Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1888-08-23
MAIL ROBBERS CAUGHT
Over q Million Dollars in Securities
Found in the Possession of
Chicago Thieves.
The Railroad Millionaire of the Pacific
Coast Passes Away at
Monterey.
Amelie Rives' Tragedy-AuthOr OF the
''Quick or the Dead'' Ven-
lures Deeper.
[Chicaco specinl dlspatch.l ]

Two Of the most important arrests made In
Chicago in a long time were those OF Fred Ober-
kampf and Thomas +. Mack The former is an
unmarried man, aged about 90. He is we'll
educated, speaking several languages. and
DIR esses well. He represented himself to bet he
assistant superintendent of an insurance COM
pany to the lady where he roomed. Running
behind on his rent, he gave his landlady forged
check which was the direct CAUSE of his arrest
ana the examination OF his effects. His two
grips" We're found to contain large amount Of
letters, packages, ETC., evidently stolen from
the mails, as tho stamps had all been Torn off
and there were no postmarAs. Several letters
We're found on the prisoner and also two checks,
oae for l,O00 and one fof $Sl. At first the
prisoner denied everythins but finally
confded to an ofcer the iden ity OF his part
ner, wh1 gives the name OF Thomas +. Mack.
The latter was arc sted when about starting on
a fishing jaunt with his wife and another Lady
Mack submitted quietly, and accompanied the
officer back to his home and turned over to i'm
bundle OF papers These papers proved TO be
checks insurd policies trust deeds title
deeds etc. The prisoner de Jared that he knew
nothing about them and that he Was only TAX
ing care Of them for Oberkampf He admitted
finally. that Oberkampf had key with which
he opened the postal boxes on the streets, and
also that he had shared with him tho money OBJ
tanned on the forged check.
Oberkampf has admitted having robbed the
Chicago mail boxes, and says he has only kept u
few OF the letters and securities-that he was in
he habit of destroying them. The property in
checks drafts, deeds, stock, ETC., recovered,
represents about $l00O,0O0, the checks and drafts
alone amounting to over 100000.
Below are given the names of some OF the
makers of the checks recovered by the officers,
together with the amounts
Leopold Mayer & Son, $5, 900; Merchants L. &
T. Co. Bank, $1,000; Hollis & Duncan. S56.1o
Merchants l.. T. Co. Bank, ~, 500; Chicago
National Bank $7S4.1S; Chicago First National
Bank, s1,50J; Chicago First National Bank,
$1,000; State Savings Association, SS96.74 First
National Bank, S700; First National, $500. Let
ters OF credit ON the Union Bank OF London f450
f. G. JungbeIt, S5O5; Wagner Palace Car Co.,
S547.66 Otis S. Favor, 50, 4sl.57 Merchants Loan
and Trust CO., S1OOOO Ellinger q Sons, 81, 1855
Marshall & Illsley, SJ.465.53; First National
Bank, Chicago, $3.50; First National BlnG, Chi
cago, S527 Union Trust Co, S4S7.96; Park Ma
tional Bank, $500; s. ID. Kimbark 81, ,OOl.
Postmaster Judd says the public viii observe
that these letters never reached the Chicago
office ut all-never came into the Postmasters 9
hands-and In spite OF the immense number OF
letters recovered there IS no means Of telling
how many thousand more these fellows have
destroyed"
both were held in $500, and being unable to
secure ball were remanded 10 Jail
About Mack's career nothing is yet known,
but Oberkampf belongs to good family in
Berlin, Germany. He has been in this country
nearly three years and has never worked a day
here. He has made good living by pilfering
the mails, using the money he found in the
lettars and selling the postage-stampa The
stamps which he soaked off the envelopes he re-
muciaged ana SOLD at prominent drug store.
There yet remain trunkful of letters and
securities which the authorit es have not ex-
amined, and which will make the total amount
of the robbery much greater. All the property
| is now in possession Of the Government and
cannot be returned TO the rightful owners until
hitsr the trial of the prisoners.
.hnamber of letters found by the officers were
malioe IN 1886 showing that the thefts had been
gong ON Tor about two years.