Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-01-08
sUsoUEHANNA's SAFE ROBBERY
How $4,000 Vas stolen from M
United States Express Company-De.
tectiye Yi@iiance-The Rohber Lnr-
ed from Canada, and Arrested m
the Frontier

f 80 oh0 4
the Frontier.
New York Herald
The robbery of the United States,
/ Express Company at Susquehanna
/ Pa, of $40, goo, has for two years re-
NAMED a mystery which detectives
cunning and the closest investigat
ion seemed unlikely to unravel., Bps
the arrest of George FL. Proctor bv
Robert A. Pinkerton. of Pinkertonfs
Detective Agency, reveals the method
/ ana history Of the crime. On the
night 81 June 20, 1883, the Marine
National Bank OF New York sent Il,
! the First National Bank of Sugoue-
hanna, Pa, a sealed package contain
ing $40, 900 in currency and national
bank notes. The money was for the
payment of the /, 500 hands empolye9
by the Erie Railroad Company ia the
local shops. The package was brousbt
to the United States Express Com
pany's office in New York by a clerlz
of the Marine Bank, who received n
receipt for it, and the money clerk Of
the express company inclosed it in
canvass pouch, sealed with the con-
pany's seal, with tag attached, and
addressed it to the company's agent at
ousqaehanna. The pouch was de
/ livered to Messenger Van Waeanen
who placed Ii in his safe. lie arrived
at Susquehanna at midnight and
turned it over to DWIGHT Chamber
lain, night clerk and Waterman in
the JOINT employ of the express com
pany and the Erie Railroad Company.
Chamberlain then put it in a safe IN
the ticket Office, and locked it with @
key. lie then was engaged IA his
duties, frequently being away from
the ticket office, until Z O'Clock on the
morning of June 81. at that hour
the messenger from the Susquehanna
Bank called for the package. 1t was
taken out and opened, and, instead
OF the single package of $40, 600 a
number of small packages of brown
Manila paper, cut the size of bank
bills, We're found.
FRUITLEsS INQUIRIES.
w ord was sent to the main office
and after a fruitless inquiry the case
was placed IN the hands Of the Pin
kerton National Detective Agency.
The first discovery made was that the
pouch found in the safe was dummy
closely resembling the pouches used
by the company, but with a different
seal and tag. Evidently, it had been
substituted for that containing the
$40, coo, in order to retard discovery
as long as possible. A careful inyesti
cation was made, and the detectives
felt assured that the right pouch had
been delivered to the clerk at the Sus-
qAehanHa ticket office. Inquiry re-
vealed that 10 1874 $50. 600 had been
taken from the safe in this office, and
also that three Of the eompany's en-
pIoyes held KEYS to it, which would
open the door of tho ticket office.
None Of the employees were found to
be liable to suspicion. and no one in
the waiting room lad seen the Office
entered by a stranger. Time had wore
on and the case seemed hopeless. but
the express company directed Mr..
Plnkerton to pursue it regardless of
expense. But all search for clews as
to the presence of professional bur
glars, strolling filters, or suspicious
strangers was unavalling, and a watch
kept on all the company's employees
developed nothing whatsoever.
Last July it was ascertained that
George H. Proctor, the foreman of the
boiler shop of the Erie Company, who
had left Susquehanna and gone to
Buffalo, was making considerable
money in oil speculations To Buffalo
he detectives went and learned that
le had deposited 81 009 in three of
he banks there. A story which reach
I'd an official from d professional thief
hat an Erie Railroad employe was
concerned In the safe robbery re-
doubled their vigilance. They found
hat Proctor's money had all been
quandered in oil speculation; that
ghIle living IN Susquehana he had no
money beyond his salary, and that he
vas IN communication with people ia
canada who were regarded as shady
characters.
SHARP PLAY ON BOTH SIDES.
When Proctor next went TO see his
amily in Susquehanna Detective
tobert Plnkerton was there before
nm and took him in charge To Pink
rton he admitted his guilt. He said
c had met man named Martin IN
)anada who had induced him to get
IMPRESSIONS of the keyholes of the
ale and ticket Office and give him in
touching the manner OF dis
osing of the money pouch. Martin
nd an acconsphce named Colling,
'rocter said, had subsequently com
litted the robbery and turned over to
i'm S11,00 as his share of tue booty.
Pinkerton, believing Proc
or to have been used as witness for
ne prosecution and use MIN to decoy
lartin from Canada, where he was
eyond the reach of the American
NV. To that end he was allowed to
emaln at his home on condition that
e would notify Pinkerton's Agency
his movements. Suddenly, how
yer, he disappeared, and was found
} have gone to Canada, where he had
)ined Martin and Collins. Investiga-
on showed. too, that he had origin
lily been burglar and Jail beraker,
nd no doubt was responsible himself