The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-06-29
A Big Robbery.
$29,6OO STOLEN BY PHILLIP A. HUBER,
AN EXPRESS AGENT OF sUNBURY.

Sunbury furnished the sensation OF
last week. The man sho stole $29
600 on the 10th of August 1886, from
the Adams Express company, and fol
which Rathmal Pratt, a clerk in the
Philadelphia Office, was arrested and
confined for several weeks, was arrest
ed in Philadelphia on Wednesday last
and over half of the money recovered
The man arrested is Philip A. Huber,
the company's agent at Sunbury.
After the company became satisfied
that they could not convict Pratt the
case was put in the hands of Pinker.
toms agency, sparing no expense.
Huber was not especially suspected un-
til few months ago, when it was no.
ticei that he was living extravagantly.
For the past three years he was agent
at Sunbury and was highly respected
in that town and was regarded as an
upright man. The stolen money was
in packages shipped by the Mineral
Mining Company, Philadelphia, TO
Shamokin, the packages containing in
all the sum Of $29,GOS and was receiv-
ed in the usual way. The disappear
anoe Of the money gave the Express
company great annoyance and they de
termined to ferret out the thief at any
cost. The Pinkerton men went to
work and quietly operated for two
years, finally succeeding in oorralling
the thief and recovering portion OF
the money. A spotter was placed to
watch Huber, who for a long time
carried himself as was his usual style.
All at once, however, he began
spending money pretty lively-in fact
spending much more than he could af-
ford on the salary he was getting.
This the detective was not slow in
noting. He bought elegant new fur.
niture and carpets, and had an expens-
i've steam heating apparatus placed in
his house. 1t was known that he was
not a saving man and his lavishness
caused suspicion. His bills amounted
to $1,000 for household goods and a
piano cost him $500 additional. His
wife gave parties at short intervals and
invited her friends to pionics. Huber
was only receiving $75 per month, and
it was ascertained that he had no rich
relatives from whom he could obtain
the money. One day last week Capt.
Linden, of the detective agency, went
to Sunbury and took charge of the case
himself. On Tuesday the officers of
the company sent Huber decoy tele-
gram telling him to report in Philadel-
phia on important bcsiness. This move
was taken to get him out of the way.
He obeyed the order and while he was
absent Capt. Linden went to Squire
Brice and swore out warrant. The
captain, together with six of his men
commenced to watch the house. Con.
stable Hoover was employed and in the
afternoon he and the captain went to
Huber's residence, displayed their au-
tbority to Mrs. Huber and began a
thorough search of the house while
several of the men stood guard out
side. The captain conducted the
search himself. First the kitchen was
visited, then the dining room and
then:the parlor. In the mantle piece
of the parlor, back among the brick,
he found the snug sum Of ten thous-
and dollars done up in the original
packages, stamped with the sealing
wax that was placed there in the PHI
ladelphia office in the summer days
of 1886. The search was continued,
and upstairs in a secret drawer IN a
jewel case was found over six thousand
dollars, also done up in the original
packages. On worked the searchers
until the sum in the house was raised
to $18,335.
Word was wired to Philadelphia to
the companys officials and Huber was
arrested at the Office of the company
in that city. He was greatly surprized
but kept up a bold front and declared
that he knew nothing of the theft un.
til he was told that the money had
been found in his house, he broke
down and made full confession te
Capt. Linden.