The Brookhaven leader., 1888-06-21
THE POSTOFFICE BURGLARY.
Edward Fontaine Caught aud Lodged in
Jail the Guilty Party.

OalI as Ine
The late poStoffice burglary ut this
place has been fixed upon at least one ot
the guilty parties. Soon after the bur
glary occurred, suspicion attached to a
young man named Edward Fontaine, oi
jackson, alias f. W. Norris, who had
been abont BrOokhaven for several days
prior to and following the burglary.
Fontaine first came here and put up at
the Magee House several days before the
robbery occurred. He was rather fresh
and forward, and his father, Lamar Fon-
tame, of Jackson, being known by many
here, he soon scraped mp rather extern
sive acquaintance among our yOnn2 men
and Others, no suspicion of the real OBJ
icct of his visit being for II single mo-
inert entertained. After stopping with
Mr.. MaGee day ~ two, he spent one
night out without notice to his host, and
his room WAS given to another guest, dur
ing which time Mr.. Magee accidentally
discovered that Fontaine had len box
III the room containing set of bHrgIar'
tools. The next night he came back,
tound his room occupied 10y another
guest, got his satchel and box of tools
and moved to the City Hotel leaving his
board bill unpaid. This was on Wednes-
day, June 9th, Next morning Mr.. Ma
gee sent to FOntaine for his pay and re-
rrI"ed IL message that he was about start
ing To the country, but woufd be back
that evening and settle then. According
ly he sent to the City Hotel again late
Thursday evening and was then told 10y
Fontaine that he had left all of his mon
ry with Il friend ont in Town who had
locked it mp and that he could not get it
Before next morning. That nEght the
postof1ice was burglarizcd by the lock in
the rear door being sawed out and four
dollars in cash, four or five dollars in
stamps, and u pair of cuff buttons, Il pis,
tol and some cartridges belonging to post
master Tyler, and Il breast pin and scarf
belonging to his assistant stolen. An at
tempt WIS made to break open the iron
safe, but failed.
Fontaine was seen on the streets early
ncxt morning and paid Mr.. MaGec his bill
Of 1928, but subsequent inquiry failed Ia
reveal that lie had any money deposited
with any one. Meantime the Postoffice
Department was apnliScd of the robbery
and Post Office Detective Fisher sent here
at once to work the case up. The dctec-
live was acquainted by Mr.. Magce with
what he knew, and a quiet investigation
of FentaineS room at the City Hotel re-
vealed the set OF bur glars tools with fresh
cypress Saw-dust in the saw, andthat twc
master, and Miss Daisy FIoSkins' breast
pin and scarf were in his vaiSe. II was
also learned that lie had gwen johnny
Martin, the proprietors son, pair OF
cuff buttons, which turned ont to be
Postmaster Tylrr's. These discoveries
we've made last thursday night, Fon-
taine having very quietly taken his de
parture the Monday night preceding and
left the articles mentioned because, A.
was ascertaincd from Mr.. Martin, Of the
City Hotel, he couldn't pay his board bill.
On Friday morning Detective Fisher pro-
eceded TO WesSon, having learned
that Fontainc had been put off there
Monday night by conductor Howell be-
cause lie couldn't pay his fare, and on
proceeding to the Richardson House,
found he had left the postmastcr's pistol
lin soak" at the Richardson for Il board
hill. From Wesson Fontaine managed to
beat his way Tuesday night TO Jack son,
and the detective going OH there Friday
evening secured his arrest and found ad =
aiiioral evidence of his guilt in the shape
of a number of letters on his person adj
dressed to Brookhaven people, and which
here.
Just a week before the postoffice here
was burglarz"d, the office at RockpOrt
Was also entered in the same way and
5000 in cash aud $1,000 in stamps and
ether articles stolen, and the theory of
the detective is that the same party COM
united both acts. The fact that FOn-
taine was so short of money is supposed
To lie explained by his having shrewd
partner who took most of the cash and
left Fontaine with the less valuable arti-
eles. BE this as it may, Young FOntaine
,ppears 10 hay hccn .blindly recb less
ii'nnl covering mp evidences of his guilt,
AID as the c;i>i' now stands, 81 conviction
~ iarN iiallc.