Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-03-22

Llnel tnaJ george w. LuSteu OF TINS CITY
was under arrest in Milwaukee for rob-
bling the mails. The only authentic
information we have about the affair,
not contained in that account, comes
from private sources aud is of such a
nature that we do no. feel 1t liberty to
make ID public. We therefore give the
Sentinels account verbatim. If there
were any extenuating circumstances we
should be glad to give them prominence,
for it is with the deepest regret that we
give publicity to anythingsof this nat4re
about neighbor. The only suggestion
we have heard made that tends to lessen
the Indignation that one must feel at
the apparent disreg .rd of virtue, honor
aud decency is tia lie was not entirely
sane. We express no opinion upon his
sanity, nor upon his actions which have
brought sorrow aud desolation upon a
deserving family. The following is the
Sentinel's accounts:
Alter having carried on systematic
ro Jbery of the mails for several months,
George w. Lusted,a government postal
clerk, was lodged in Jail yesterday after
noon. He was arrested in the p0s office
about O'clock by Inspector y trbeliay,
from the Postoilice deparl nent at Chi
cago. Lusted made full confession Of
his guilt, attIibuting bis downfall to the
fast ire he had been leading. He had
been living with woman in this city
on whom he spent his money lavishly
while he also supported n wife and fam
lily. Lusted had charge of mail car
between Milwaukee and Lancaster and
spent each alternate night at his Lam
caster home. His wife is said to be well
connected and his family much respect
ed at Lancaster.
NUMEROUS LETTERS MISSING.
Since last November there have been
numerous reports of missing letters at
the Milwaukee postoffice and also from
points in the inte'i Tor of the state
Bankers and business men complained
that numerous letters sent out and adj
dressed TO them from points in Wiscon-
sin never reached their destination.
Newspaper proprietors received frequent
inquiries as to why papers had not been
sent TO the subscribers who had sent
money by mail. Even the Sisters of
Charity discovered that contributions
sent them by mail had never reached
them, besides which there were COM
plants that many private letters had
never reached their destination. The
local postoffice authorities tried to find
out where all these letters were going
to, and suspicion rested upon several
employs, none of whom, however, it has
been found, were in any way connected
with the thefts. Finally Inspector OAR
bellay was called here from Chicago to
run down the thief.
A WOMAN IN THE CASE.
Il arrived here on Tuesday last and
Immediately set to work on a quiet in
'es.igatIOn." said the inspector last
evening. by inquiring into the ha bits
and character Of various employees, /
learned that Lusted was living with
woman in this city, while also support
ing wife and family in Lancaster. In
tracing the report | found that up TO
few weeks ago Lusted and young
woman from Dodgeville, Wis, had
been living together as man and wife
at west side boarding house Each
evening while in the city he took her
to the theatre or some other place of
amusement and spent his money freely
in keeping her in style. A few weeks
ago sensation was created among the
other guests of the hotel by the discov-
cry that Lusted had a family living at
Lancaster, and with his alleged wife he
was ordered to leave the boarding house
Immediately. The young woman re.
turned to her home in Dodgeville, but
it was not long before Lusted found
another girl and Of lale they had been
living together at another west side
boarding house. These circumstances
which | fully substanlated on Thursday
were strongly suspicious, as Lusted
received salary of only $1,000 year
from the government.
DECoY LETTERS USED.
TO connect him with the robberies
if he were guilty, had four decoy let
tiers dropped into the mail box of his
car at points through the state this
morning. When he arrived at the post
Office with his mail this afternoon Two
Of these decoy letters were missing and
| Immediately arrested him. | took
him 10 my Dom in the hotel where he
broke down and made full confession.
He admitted that with his love for
woman he was unable TO live within his
means. but said he had been thinking
seriously within the past few days of
charging his mode of living. Not only
lid be open business letters and alb
siract monev whenever found. but also
entertained himself by opening and
reading private letters. especially those
directed to ladies'. BY soaking the
gum on an envelope with sponge, he
could easily open them. seal them up
again and forward them to their desti.
nation. Unless a person were an ex-
pert, be could not notice that the letter
had ever boon opened in that way as
you can see
Here Inspector Darbellav took from
his pocket several letters found with
Lusted, which he had opened then
sealed again. Not one person in a
thousand receiving letter would ever
notice that a letter had ever been
WATCHED HER MAIL.
There was one woman's letters in
particular that he always looked for,
and none that did not suit him ever
reached their destination. They were
those addressed to the young woman
in Dodgeville who had previously lived
with Lusted here. Something had come
between them and she had commenced
a correspondence with a young man in
Hurley. So many of his letters mis-
carried, however, that he was finally
Obliged to enclose each in another en-
velope, and send them in care of some
one else at Dodgeville.'
When asked the amount of Lusted's
peculation, Inspector Darbellay said he
did not know, but il was quite large, he
said Lusted with his mail bag. govern
ment keys and everything else was
turned over to United States Marshal
west who lodged him in Jail where he
spent last night. This morning he will
be taken before Court Commissioner
Ryan for his examination, and will be
bound over to the grand jury. After an
indictment he will be tried in the United
States court here. unless he previously
pleads guilty. The warrant on which
he is now held in Jail charges him with
having opened a letter addressed to Mr..
Chase ut the Revere House. Lusted is
33 years of age and had been a postal
clerk for two years. About year ago
hs