The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1888-07-26
TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS GONE.
The Loss Believed to 4ave Been Occa.
stoned in Portland.

The inquiries of two keen-eyed in
dividuals on the r. r. Thompson last
Tuesday morning coming down and
their subsequent actions here during
the day were noticeable, but a request
that nothing be said about the mat
ter occasioned silence.
However, as reference has
been made to it, the whole thing may
as well be told, in detail.
Last Saturday afternoon the Com
mercial National Bank took sack
containing ten thousand dollars, q.
8. gold coin, addressed to I. W. Case
Of this city, to the Pacific express
Office, for transmission. The Astoria
way bill was regularly made out, the
r. r. Thompson duly arrived here,
but when the express box arrived at
the express Office here Sunday morn
ing, diligent search on the part of Il.
d. Thing failed to find any
sack with $4,000 in ii. He tele-
graphed the shortage to the Portland
official and Immediately upon the ar
rival of the agent, Mr.. G. P. Upshur
from Helena, notified him of the dis
crepancy. So soon as the Portland
Office was notified, steps we're taken
to pay Mr.. Case the $4,000, and
search was instituted on board the
r. r. Thompson. Nothing was elic-
tied on board the boat, nor in the
city, more than that which would
tend to confirm a surmise that the
$4,000 mysteriously disappeared
sometime between the receipt for it
in the company's Office in Portland
and the arrival Of the express wagon
at the Ash street dock in Portland
Saturday night.
The pursers of the o. r. & N. boats
which carry the express box are usu-
ally paid $40 a month for looking
after the oompany's box. They have
keys to the box, and check off the
contents on the way bill. On this
particular trip Of the Thompson there
was a new purser-Struble-on
board. 1t was his first trip; he had
no key to the box, could have no &C
cess to it, and is positive no one tam
pered with it while it was in his
charge.
When the detectives were in this
city they got the young man who
puts the express box on the wagon
and drives it to the office, to come
down to where they had prepared
box. They had taken the express
box, weighed everything, to an ounce,
what it weighed or what it should
have weighed Sunday morning if
every thing on the way bill except
the $4,000 had been in the box, and
then, borrowing $4,000 in gold
twenties, they put that also in the
box, fixed 1t just as ordinary, and
asked Cos to putt on the wagon and
drive up to Upshur's Office. "Wheww
said he, the first thing, as he got it
on his shoulder, "this box weighs lots
moro than it did Sunday morning."
An expressive glance passed between
the detectives, Goes remark being
good evidence that the box was heav-
Ter by $4,000 in gold coin that it
was when he shouldered 1t Sunday
on the o. r. & N. dock here.
Mr.. Newcomb, the superintendent,
is sparing no effort to apprehend the
thief or trace the loss of the money,
Mr.. Case has been paid the $4,000,
and no one is out anything except
the express company.
Millions OF dollars have been car
ried by express from Portland to As
toria, and this is the first loss of
that has ever resulted in
the history of the business on the
lower Columbia.