Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-15
A MAIL THIEF
Pinned Down by a United States In.
spectOr Until He COnFesses Himself
Guilty of Robbery.
Stealing a Registered Letter and a Reg
istered Loek.Pcuch Containing
sixty Dollars.

Yesterday one II the famous William r.
/ Moore's proteges came TO grief Unexpectedly.
1 Ills name is J. W. GoVan and he Is a cOlored
route agent on the Mississippi and Tennessee
( railroad. Probably be regarded his living
/ as a precarious one; or chance at the funds
! furnished through his connection with the
/ government and his Endorsement by the i'm
maculate William K. slightly turned his
head. At any rate, he had hardly been in
stalled ia Office than he devoted himself to
rising in the service. Yesterday he was ar
| rested by John N. Crowell, United States
postofhce inspector, and Wslter Jores, assist
ant postmaster here, and row William Rs
representative
LANGUIsHEs N JAIL.
Goyan had the route between Mem phis
aud Grenada. About March IIth the negro
went TO an dttgehe Of the postofice, Mr.. Jen-
nings, and said he had lost one Of bis regis
tered packages, and asked what he should do
about it. He was told that he would have
to report il, so he went to Mr.. Jones on the
lIth and reported that registered package
containing money order remittance of S25
from Charleston TO New Orleans was lost.
Mr.. JONES never suspected the negro, az The
latter had notified him OF the loss If the
money, end considered him an honest fellow.
April Sth Govan again came 10 him with
another loss, and reported that
REGISTER LOCK POUCH
containing sixteen registered packages was
gone, having been stolen by some one from bis
car at Grenada. He was compelled to report
this loss to the department at Washington
The attention of the department having been
called to the matter, Mr.. Crowell, the in
spector, whose office is at ST. Louis was de-
tailed TO investigate the case. He reached
Memphis night before last and put up at the
Peabody. Yesterday morning he called on
h. 4
the lost pouch. After Mr.. Jones narrated
everything that he knew about the matter,
Mr.. Crowell was OF the opinion that GOvan
was guilty of the theft of the letter and The
pouch.
Govan was accordingly invited into the
Office of the assistant postm aster and inter-
viewed, and subjected TO a searching cross
examination. Mr.. Crowell found that the
man made different statements to Mr..
Jones and to himself, and told the assistant
postmaster that Govsn had committed the
robbery, and accused the negro of it. Mr.
Jones couldn't believe it.
Il arrest you for ealing the letter on the
18Th Of March and the register lock-pouch
April 8th," said the inspector 10 Govan.
The latter stoutly maintained his inno-
cence for two hours, and then he wrote the |
CONFESSION:
I, J. W. Govan. make the following statement; |
that the night of April 9Th l stole register |
lock pouch No. 3iOi, from Memphis TO New Orleans,
La, at Grenada, SIS, about half-p past O'Clock /
p m, and took it about a quarter of mile fIom
the mail and cut said register pouch open
with my barlow knife aud took out. to my recol-
lection, fourteen sixteen register packages then
placed two or four bricks in the pouch and threw
II. as supposed, In the Yals busha river. l then
took the pack ges to my mail car and cut the ends
open with my knife and took out the contents of the
letters, which was S45in currency. then kiudled
fire in the stove and burned the letters and pack
ages up. drought the money to Memphis Sunday
morning, the 9th, and sent ii by my brother
Charles Govan, to my parents, who live near La
grange, Tenn. told my brother that stole the .
money from register packages also stole regis |
ter package No. IS, from Charleston. Miss, to New
Orleans, La, on March 18th, which contained SIS
in silver and currency. l paid my board with
part of it and bought clothes, etc with the bal
anee. The above is all ever stole SINCE have
been route agent. j. W. GOVAN,
Route Agent.
The thief made oath to the above confess
sion before L. Jennings, justice of the
peace.
COMMITTED TO JAIL.
Govsn was taken before a United States /;
and held in bond of $1,000.
He wrote to Lagrange, Tenn, TO secure bail,
but his guilt is go clear that it will be i'm
possible for him TO do So As this ofense
vas committed in Mississippi, he viii be
aiken to Oxford, Miss, for trial.