The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-12-23
Daring Mail Robbery.

a United states mall wagon Hlleu Win
registered and other matter was stopped
by five men In Chicago the other even
| ing and robbed Of its contents The
, robbery occurred about : o'clock, and
was so quickly and quietly done that be-
fore the affair was reported to the post
Office officials and the police the robbers
had over two hours start This they
made good and the efforts OF the entire
city police force failed after six hours
search to do more than unearth in q
manure box on the North Side, three
miles from the scene OF the robbery, the
cut mail pouches and their riiled con-
tents
The wagon was on the way to the main
Postofiice with mail from the StockYards
and Southwest stations. 1t was in tho
charge of John Creighton an expert
enced driver, who. after collecting his
valuable load, drove down Blue Island
avenue to Halsted street, and then
! turned east on Mather street
He was half way to Desplanes street
when five men sprang from the side
walk. One seized the horses by the
/ reins while the others covered Creighton
! keep quiet The team was tlon led to
; the alley extending north from Mather
street and there, while one of them COW
cred Creighton with a revolver, the
/ others forced open the door of the wagon,
and hastily selecting the registered
pouches from the others made of
through the alley. Creighton guard
kept the captive covered for five min-
utes, and then left him.
The frightened driver whipped up his
horses and drove as rapidly as pos 'ible
to the main Postoffce. where he re-
ported the affair. An inventory was
then made Of the contents of the wagon,
and it was found that the two rig stored
mail-pouches from the Stock Yards sta
ton at forty-third and Halsted streets
and the Southwest Station, No. 5i3 Blue
Island avenue, were missing
According to the red tape methods Of
Uncle Sam, it was fir niece sary to find
Inspector Stuart, Of the 20 toiflce, and
report to him, and then word was sent
to the Central Police Station. BY this
time it was nearly nine o'clock, and the
! thieves had q start Of two hours and q
half. Tn re was little for the police to
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 22j Wells street,
ran into the East Chicago Avenue Sta
ton and told the EesS Sergeant that he
had found some mail-bags in the manure
box at the rear of his fathers barn. He
found a number of letters in the lotion
of the box. The poll on arriving at
the barn found five registered mail
pouche', which hal evide ltly been in
closed in the two larger bags sto'en from
! the wagon. Beside the bags were
numerous letters which had been riGed
OF their contents. All the stolen matter
was taken to the station
Driver Creighton tod inspector Stuart
that the robber who kept guard over
him was about five feet ten inches tall
and wQre'a dark cap pulled over his eyes.
Creighton could give no moe definite
description and knew nothing of the
appearance of the others.
About year ago enc mailbag myster-
iously disappeared from the wagon
on the same" route, but it was never
definitely known whether it was lost or
stolen. The bag was found cut open
and minus its contents beneath side
walk on Milwaukee avenue.
AS nearly as can be estimated the rob-
.bers secured $500 in currency and
100000 worth of non negotiable
paper sent by the Drovers' and the
Stock Exc hange National Banks
Postmaster ketcham Of the Stock
Yards station said: Il only wonder
how it did not occur long ago. Since
the attempted robbery of the bank here
we have sent the collections down,tow
every night, and it was an { asy matter
for some of the despei ate characters Of
the district to have learn, of tho
! change"
Mr.. Ketcham admitted that this days
collections were probably %, 500
Driver John Creighton told the follow
ing story of the robbery: 81 had been
TO the Stock ards Station and had re-
ceived two letter pouches there and had
driven to the Southwest Station at Four
teenth street ana Blue Island avenue.
where l got another letter pouch Be-
cause of Jam at the (hicago Il Alton
crossing | was late and drove fast down
] Blue Island avenue and crossed to Hal
sted street, intending to drive north to
Van Buren, street. There was another
! jam, however, and l turned east on
/ Mather street
"As got opposite the alley / saw sew
eral men running out into the street,
but paid no attention TO them until one
OF them grabbed the horses head Two
men jumped up on the seat, one on each
side OF me, and put revolvers to my
head They threatened to blow my
| brains out IL I.saiG a word, and the man
at the horses head led the horse into
the alley. Once inside they demanded
the bag with the Stock Yards registered
mail, but l said there was mono. They
threw out three bags and ono OF
the men cut them open with
| pOcketknife, and in the third one thew
found the two re yis ers. AS soon as they
found the registered NAL two of the
hen ran through vacant lot, and the
two who had been on the seat ran after
them, followed by the one at tse horses
head. AS soon as they were out o. sight
pulled up the mes, but | found that
one had been cut. AS soon as it coud
be mended l drove direct to the POST
Office.
ut was so dark thatI could not get n
| good view of tho nan lint ono 81.