The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-10-04
MAIL ROBBERS.

Officials of the NeU Karen Postofiee Bd67ed.
There is trouble in the New Haven postofiee.
A New Haven business man alleges that his
mail has been robbed, and that letters con-
tanning money received at the New Haven
postoffice have been stolen. Detectives have
been at work on the case. and the postoffice
officials are supposed to have exerted them
selves in the way of special surveillance, but
so far every effort in the line of investigation
has proved futile, and despite the fact that
the postmaster, the chief clerk and other en-
ployes of the office keep an active watch, the
alleged robberies have continued with little
interruption. The total of the alleged rob-
berries make large sum. George G.. Pown-
ing. who is the head of the Yale silk works, is
a dealer IN the scrap silks so dear TO the femi-
nine heart for fancy patchwork. He and his
partner were the pioneers in this line and now
control a large business. Advertising largely
they have secured customers all over the
country, their mail being among the largest
received at the postofiice in New Haven. AS
the correspondence generally relates to orders
for goods, most of the letters contain money
ranging in amount from q fraction of dollar
upward. AS a rule the sums are too small to
suggest postofiice money orders or the regis
tration of letters. During the latter part of
August complaints begad to pour in upon the
firm from customers at a distance who claim
to have forwarded money without receiving
in return any of the goods ordered. So fire.
quent became these complaints that Mr..
Powning made known the fact at the post
Office. Detectives were employed to look
after certain features of the case, but their
vigilance effected nothing.
1t was at first suspected that some person
had obtained duplicate key to Mr.: Powning's
postofiice drawer and was opening it sur
reptitiously. A close watch kept in the post
office lobby upset this theory, for nobody save
Powning opened the box, though the letters
continued to disappear. In the meantime q
new lock was placed upon the drawer, and de-
tective work was transferred to another phase
of the case. For fortnight the postoffice
authorities have been on the watch without
any result other than the embarrassment of
that despite their surveillance the
Though satisfied that the thefts really were |
taking place, all detective expedients have |
been equally Intellectual, until the postoffice |
authorities have settled down to the opinion |
that either there is no hope of eornering the |
rogue, or else that the thefts are from the out
side.
Chief Clerk Boyd said his attention had been
called by Mr.. Powning to these alleged irregu-
aritles some time ago, and that he had care
fully and persstently investigated every
phase in the case, but as yet had been wholly
unable to find the slightest evidence of crook
edness upon the part of any man in the post
office employ: 81 can only say this said Mr..
Boyd, that the boxes now in use at the post
office have been in service for so long as to
lave become almost worthless. For ten years
hey have been steadily in use, and we have
ound that many of them are continually get
ing out of order. and think there is more
han bare possibility that these losses may
,oxes have become so defective in their locks,
to-, as to have given us trouble with other
,arties, but until this instance there has never
'een any reason to suspect any crookedness
lpon the inside of the Office We know that
n some instances keys in use at the office
ave become so worn by long use as to now fit
nd unlock half dozen drawers" The in
esiigation will be pushed and inspectors
f,