Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-03-29
Detective Ingenuity.
From Harpcr's EASY Chair"

Inc OlO prOVerD, muiQef Will OUT, Is
constantly justified, and it is curious
and interesting to see how, as the
craft of crime deepens with the pro.
gress of civilization, the ingenuity of
discovery keeps equal pace with it.
Old.fashioned robbery, the foot.pad
and the highwayman riding up as in
the last.century English novels, and
presenting a blunderbuss at the coach
window while the company alight and
are relieved of their purses by the
masked Robin Hood, who leaps into
he saddle, and touching his hat, with
a round compliment to the ladies, gal
lops away-all this has passed away
with the bailiffs and sponging.houses,
the Fleet and the Marshalsea. The
garroter and the masked gang of burg
lars are the familiar form OF robbery
in our day, while for great and difficult
crimes the wits of rascals are matched
with those of detectives, and the ras-
Gals are very sure to go to the wall.
A recent capture Of mail robbers
we'll illustrates this, and is a signal
proof of the skill that foils the most
careful crime. Merchants and others
in Philadelphia who had dealings with
Boston found that the most valuable
and important letters were constantly
miscarried. They disappeared with
out a clew, and the correspondents
soon complained at the postof1ice de
partment, which upon full informa-
tion, applied itself with its most skill
full detective force to the discovery
of the thieves, but in vain. But SIM
liar detective skill, differently employ.
ed, struck the clue. The detective
agency of an express company was
busily engaged in the search for val
liable baggage that had been stolen,
and some of the agents, who had been
s'shadowing" two suspicious persons,
followed them from a house in Prince
street to the Office of the American Ex'
press company, at the corner of Broad
way and Fourth street. The suspic.
ious persons here left two packages
addressed to Canada. When they had
left the detectives entered the Office
and told the agents of the company
their suspicious that the packages con.
tanned stolen goods. The packages
were at once opened. One was found
to contain mailbag, and the other a
travelling bag or satchel in which were
the stamps of a mail.r0ute agents out
tit. The discovery was at once made
known at the postoffice, and it's agents
carefully examined the contents of the
two bags. The mailbag contained
mutilated letters which had been evi'
IDENTIFY mailed at York in Pennsylva'
MIA, and the satchel the working tools
of a route agent upon the Pennsylva'
MIA railroad. Here was the long
sought clue, and the postoffice and the
} express detectives followed it closely
to the end.
l The satchel had been stolen from s
|mail.wagon while going from the New
York post.office to Jersey City. Ont
of the drivers was arrested, and hi!
capture led to that of a man named
Kelly, the apparent leader of the gang
and woman with whom he lived, ant
other confederates. The woman!
; house was searched, and in a trunk
claimed by her were found letters
mailed a few days before in Philadel
, phia, containing checks payable IL
Boston. Other letters were fount
!, from which the Enclosures had beer
taken, and it appeared that money hat
been paid upon forged indorsement'
of signatures obtained in this way
, The last man who was arrested wa
fouLd to be the important confederate
He was a mail.driver who allowed th'
bags to be taken from the wagon
!, When the bags had been thor eughl!
rifled, they were carefully done up il
| packages and sent by express to various
, distant cities, addressed to fictitiou
, names. All traces Of the bags thus dis
appeared.
II It was a clever scheme, but no
t clever enough. Corruption wins no
t more than honesty. As Fielding /
8 fond of saying, it hath been remarks
' by some wise philosopher that the ir
E genuity which is devoted to knavery
e lie turned to honest industry, woul
! not only suffice to carry the world ia
q toward virtue, but would make tn
/. fnaves prosperous and respectable Gil
d lizens. In the meanwhile. it is con
r | Portable to see the constant evidenc
Q that, sharp as crime may be, justice
Q Isharper.
d There are still few cases Of small
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