Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-04-02
LOST OR STOLEN.
Mysterious Disappearance of a
$40, 900 Package.
A sKILl.FUL ROBBERY SUSPECTED.

Guarded by Two Trusted Men and Locked
Up In n Safe, 1t Disappears in n Drive
of n Few Squares-A Bonanza of $751;
eco Observation-Disclosures Company oni-
ciaIs in n State Of Mind
CHICAGO, April 2-The theft Of $1,000
currency package was the only thing talked
of in the United States Express companys
headquarters on Washington street yester-
day The theft occurred Monday afternoon,
but the officers of the company tried 10 con-
vince themselves that il was simply mis-
take in deliTery, and that the next day
would sac the mistake righted They were
over sanguine- At u O'Clock last night the
$1,000 seemed as far ont Of their hands
as ever, and it was evident that shrewd
and cool headed thief had been at work.
When the Safe Was Opened!
How the money was taken is still mys-
terry The care with which II was supposed
TO be guarded only makes the ease more sen-
sstional A wagon carrying 81, OBJ rolled
away from the rear of the express Office at
ESD o'clock Monday afternoon. The money
was for various Chicago banks. and the safe
which held it was guarded by two men
Driver Erickson AMI Messenger William
Simpson Both were trusted employees Of
the company, picked for their places on the
money wagon because OF { cir good records
In spite of their vigilance. however, when
the wagon came 10 the end of it, route
$1,000. billed 10 the National hank Of ILL.,
nois, was missing
Comments Of an Ofieisl.
-The money that was lost was for the Ma
tional bank OF Illinois. one official said,
~and il was the largest II nine or ten pack
ages for various downtown banks The
money comes through our hands from banks
IN the east, and consignm=nts similar TO
that of Monday are sent oU. every after
noon. but there hiss be~n no other loss of
the kind fer years. The packages are
checked of here IN the office, and the mes
sengeF's receipt book shows the exact sum
that he Is To deliver. A soon as everything
Is checked mp tine money packages are locked
in the safe, and the wagon starts. When
Simpson came 10 the National Bank Of Hi
nois Monday be reached IN for the package
that his book shovel TO be there. The pack
age was gone Further than that, Simpson
says be can tell nothing.
:. Possible Explanation.
-Ifthe package was IN the safe when he
started it could only have been taken out
by very airoit sneak having key 10 the
safe in his possession He must have slipped
into the rear OF the wagon unobseryed, and
It hardly seems that this could be done. The
most probeble explanation l. that the pack
age was sueased while the bills were beng
made up at the Office On that
account it looks a good deal a.
if the thief was an employ- OF the
Office. II Is a hard thing to say, for the men
who have anything TO do with our money
department are chosen especially for their
faithfulness AMI their good record. All Of
them have BEEN thoroughly tried and tested,
and it is hard TO say where suspicion can
justly fan
The investigation of the case has been
placed in the hands Of Superintendent A.
Wygant Every possible clue was WORKED,
but at midnight no trace of the money had
been found