The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-10-18
THE STATE.
Remarkable Robbery of Registered
Letters at the Houston
Postoffice.
End of a Noted Murder Case in
East TeXas-Governor Ross
Movements.
Special Telegram to the Statesman.

SPeSlai 1eleSThln 10 STATESMAN.
Houston, October PA most remark
able robbery was perpetrated in this city
at an early hour this morning, whereby
the mail bag containing the registered
pouches for Galveston was cut open and
about thirty-seven valuable packages
carrie away by the robber or robbers. 1t
happened between the hours of and
o'clock. The San Jacinto street door was
left unlocked for the last load of mail
and Mr.. Roberts was at work at the regis
tering desk in the rear of the office just
to the right of the San Jacinto street door
as you enter. While thus engaged he was
confronted by very tall man wearing
mask. He had a Misunderstanding pistol
in his hand, which he pointed towards Mr..
Roberts head and told him
TO THROW UP HIS HANDS.
Mr.. Roberts was then securely tied to
chair in a sitting posture, his arms being
pinioned and his legs tied to the rounds
of the chair. The robber then produced
a bottle of whisky and told the mailing
didn't say what was in the bottle, and
naturally at first, Mr.. Roberts declined
the invitation, but the robber then pulled
from his pocket razor, and informed
him that if he didn't drink he would cut
his throat from ear to ear. Mr.. Roberts
drank, and he drank until the robber
thought he had taken sufficient.
The robber then proceeded to
help himself to the registered mail
matter. He took the bag of
registered pouches bound for Galveston,
cut them open, and pulling the registered
pouches into a mail sack walked out of
the door leaving the mailing clerk tied to
the chair and well under the influence of
the whisky, or drug. About o'clock
Mr.. Louis Coleman, the porter, who sleeps
in the second story of the postoffice
building, heard noise below, and coming
down he Pounds Roberts tied to the chair,
but
LYING UPON HIS FACE
on the floor, with the blood running from
his nose; he had attempted to get up and
had fallen upon his face, striking his nose
against the sharp edge of a piece of
furniture, drawing the blood. The
pinioned man was soon released, but he
was greatly stupetied by the liquor and
seemed to be suffering some pain. By
this time the Posts mail man had gone
to the o toffice, and, on seeing the cordi
ton of affairs, went back to Ine Office of
the Post, and, with his eyes almost
swinging out of his CT ,ks, re-
ported that man had been knocked in
the head at the postoffioe. A number of
carrier boys and others went to the
postoffice, and one of them was dis
patched tor Doctor Stewart and Postmas-
ter Burns. Mayor Smith and Deputy Mar
shall Dan Scanlon took all the registered
packages except one that came in on the
Southern Pacific midnight trains from the
east and west, bound for Galveston. This
package was not found by the robber,
because it contained some heavy sub
stance, gold or silver, and therefore
Rugged very close to the bottom of the
bag. He carried off, however, about
thirty seven packages. He didn't tamper
WlUu OuS bdlO III bAO OLuC0) anu, III ldCl.
he did not disturb anything except the
registered packages for Galveston. AS to
how many robbers there are, it is only a
matter of conjecture. Only one was seen
by Mr.. Roberts, but it is thought that there
were
TWO MORE ON THE OUTSIDE.
The mail agent who came over from
New Orleans on the 1852 train, recollected
passing three men on the Franklin street
bridge when in the mail wagon en- route
to the postoffice. After he had
gotten to the postoffice he thinks he saw
the same three men soon after pass the
San Jacinto street door of the postoffice
and it was not more than half an hour
after the robbery was committed. AS
soon as Major Burns arrived at the post
Office, which was about 5 O'Clock, he sent
a messenger for DR.. L. j. Randall, post
office inspector, who happened to be in
the city, and the case was turned over to
him. The case is remarkable one, and
is the universal theme of conversation on
the streets, but as to whether there is any
clue to the perpetrators reports are con-
hicting. One thing is certain, he, or they,
have not been apprehended, but they go
awaV with nrOhablv 10000