to work
up the case, but the tracks were so well
covered up that they lett without accom-
plishing any thing. The complaints be-
coming louder and more frequent on
Tuesday last, May 30, Special Agent F.
w. Schaurte, Chief OF this Department
at st. LOUIS, detailed Special A. Z. Eos
ter, of Missouri, Henry Booth, of Alaba-
ma, and + f. Boyd, of Connecticut, to
look into the matter. Alter consultation
among themselves, they arranged their
plan OF operations as follows: Foster
located ut Mayfeld as tobacco buyer.
Booth went TO Pennington to intercept
mail matters at that point, while Boyd
travelled up and down the road attending
to another department of the busiress.
Without entering into the minute de.
tails, we will state that on Thur day night
four registered packages were handel to
Mr.. Beaumont, tor which he receipted to
the Mail Agent. Two of these pack
ages he rlfled, but the amounts in the
other two were so small that he resealed
them and let them pass. On Friday two
more packages were handed HIM. These
two were opened, but the amounts beng
small, they were also resesled and deliv-
cred to the Postmaster. Out of these six
pscksyes he obtained S39, OF which
amount he paid out $25, which was re,
covered and identified by the Special
Agents. All these facts were known to
the Agents last Friday, but they refrain
ed from making any arrest IN the hope
that they might entangle any accompil-
ces who might have been engaged with
him. Finally, believing he was acting
on his own hook, this morning Deputy
Marshal Paxton, accompanied By Special
Agents Booth and Boyd, went to the tel
egrsph Office and arrested him on the
charge of uttering counterfeit money. As
soon rs the order OF arrest was made
Beaumont turned pale and tainted.
When he recovered he was taken to the
hotel, where he was confronted by the
evidences of his real guilt. He immedi-
ately melted and confessed himself guilty
of numerous robberies, and completely
exonera:ed every body finn any COM
plic,ty in the transactions with him. DE
WAS brought here by this mornings train
and taken before United States Commas
sioner John Pu-yesr, He waived an ex-
animation and was committed 20 Jail, his
bail being fixed by the Commissioner Al
$4,000.
On the way to the city he seemed to be
much depressed, and begged for knife
to cut his throat. He said he had dis
graced his family and himself and did
not desire to live any longer, He seem
ed unnamed, and talked OF starving him.
self to death, II he could find no other
mode of putting an end to his existence
This is one Of the most, in fact, the
most difficult case the Department has
had 10 deal with. Beaumont has been so
cautious that it was impossible to eaten
him. and for six years the ablest and
shrewdest agents OF the Government have
been at fault During the past week he
has been attacked in front and rear by
both TANKS, and was compelled To sur
render. The amount Of money that has
been missing during the past five years
is 1900, 500 Of which has been alb
strscted since the first OF last January.
The mode adopted for opening the letters
was to dampen them with warm water;
IL the contents were sufficient 70 justify it
thew were removed; if not. the envelopes
were sealed again and forwarded. The
greatest credit is due the agents for the
tact and shrewdness in working up the
case. From our observation, We take II