River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-01-18
$50, 900 EXPRESS ROBBERY.

SOO,UOO EAPRESS hODbElI1 L.
A few evenings ago BOzOO reporter
was sauntering around in the Garrison
House Office, wondering what might
be turned up to a good account in the
way of an item to interest the readers
of this paper. Finally he ran across
an old expressman, an attache of the
United States Express Company.
He invited the reporter to take a
cigar, and then said:
"Walk up TO my room, and while we
smoke l will give yOu an item, that,
perhaps, may interest the readers Of
the BaZoO.'
TherepOrter followed, and found the
room brilliantly lighted, fire burning
in the stove, and everything exceed
ingly inviting and cOzy.
flake this chair" said the express
man, "while | will lie on this lounge,
he continued.
He first commenced telling some
thing about the daring exploits of the
YOungeTs and JameseS, and asked the
question to himself: IF we get all of
these fellows, wonder if new band
will spring into existence that will give
us more trouble p
And then after crossing his legs and
getting in more easy position. for he
is nervous man, he said.
''In 1S49, believe it was. the Unit
eG States Express Company was organ
lied, and in 1853 we were young and
poor. At that time bankers were in
the habit of shipping gold boxes by
our company.
The boxes used for this purpose
were all of a uniform size, and made
of pine-inch and half clear lumber.
The whole box was dOYetailed tOgeth-
er, except the cover, and this, after
the gold was put in, was fastened
down by eight large screws sunk into
the wood. The holes on the top of the
screws were filled with molten sealing
wax, and a seal stamped on. There
were besides this, six holes, one
fourth of an inch in diameter, through
the cover. These were also filed with
sealing wax, Ond stamped. Thus it
was matter of utter impOssibility TO
remove the cover without evidences of
it.
sit was in this Year, 1853, that our
Company was the victim of the great
robbery of $4,000 in gold coin, that
filed us with dismay and the country
with establishment. In those days
railroading had not arrived at the per
lection of the present, and especially
in the West, and the means for the de-
lection of crime were not as effective.
But TO the robbery:
sit was, as / have said, in the year
1858. Our agent at Dubuque received
from a banker there a large amount of
gold coin for the United States sub
treasury in New York. The coin was
packed in boxes as above described,
each box containing $4,000. The
boxes were all carefully sealed, and
every fOTmality required by our COM
pany strictly complied with. At that
time the line from Dubuque tO New
York was divided into runs. with re-
laws or messengers. Thus, one mes
senger staged il from Dubuque to the
nearest railway terminal point; at that
place he transferred his charge to an
other messenger who ran 10 Chicago,
where he was relieved by one who ran
TO Detroit: another run was from De-
troit to Buffalo, and the last run from
Buffalo to New York. OF course this
shipment referred To had to pass
through a great many hands before it
At last the boxes arrived at the sub
treasury. The exact number was de-
livered in good order. every box eX-
actIy alike, every box bore the exact
stamps, and every box weighed exact
Is the same. ~ FAR, all right.
.sBut a terrible denouement Was in
store for rs. for when these boxes
were opened by the proper person, one
4 - -
in gold coin, was filled with lead. You
can imagine the CONSERVATION of the
officers of our company at experiencing
such a heavy loss, for which it was re-
spOnSible and had to he made good.
OF course the matter got ont, and Gre
ated intense excitement all over the
country. 1t was plainly apparent TO
us that we had got two things TO do !:
Pay the loss and ferret out the thieves
at all hazards and at any cost.
1--WE kept our own counsel and went
to work quietly and Systematically,
and put one of our shrewdest and
keenest detectives at the work. The
first thing 10 do was TO trace back that
shipment over various trains and as
certain what messenger Or other Off
cial had charge of il. This we did
quietly and without exciting any sus-
picion among our employees. 1t was a
lsng time before we got a clew, but
get it we did. and you may surmise
we held on 10 il. Among our messen-
gers was one that had charge of that
shipment between Chicago and De-
tToit, and we had reason TO believe the
change Of boxes had been effected on
his run but how, or by whom, we
could not determine. The messenger
was a general favOrite, prompt and
faithful in the performance of his
duty, and remained at his post after
the robbery, pursuing the same course
and habits of life that he had previous
to our loss.
"a year passed by without bringing
any material results. At last our de.
tective took the false box which had
contained the lead and went TO Du-
buque. The banker who shipped the
coin looked at the box, then looked at
the detective, but he was as much in
the dark rs before. However. the de-
tectives asked him who made the box.
es for him in which he shipped the
coin. The banker gave him the name
of the carpenter. To the carpenter
the detective went. and handing him
the box asked, Did you make that
boxP The carpenter surveyed il care
fully for moment and promptly an.
swered:
"'No,sir; did not make that box
'Did YOU make the boxes that con.
tanned the coin from Banker-P in.