The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1891-11-13
The Mann Post Office Robbery.

Some time since, it will be remember
ed, our Kibbey correspondent gave
our readers the particulars of the finding
of the letters stolen at the Mann post
Office, by Messrs johnson and Carr.
This discovery tended to turn all suspi-
cion from Mrs. Barnum and her son Ed,
who had been charged with the robbery.
Last week interest was again aroused by
the arrest of Ed Barnum in Great Falls,
by detectives who have been engaged in
working up the case. The following
from the Tribune of Great Falls, gives a
full history Of the case up to the present
time, as we'll as Of the preliminary trial:
From its inception to the present
time the matter has been n Of the
strangest known in criminal records. /,
son the Goth Of August Mrs. Barnum
and Ed, her son, are brought to the city
on a charge Of robbing the mails. Stolen
money is found directly in their possess
sion and they arc known to have control
of the mail at the only point, in all
probability, that the robbery could have
taken place. Notwithstanding they
stoutly maintain their innocence and
waving preliminary examination are
bound over and bonds easily given. The
two then return to their homes and the
public is astonished that parties cdu-
Gated and sustaining a hitherto unim-
reachablc character have been implicated
in a mail robbery. The facts adduced
however induce a majority Of the public
to believe them guilty.
And thus SO far al :the public is con.
ccrned the parties rest in statu quo fol-
over six weeks. Then comes another
startling story, equaled in romance only
by those coming later on. Two, ranchcrs
Carr and johnson, have seen q man in
coulee opening letters and then hiding
them under a fiat rock. The "cachc" i
opened and the letters found as re
ported. Asked to describe the man h
saw Carr responds and the descritiol
given tallies exactly with one given b,
Mrs. Barnum of a certain mysteriou
stranger who, she said, had stayed in he
house the night of the first robbery j
question and had in the morning give
her the g bill which was regarded ;
an evidence Of guilt. Once more Dan
Rumor opened up and public opinio
shifted to the side of the Barnums. TT
story seems to have been brought to IL
city by Carr, and was published on Il
morning of October ID. Cn Sunda
Nov. /, gossip was again set agog b
the news that Ed. Barnum had been a
rested for the second robbery al
was himself the mysterious stranger wi
had been seen in the coulce. .
Here, as in the other sensations, We
oOulO ICHiSiA hNOlC tOiuto' COIIAC VA II
letters discovered were stamped in Gre
Falls Sept. s. 1t will be remembers
that it was August 20 when the allcg.
culprits were bound over. #, therefor
Ed. Barnum is guilty of the second 70
berry within q week after he had be-
bound over for robhing the mails, ha'
found means to commit q second roi
berry.
Not only those who heard him b.
the United States attorney, whose vi
ness he was, was astonished at his tai
He had confessed before though n,
nearly so fully. Particularly the test
mcny of himself and of johnson rs
the date was a.surprisc, as up to tn
time it had been thought that it real
was the 9Th Of September as had be-
previously intimatcd. The dcfens
looking for nothing else, was prepar
10 prove an alibi on that date. II
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