The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-12-24
BOLD MAIL ROBBERY.
FIVE MEN HOLD UP A DRIVER
AND SECURE RICH PLUMBER.
Under Threat of Having His Brains
Blown Out John Creighton Is Forced 20
Surrender Two Registered Letter
Pouches on the Streets of Chicago.
Held Up Uncle Sam.


A United States mail wagon filed with
registered and other matter was stoppci
by five men in hicago the other even
ing and robbed Of its contents The
robbery occurred about O'Clock, AMI
was so quickly ant quietly done that lc-
fore the affair was reported to the post.
o1'ce officials and the polio the robbers
had over two hours start This they
made good and the efforts of the en;ir.
city police fore failed after six hours
search to do NOR than unnarth III a
manure box on the North SiIc, three
miles from the scene O. the robbery, the
cut mai pouches and their r;icd con
tents
The wagon was on the way to the main
Postolce with mail from the Stock Yards
and Southwest stations. 1t was in the
charge Of John Creighton, an cxl eri-
cnccd dr.vir, who. after collecting his
valuable load, drove down Blue Island
avenue to iialste.I street. and then
turned cast on Mather street
He was half way to DeSp!aiDcs street
when five men srrang from the side
walk One sci Cd the horses by the
re; while the others ovcrcd Creighton
with rcvoleers AMI commanded him to
keep quiet The team was ul.n led to
the a Icy extending north from Mather
>trect and there, while one of them COW
cred Gre ghton with revolscr. the
others forced open the door of the wag n.
and hastily selecting the registered
pouches from the others male off
through the alley. Creighton guard
kept the captive covered for five min
uteS, and then left him.
The frigh; ened driver whipped up his
horses and drove aS rapidly as pos bic
to the main Postofficr. where he re-
ported the affair An inventory was
then made of the contents of the wagon.
and it was found that the two E stored
mail-rouche, from the Stock Yards sta
tion at fortythird and liaistcd sire cts
and the Southwest Station. No. 5i3 lue
Island avenue. were miss
According to the red tape methods of
| nc'c sam. it was fir, nece sary to I'm!
! Insl e tor Stuart. of the 20 to1.ce. all |
report TO him. and then wori was seat
| to the Central Police Station. Fy this
| time it was nearly nine o'clock, aud the
| thieves Lad start of two hours and q
| half. TIL re was little for the police 10
| work on Creighton. in the dark. was
| unable to distinguish the features and
scarcely the forms of the robbers
| Shortly before 10 o'clock Paul kola-
mar, boy living at 225 Wells street
ran into the East Chicago Avenue Sta
! tion and told the Desk Sergeant tl!at lie
had found some mail-bags in the manure
box at the reir of his fathers barn. lie
found number of letters in the ottnm
of the box The poll on arriving at
the barn found five registered mail
pouche'. which hal evidently been in
closed in the two larger bags sto en- from
the wagon. Beside the bags were
numerous letters which had been ri ed
of their contents All the stolen matter
was taken to the station
Driver Creighton told Inspector Stuar
that the robbcr who kept guard over
him was about five feet ten inches tai
and wore dark cap pulled over his eyes
treightcn could give no mo detnil,
description and knew nothing Of til,
appearance of the others
About a year ago one mailbag mySter
ioUsly disappeared from the wagon
on the same route, but it was never
definitely known whether it was lost oi
stolen. The lag was found cut ope
and minus its contents beneath side
walk on Milwaukee avenue.
AS nearly as can be estimated the rob
bers secured $500 in currency ant
So; 0,t0> worth of non negotia bl,
paper sent by the Drovrrs' and tn,
Stock Exchange National Banks
! Postmaster kc:cham of the Stock
Yards station said: Il only wondc
how it did not occur long agH. Sine
the attempted robbery of the bank h r.
we have sent the collections down tnwl
every night, and it was an asy matte
for some of the despe ate characters O
the district to have learn d of H.
change "
Mr.. ketcham admitted that this day
| collect ons were probably -. 500
Driver John Creighton told the follow
ing sory of the robbery: Il had Tee
to the Stock-l ards Station and had re
ceived two letter pouches there and a
, driven to the Southwest Station at Fou:
teenth street ana Blue Island avenue
whe c got another letter pouch. L,
cause of a jam at the thicago X Alto
crossing | was late and drove fast dow
! Blue Island avenue and crossed to lia
sted street, intending to drive north I
Van Buren street. There was anothc
; jam. however, and l turned east o
, Mather street
! Gas got opposite the alley saw sew
eral men running out into the stree,
but paid no attention to them until on
of them grabbed the horses head Tw
, men jumped up on the seat, enc on cac
: side of me, and put revolvers to IN
head They threatened to blow y
, brains out if | sa6 word, and the ma
at the horses head led the horse int
the alley. Once inside they demandc
the bag with the Stock Yards registerc
mail, but l said there was none The
threw out three bags and one {
the men cut them open with
| pocketknife, and in the third one the
| found the two registers. As soon as the
| found the registered mail two of Il,
men ran through vacant lot, and III
!: two who had been on the seat ran aftc
them, followed by the one at tie horS :
head. AS soon as they were ont o q
pulled up the Ines but / found tina
one had been cut. As soon as it con
, be mended drove direct to the Pos
Office.
at was so dark that could not get
good view of the men, but one o. thci
was quite stout, wore short coat, an
/ | had a heavy black mustache."