New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-10
A SKILLED BAND OF THIEVES.
MEN WHO ROBBED MANY LETTERBOxEs.
THEY Piled THEIR CRAFT IN DOZEN CITIES
BUT AT LAST CAME TO GRIEF.

For skill, audacity and success on a large scala
the band of letter-box thieves who have just been
arrested by Postoflcc inspectors worthy Of
a high place in the annals of crime. They began
their work Systematically in August 1890, and
since that time have robbed the mails in Wash
ineton. st. Louis, Chicago, st. Paul, Cleveland.
Cincinnati, Pittsburg Louisville, Nashville, Dem
YER. New-OrIeans and other places. The authort-
ties have stolen checks for $4,000 which tho
thieves had cashed and the proceeds OF all their
robberies for the last fifteen months must amouns
to twice that sum- But the United States Govern
ment is an antagonist which nearly always wins
in the end. The band were Successful for time'
but the hand Of justice has been closing on them
for several months, and now they are fast In its
grasp
The leader Of this gang is Charles Hubbard.
alias Charles Diamond, and his associates are
]. X. Stratton, T. c. Boalan. alias I. Clayton, and
/ Henry Armstrong, alias "Sheeny' Armstrong
The three first mentioned were arrested in Atlanta
on November 2, and Armstrong fell into the
hands of the enemy in this city Saturday. The
scheme of the thieves was simplicity itself They
would 90 to city and knock the lock of street.
letter-box at night Then they would have a
key made from it which would open the other
letter-boxes in the place The men worked only
in the business districts of the city. With their
key they would open box which promised good
supply of punder. All the letters were taken to
the hotel at which the men were staying
wet botter pressed against the diverse side
of each letter mostened the mucilage and made
it easy to open the flap. Letters which contained
nothing of value we're reseaed and mailed again.
so that the number Of complaints to the post
office authorities should be few as possible.
The cash was quietly pocketed, and checks were
altered and cashed. The skill Of the men ia
changing the wording of checks and their
efrrontery in getting the money for them were re-
markable, for they deceived nearly hundred
bank tellers "Sheeny' Armstrong said
temptuously after his arrest: These bank
tcllers are the biggest chumps on earth.
wouldn't trust any of my money in their hands
| The first step in changing a check was to
destroy part of the writing with an erasive fluid.
! AS safeguard against this many checks are made
of tinted paper, which is dscOlored by the acid
contained in such fluids. The gang had
remedy for this in the shape of box of crayons
of assorted colors. The stains on checks were
rubbed over with piece of crayon of the tint OF
the check, so that no casual examination would
disclose any trace of the discooration. Then one
of the men would usually make the check payable
50 bearer, and perhaps raise the amount Two
altered checks in the hands of inspectors here yes
terday were, except the signature, in the hand.
National bank in indianapolis, and had been
raised from S23 81 to 1924 "a.
Complaints about the rifing of letter boxes
csuaed General f. G Rothbone, then chief Post
Office inspector, in February to assign the follow.
ing inspectors to work the case j. +. Jacobs.
Of this city; A. NJ. Sproesser, Of Washington:
Paul A. Williams, of ST. Louis, and A. X. Holmes.
of Cincinnati. When General Rathbone was made
fourth assistant postmaster, " D. Wheeler
his successor chief inspector, assumed charge
Of the work. In May last the band, flushed by
its success in other cities, descended on NewYork.
They began by breaking open letter box al
Fourteenth.st. and First-ave, taking the lock with
| them to have key made to fit it. The
metropolitan authorities were too much on the
alert, however, for the thieves Postmaster Van
Cott and Inspector Byrncs at once set to worh
to prevent any further depredations. For q
number of nights detective, policeman, letter
| carrier or Postoffice clerk watched every letter
box in the central part of the city. This
vigilance discouraged the little brotherhood and
! they left the city.
INC PostofIice inspectors first came upon the
band in Denver and followed them to Dallas,
Tex The party of thieves stepped gayly from
the train, but the police there didn't like their
faces and made them leave the city on the next
train. The band then went TO New-Orleans and
|
came to grief Armstrong had been sent away
some time before and has spent the last few
months in this city. Stratton, Hubbard and
! Boalan went to the Folsom House in Atlanta all
occupying the same room. On November =, In
spcctors Williams, Sprocsscr and Holmes arrested
them. On the same day Inspector Jacobs of this
city, had himself committed to Jail counter.
feitcr. BY q curious chance he placed in cell
No. 4, BCalan being in cell No. and Stratton In
| cell No. 3. The two thieves held consultations
and decided to pretend to be utter strangers-alr
in the inspectors hearing.
In Hubbard's possession were syty-fve letter.
box keys. four bottles of erasive fluids two boxes
Of crayon, keys for opening letter pouches saws,
and eleven files The men were arrested in Cleve-
land, in the summer. and the police took their
pictures. There no evidence against tho
men. and they discharged. but Armstrong;
picture led to his arrest here on Saturday lie
was arraigned yesterday before Judge Brown, iu
the United States District Court aud remanded
10 the custody Of two deputy ymarshas. who started
for st; Louis with him. Stratton and Hubbard
can be Identified Boalan will be tried in Nash
vile, where bank-teller knows him as the man
who had forged check cashed. Hubbard. wh1
| is forty-two years old. is known to the New-York
police, his photograph being No. $40 in Inspector
Byrnes's gallery. In 1885 he was arrested fox
larceny, and sentenced to four years in Sin:
Sing Stratton. who is forty years old Boaan.
who is forty eight. and Armstrong who Is twenty
six. are said to be from Louisville. Armstrong
was the OF a gambler there. and the gangs
Headquarters weye in that city. at the house Of
man named Jeune Carrero. Several months ago
Hubbard sent n satchel u his Louisville address
by the Southern Express Company. The satchcJ
foll into the hands OF the authorities. and in u
/ were found some burglars tools and "A gold watch
bearing thc name Clarence T. Stedman.
The former head OF the band was Prentiss
1Iler. alias Charles Price. now serving I've
years term in the Jackson. Mich. prison for
! getting money on n forged check. lie once
employed by the United States Express Company
on tI, Iron Mountain road in Missouri. iie
stole SIG 1000 which was in his charge, sending
the money in a satchel by express 10 friend.