Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-08-30
BIG DOODLE.
THE ADAMS EXPRESS COMPANY ROBBED OF
$4,000.
Equal Doubts as to What the Thief Has Done With
the Money and What the Company Has
Done With the Accused.

PHILADELPHIA, august 2S.-1ne Au-
ans Express Company lost S29, COS from a
safe on Thursday, August 10, and Rath
Pratt, clerk, is under $4,000 hail on
suspicion of having stolen the money.
Owing to the large amount stolen, the Off
cials OF the company took extra precau-
tions to keep the robbery secret while the
circumstances were being Investigated,
and it was only to-day that the matter
leaked out.
Shortly after 3 o'clock on the afternoon
of the 10Th of August, Pratt and fellow
clerk named Heath called at the Pennsyl-
vania railroad office, at Fourth street and
Willing alley, and
RECEIVED THE MONEY.
There were three bags, containing 81, 900
each in silyeC the balance OF the S29, ,6O5
being III greenbacks, sealed in package
The money was to be shipped to the Miner
al Mining Company, at ShamOkin, Pa, and
was for the purpose OF paying of the em-
ployes on the following Saturday.
When the clerks reached the Adams EX-
press office, at 622 Chestnut street, they
took the package into the money room,
where they we're received by Chief Clerk
Dallas Crow. 4 few minutes after four
o'clock Pratt made out the way BILL and
after Crow had checked the way bill of he
placed
THE MONEY IN A SAFE.
The safe was lying in a corner Of the
room. when the Chief Clerk told Pratt, ut
4:30 o'clock to seal it, The money safe is
about two feet square 1t had lock and
Il door on the top, and in addition to the
lock the door is also fastened by wire. 4
leadcn seal cncircleS the wire, the seal he
ing squeezed on by sealing iron, bearing
4 die with the impression fthc company 5
seal. The key is also sealed i'll heavy
envelope. a..
Pratt was alone when he sealetthe safe,
which was aNiOlatiOn of
AN IMPERATIVE ORDER,
directing that before 4 safe is closed an
other clerk shall examine the contents and
see that they are all right. Pratt had
never before diSregarded the order. He
had sealed the Sunbury safe the same day,
i'm the presence of another clerk, but he
fixed up the Shamokin safe unaidel.
When the 3afe left the office, shortly after
wards. it was taken directly to the Read
ing railroad station ut Thirteenth and Cal
lOwhill streets, and was consequently
under guard during the Journey on the
rails.
As soon Us the safe was opened in
ShamOkin the loss was discovered and tele-
graphed to John Rigney, Superintendent
of the express company. The matter was
kept perfectly quiet and the aid Of Spittall'S :
detective agency was invoked. Early in
the week Pratt was
PIT UNDER THE SURVEILLANCE
of detective lie was kept ut his desk,
however, until Friday, when he was re-
moved to private quarters somewhere III
the city, where he now is in custody OF the
detectives, who are aSsiduOuSly working
up the case. Pratt prOieSsed entire in
nOcence, claiming that if he had stolen
the money he would not have remained at
his post, but would rather have followed
the usual custom and gone to Canada.
His present whereabouts is 4 profound
secret, and all day yesterday not even his
wife was allowed to see him or even know
where he was lie claims, it is sud, that
the money was either put in some other
safe or taken by some one else. As over Il
week had elapsed and no word had been
received of the stray package, Pratt was
held ON suspicion, inaSmuch Us he was the
man who had locked the safe and had
failed to comply with the invariable rule
of the office. An examination will be
held on Wednesday next before Magistrate
Durham.