The New York herald., 1877-01-04
PLUNDERING THE MAILS.
Letter Bags Stolen from Express Wagons
Pouches Cut and RfIed.
ARREST OF THE THIEVES
Five Thousand Letters RecOvered-Is the
Hewitt Mystery Explained:

10 carried IL would appear almost impossi.
Bile that letter could be lost while In transit, much
less abstraced from the mall Within the last three
years great improvements have been adopted and
such safeguards thrown around the mails that very
few depredatons take place Tho statement OF Mr..
A. s. Hewitt that his letters had been tanpered with,
fell like a bombshel in the midst OF crowd. He did
charge any OF his mail had been distracted
destroyed but that some Of the letters were opened
and reaealed, in which condition they reached him.
Tho Congressional investigation OF Mr. 5. 5. Coxs
committee entirely exoneraes the Post Office author
tiles this city from any allegations made, and dcm-
onstrates that the thing impossible TO happen
within tho New York Post once. how 1t might hap
pen outside the building ana this city is now made
plain
MYSTERY.
For several months past Postmaster James was ter
ribly annoyed with communications regard TO aon-
appearance of letters which were mailed IRON remote
parts to parties in this CITY, He eatoLce set his shrewd-
est detectives at work - unravel the mystery,
but without success In the meantime, however.
Dodd's Express Company, which has the contract TO
carry the mails and from the trains to The Post
Office and from railway depot 10 the other, was los
Ing baggage in mentioning this fact TO Postmaster
James he concluded cooperate with this company
and ascertain II possible whether tho "lcak" in the
mails might not from this source. Mr. Anthony
Yeoman General Superintendent. was detailed by The
Post aster and Special Agent b. H. Sharretts at
took the matter in hand. At the same time Mr.
A. S Dodd employed Pinkerton's Detective
Agency to work up the case while MI. d. D.
Parker, Chet Special Agent OF the Post ONCE
Department. was taken INTO the confidence of all the
parties. The lost baggage part was shrewdly worked
up by the detectives, and within lew days past the
Post Ofice authorities became convinced that the
missing letters lost through the drivers OF the
af n
revealed the fact bags in which letters were
forwarded were open before arriving at the Post
Orice, showing concusiveIy that the depredations
were the work Of outsiders driver of one of Dodds
wagons named John De Frees was arrested on sus
picion of being concerned the operation, but he
strenuousy denies his guilt Besides this man the
agents OF Pinkerton's Agency arrested James Craw-
ford Of No. Ill Prince street; Mary Jane Collins No.
Ill Prince street John Kelly. No. Clinton place. and
man. suspicion OF being concerned In these
robberies.
TRACKING PLUMBER.
Warrants were obtained from Police Justice Duffy
for the arrest of these parties well search their
premises On proceeding to No. Ill Prince street the
officers were rewarded by finding several large bun
dies containing probably five thousand letters, mostly
all OF them broken open and rhed Of valuable contents,
II there any IN them In the trunk owned by me
woman Collins number OF letters were also ound.
quantity Of empty leather mail pouches were picked
up in places, minus the conehts cut open on
the sides, through which the letters we're obtained.
While no direct proof can yet be shown that the
driver De Frees OF the party 10 the systematic
ronbertcs he is alleged to have wnked opera
lions aud allowed the thieves abstract the bags from
his wagon while driving through the streets All the
bags thus IRON mails arriving by the Penn
Byvania Erie and other roads arriving via Jersey Ciy
THE PRISONERS ARRAGNkD.
Late Tuesday gnt the above mcntonei prison.
taken to the Iombs anu locked up icster1ay
morning they were brought before Justice puhy VINO
turned them over to The United states author
ties Messrs. Sharretts Parker Bangs, Pinkeron and
OF hers had them under strict examination, and what
ever statement the prisoners made was Kept secret
In fact II the arrest had not leaked out nothing would
sad about IT until all the parties concerned
in this transaction brought TO justice. Al dark
yeste rday evening the cuprs we're sent to Ludlow
Street Jail, where they now confined on tempo
rary commitment, aud Will be brought TO the United
States Court Today and examined by one OF the United
States Commissioners.
This much having been ascertained IN connection
with the robbery a representative OF tne HERALD
sought Mr. Dodd President oi the Dodds Express and
Transfer Company. THIS gentleman WIS retcent at
arst in giving any information on the subject but
alter being that the iacts OF the robbery
known he consented 10 give the pubic all he knew
Of the Affair." Mr. Dodd said :-"Durpg the Centennial
rush IN October and the early part oil November
company received numerous Complaints oi losing
baggage We at once engaged the services OF the
Pnkorton Detective Agency In october we hap
pcncd to lose trunk containing cutlery valued at
81 600 and the contents, with the exception oil lew
knives were recovered. Other trunks looking ss II
containing samples were taken Our susplcons we're
aroused by seeing a fellow named John Kelly (who
has arrestedj, an ex-convc', whom we had con
y,c,ed ana sent 10 State Prison, iurkirg around
lbe depot at Dcsbrosses street Terry, aad
sept sharp lookout Tor him. AT The
,ame time trunk arrived from Philadelphia
shich was destined Tor this city, There being
baggage handle, some parties obtan ned tue numocr
forged the check and had the trunk rechecked To
rarrytowp Injuries made about this
trunk at the Grand Central Railroad Depot The bag
gage master remcm mbered the trunk ana lclegraphng
10 Tarrytown, found that the package had not ar
rived there, and by judicious management Ii was re-
covered by the express company
THE COMPANY rnE LOOKOUT.
..In order 10 protect our baggage and theorizing
Affairs generally came to the concluMon that II
change our personnel would be oi great ad-
vantage IN order TO break up The combinations and
coIlusions which must necessarily exist We, there
fore effected a general change about OF our men. On
Thanksgiving Day We lost three trunks. We al once
apprlscd Pipkerton OF the fact he shadowed Kelly
pnd another man to No Clinton place, which
~ n no, orious den The detectives followed them up,
ami knew of their every movemenI Last Saturday,
during the shadowng process three different parties,
each time pairs, entered tho express once corner OF
Broadway and Fourth street, with packages directed
TO various parties III the country The packages were
examined lound to contain articles of clothing aud
packages letters, thus showing plainly mat the
mails mad been robbed, well as the trunks OF pas
scuccrs Chei Agent Parker and SPECIAL Agent
sbarretts were then consulted with, and they,
connection with the detectives we employed, allowed
the suspected parties 10 run until the "a lust, when
they arrested the thieves. The premises No
l65 Greene street kept 10y notorious woman, were
searched, but nothing found there The parties con-
cerncd in these robbcries number AT least dozen.
Their mode OF operation varied. Their spois are
divided systematically and the rewards doled out
c,rdipp 10 merit The percentage received by them
RANGES from i've to nty per cent II checks found
IN letters the orgcr The gets tor his share the
highest remuneration, the go-bet"een generally
about ten per cent. BY the energetic means We have
alopted / think that this robblng system Is about
broken up"
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS.
IL s easy 10 thai this systematic Wholesale
M All robbery has been carried on TO an alarming
,nI II s not To be wondered at that letters look as
i, they had been tampcred wih. IL Is more than
i,e.ly tnat these parties were III possession OF
..s.,ie by which thoy steamed the letters open,
CT srrsd by r. Hewitt, and hnding nothing Of value
a..au.d In the letters returned some Of them to the
rn.t once A number Of checks taken IRON the
s,,,ieu mails amounting to over 90 800. have had the
s.-...,,cs iorpcd on the back the money OBJ
,.emrd thereon within a few days past
rur,ber Developments OF astartIing nature are sure
10 follow this breaking up oi most iormiiapic gang
OF mail depredators.
spscial agent OF the Post once D. r. sharrets gave
. ..,orter last night. the following interesting