The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-08-22
MAIL ROBBERS CAUGHT
Over a Million Dollars in Securities
Found in the Possession of
Chicago Thieves.
The Railroad Millionaire Of the Pacific
Coast Passes Away at
Monterey.
Ame'ie Rives'' Tragedy-Author OF the
''Quick or the Dead' Ven
lures Deeper.
TChicago special dispatch.1

Two OF the most important arrests made In
Chicago in a long time were those OF Fred Ober-
kampf and Thomas +. Mack The former is an
unmarried man, aged about 20. He is we'll
educated, speaking several languages, and
DIR esses well. He represented himself to bet no
assistant superintendent OF an insurance COM
pany to the lady where he roomed. Running
behind on HIS rent, he gave his landlady forged
check, which was the direct cause of his arrest
and the examination OF his effects. His two
grips" Were found 10 contain large amount OF
letters, packages, etc, evidently stolen from
the mails, the stamps had all been torn of
and there were no postmarks. Several letters
one for 81, 900 and one for $50. At first the
prisoner denied everything, but finally
contded TO an o fcor the identity OF his part
ner, Nh) gives the name OF Thomas L. Mack.
The latter was arrested when about starting on
fishing jaunt with his wife and another lady
Mack submitted quietly, and accompanied the
officer back 10 his home and turned over to him
u bundle of papers. These papers proved 10 be
checks insurance policies trust deeds, title
deeds, etc. The prisoner declared that he knew
nothing about them and that he was only TAX
ing care OF them for Oberkampf. He admitted,
finally, that Oberkampf had a key with which
he opened the postal boxes on the streets, and
also that ne had shared with him the money OBJ
tanned On the forged check.
ObeTkampf has admitted having robbel the
Chicago mail boxes, and says lac has only kept II
few of the letters aud securities-that hs was in
checks, drafts, deeds, stock, etc. recovered
represents about Sl,0JO,OOO the checks and drafts
alone amounting to over 100000.
Below are given the names OF some OF the
makers of the checks recovered by the officers,
together with the amounts:
Leopold Mayer & SON, 5000 Merchants l.. &
T. Co. Bank, 81 900; Hollis & duncan, S56.l0
Merchants l.. q 4. Co bank, Sl5JO; Chicago
National Bank, S78i.ls; Chicago First National
Bank ol,50J Chicago hist National Bank,
81 600 State savings Association, Ss967i First
National Bank 500; Filst National, 500. Let
ters OF credit on the Union Bank OF London $3.50
f. q. Jungbert 500; Wagner Palace Cur Co.,
Sj5. 81 Otis 5. Favor, -, 4-l.57 Merchants Loan
and Trust Co., $1,000; Ellinper sons, 81 9S6.55
Marshall s. Illsley, Sli6j.J3; First National
Bank, Chicago, $3.50; l. rs. National BANK, Chi
cago, 1921 Onion Trust co, eijI@; lark Ma
tiona Bank, 500; - ID. himbark, $1,000.
Postmaster Judd says the public will observe
that thess letters never reached the Chicago
Office at all-never came into the Postmaster
hands-and in spite of the immense number o.
letters recovered there is no means OF telling
how many thousand more these fellows have
destroyed.
10th were held in $500. AMI being unable to
secure ball were remapded 10 Jail
About MAck's career nothing IL yet known,
but Oberkainpf belongs to good family in
Berlin Germany. He has been in this country
nearly three years and has never worked u day
here. He has made good living by pilfeTing
the mails. using the money he found in the
letters and selling the postage-stamps The
stamps which he soaked on the envelopes he re-
mucaged and sold az prominent drug store.
There yet remain trunkful OF letters and
securities which the authorities have not ex-
amined ami which will make the total amount
OF the robbery much greater. All the property
is now in possession OF the Government and
cannot be returned 20 the rightful owners until
after the trial Of the prisoners.
a number OF letters fould by the officers were
mailed in 1886 showing that the thetts had been
going on Tor about two years.