The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-03-01
DETECTIVE INGENUITY.
Another Case Which Proves the Rule that
Corruption Wins Not More Than Hon
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Another Case Which Proves the Rule that
Corruption Wins Not More Than Hon.
esty.
from Harper's Easy Chair."l
The old proverb, murder will out, is
constantly justified, and it is curious and
interesting to see how, as the craft of
crime deepens with the progress of civili-
cation, 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 present
ing blunderbuss at the coach window,
while the company alight and are re-
lleved of their purses by the masked
Robin Hood, who leaps into the saddle,
and, touching his hat, with a round COM
pliment to the ladies, gallops away-all
this has passed away with the bailiffs
and sponging-houses, the Fleet and the
Marshalsea. The garroter and the
masked gang of burglars are the IA
miliar form OF robbery in our day, while
for great and difficult crimes the wits of
rascals are matched with those of de-
tectives, and the rascals are very sure to
60 to the wall.
A recent capture of mail robbers well
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 val
liable and important letters were
constantly miscarried. They disap-
peared without clew, and the cor
respondents soon complained at the
Postoffice Department, which, upon full
information, applied itself with it's most
skillful detective force to the discovery
of the thieves, but in vain. But similar
detective skill, differently employed,
struck the clew. The detective agency
OF an express company was busily en-
gagged in the search for valuable baggage
that had been stolen, and some of the
agents, who had been shadowing" two
a house in Prince street to the Office of
the American Express Company, at the
corner Of Broadway and Fourth street.
The suspicious 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 con-
tain mailbag, and the other travelling
bag or sachel Ill which were the stamps
of mail-route agents outfit. This dis
covery was at once made known at the
Postotfice, and it's agents carefully exam
ined the contents of the two bags. The
mailbag contained mutilated letters
which had been evidently mailed at York,
in Pennsylvania, and the sachel the
working tools of route agent upon the
Pennsylvania railroad. Here was the
long-sought clew, and the Postoffice and
the express detectives followed it closely
to the end.
The sachel had been stolen from a
mail-wagon while going from the New
York Postoffice to Jersey City. One of
the drivers was arrested, and his capture
led to that of man named Kelly, the
apparent leader of the gang, and a wo-
man with whom he lived and other con-
federates. The woman's house was
searched, and i'll a trunk claimed by her
were found letters mailed few days be-
fore in Philadelphia, containing checks
payable in Boston. Other letters were
found from which the Enclosures had
been taken, and it appeared that money
had been paid upon forged Endorsements
of signatures obtained in this way. The
last man who was arrested was found to
be the important confederate. He was
mail-driver who allowed the bags to be
taken from the wagon. When the bags
had been thoroughly rifed, they were
carefully done up in packages and sent
by express to various distant cities, adj
dressed to fictitious names. All traces
of the bags thus disappeared.
It was clever scheme, but not clever
enough. Corruption wins not more than
honesty. AS Fielding is fond of saying,
cit hath been remarked by some wise
philosopher that the ingenuity which is
devoted to knavery, if turned to honest
industry, would not only suffice " carry
the world far forward toward virtue, but
would make the knaves prosperous and
respectable citizens" In the meanwhile,
it is comfortable to see the constant evil
dence that, sharp as crime may be, JUS
tice is sharper.