Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-06-05
A DISHONEST CLERK
IN TIE EMPLOY OF THs UNITED STATES sX-
PRESS COMPANY
Finally Caught Up in dis Slick Swindling Shsms
How Re Robbed Government Packages
Lady Clerk Discovers the Fraunt.

WAsHISGToN, d. c., June 4. A.
E. Thomas. a messenger in the en-
ploy Of the United States Express
Company on he run between Grafton
and Washington City, has been arrested
ano indicted by the United States grand
Jury for the theft of S1,7O0 of govern
ment money, in transit from Grand
Rapids, Michigan, TO Washington. Sew
eral weeks ago the Old National Bank,
of Grand Rapids, shipped to the Re-
demption Division of the Treasury De-
partment number Of packages OF worn
and mutilated currency, to the aggre-
gate amount of -, 900. When the pack
age was opened by lady clerk, at
the Treasury Department, she found
wad of cloth between two OF the bum
dies Of notes, and making an inven-
tory OF the contents, she found that
three bundles, containing Sl,7OO, had
been removed The matter was at once
reported o. the chief Of the Bureau, who
laid the matter before +. c. Platt, the
Washington agent of the Express Com
pany. Mr. Pldtt, who 5 son OF Sen
atoi P.at-. OF New York, made q per-
soual examination OF the package, the
methods of the thief were apparent. lt
also brought 10 light the interesting
methods ~ which money Is shipped on
Government account. In sealing the
package tne clerk Of the bank should
have spread sealing wax all along the
edge OF Che flap, and then should have
made the IMPRINT of the bank seal In
the soft wax iaD over the edge OF the
naD and cover the face of the package.
In order .o open the package it would
have been necessary 10 break the wax
along the edge of the flap, and in this
way the seal would have been broken.
Neither the agent OF the express COM
pany nor the representative of the Gov
eminent would have accepted pack
age thus mutiiated, and the responsible
ity for the theft would have been fixed
ON the person m whose possession the
package was when the damage was done
10 the seal.
But the bank clerk had stamped the
seal Of the bank in the soft wax so that
il did not overlap the edge of the flap at
all. When the package came into the
hands OF q dishonest messenger he could
break the wax along the edge OF the
flap without injuring the seal, could alb
street - much of the contents as he
chose % take, and then, melting the
wax along the edge of the flap, could
restore the package 10 It's original APP
pearance 50 that no one could detect
the fact that il had been opened. He
had broken open the package, abb
stracted the three bundles containing
81, 200 in currency, stuffed the piece of
cloth between the other bundles so as to
make the package bulge out to its
original size, aud then had reSealed the
package SO that its external appearance
gave no evidence Of the theft.
1t seems that the express messenger
who had last handled the package had
sealed the bag containing il imperfectly.
The seal had been put on ~ Grafton. A
number Of packages from this shipping
point had been delivered 10 the express
messenger there and, Us Is the custom
of the company, be had placed them in
a small canvas bag on which he had put
the special seal registered in his name
with the express company. The can
vas bags containing shipments OF money
are triule-sealed. Two seals are placed
at the neck OF the bag and one on
the tag which accompanies it. The
sealing OF This bag had been done hastily
and the seals were not perfect. When
an imperfecty sealed package is re-
ceived by the express cOmpany'S agent
at the Treasury Department the seals
are not broken, but the package is cut
omen So that the responsibility may be
fixed upon the last man who handled
the enclosures il anything should be
missing. In this case the bottom of
the canvas bag had been slit open and
the seals al the neck Of the bag were in
tact SO that. when the package was
brought TO Mr. Platt and identified as
part of the contents of that bag, the
responsibility for the theft was imme-
diately placed on the shoulders of the
messenger who had sealed it, man
named a. +. Thomas. Thomas was ar
rested and brought 10 Washington
Surprising that the bag had been opened
in the usual way and that the seals had
been DESTROYED, he denied the response
bility for the package, and in fact de-
MED that he mad sealed It. The proof
against him was 50 positive that the
grand Jury found an indictment against
him with very little delay, and nc now
awaits tria This is the second loss
that the e> press company has suffered
on the ruu between Grafton and Wash
inetou The first was loss of 81, $50
i'm December last, which was never
traced. II IS now supposed that Thomas
was the guilty party in this case also.
None of the 81, 200 recently stolen has
been found If il is not recovered the
express company will have to receive,
receipt for, carry, aud deliver at its own
risk. more than eleven millions of dol
Lara of the Governments money before
il can call itself square on this par
ticular branch Of its business, that is,
before il Will have received Sl,700 in
payment for handling the Govern
ment'S cash And even then the actual
cost of handling eleven million dollars
will be loss.