The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-08-16
Letter Box Robbery.

Letter Box Robbery.
CHICAGO, August IA system of
wholesale letter box robbery extending
over period of two years, involving
the theft of thousands of letters, in
Guiding Enclosures of drafts, checks
and postoffice orders aggregating an
unknown amount, thought to exceed
100000 and explaining in part
the numerous complaints made
against the Chicago postal ser
the police and the United States post
Office inspectors. Frederick Won ODER
kampf and Thomas J. Mack are in cos
tody and more arrests are likely to fol-
low. Won Obernkampf claims to be
member of noble German family of
Berlin, and Mack is a carpenter and a
native of the United States. The
discovery of these gigantic pill
about in a curious and a thor
oughly unexpected manner. Won Ober-
kampf was indebted to his landlady,
and in paymect rendered her check
which she accepted and returned him a
difference of about $50 in cash, the
check turned out to have been forged
/ and she placed the matter in the hands
| of the police, who located the man in
| room on North Market street. In
searching his room the officers were as
tODished to find trunk filed to the
| top with letters. They had all been
| opened, bore no pOStmaTk and each had
| had the stamp removed. 1t was then
aScertained that Won O6erkampf oc-
cupied utill another room and when
this was searched another trunk full
of letters all in the precise condition
described above was found. In an
| other room at hotel was found a va
lise packed with broken mail matter
and bunch of keys, one of
| the KEYS was one which
opened railway mail pouches
| and another was numbered l6S and
would open any letter box in Chicago.
All this captured mail matter was
taken to the Office of the postoffice in
Spector. The envelopes contained all
sorts of queer things usually sent
through the mails from dry goods sam
pies and bits of jewelry to writing pads
| and numerous photographs, but that
which showed the magnitude of the
depredations was the presence of piles
of insurance policies, trusts, deeds,
| drafts, checks. money orders and
| pfomissory notes, theD representing in
the aggregate of nearly 100000. The
| largest check was one for $4,000.
drawn by wholesale grocery house of
| Chicago on the Continental National
Bank. Numerous other drafts ranging
in figures from $500 To a 81 600 and
scores drawn for $500 each
| were found. Won Oterkampf
| was arrested Saturday and confessed
his guilt Monday. The pOStofiice au-
thorities are now investigating how the
postal keys came into his possession
and it is claimed that further arrests
| will surely follow, il being supposed
that some letter carrier anticipating
the loss of his position had a duplicate
of his key made and that he gave it to
Van Oberkamf, sharing with him the
proceeds. To-day both men were be-
fore Commissioner Hoyne. Mack
waived preliminary examination and
was held to the federal grand jury
under SIS 900 bail. Won Oberkamf' IS
case was continued until Tuesday in
bonds of the same amount. Both are
in jail.
WILL FOOT UP A MILLION.
CHICAGO, Aug. 15.-The pOStoffice
inspectors having charge OF the letter
box robbery affair have completed q
orders and other negotiable papers
which were found in Won Oberkampfs
room and says thus far it foots sup oyel
$3.50, 600. Inspector Kidder is satisfied
that the total sum of all the stolen docu
ments which were recovered will be
fully a million dollars. There is nc
means OF telling how much cash Won
Oberkampts secured, as many people
are in the habit of sending small
amounts the ordinary mail bags. The
Inspectors think this is the most CO
loSsal mail robbery scheme ever known