Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-06-20

we'll as by its own employees. The
most common abuse on the part of the
public is the claiming TO have sent or
claiming not TO have received,
articles alleged to have been
mailed. This is also . favor
lite with professional swindlerA
1t is hard to catch the latter class
This abuse is also popular between
friends and acquaintances. Not long
ago my attention was directed to an in
teresting case. One of the parties re-
sides in q large Western city. The
other in Southern city. The latter
was woman who had cnt quite swell
as an adventures The Northern man
had been touched by her winning ways
He sent her a railroad ticket and s25 to
GO to his city. Both were sent by
mail. The woman claimed never to
have received them. The second DAY
after / was notified l found that the
ticket had been sold to scalper which
was prima facie evidence that the letter
bad been received. But the adven-
turess had covered up her tracks so
thoroughly that l could not arrest
her. This is u favorite trick with petty
adventuresses.
There is wide difference between
the exposure of such transparent
tricks as that and the burglary of an
office. which is generally done by ex-
perts. whose plans are well laid and
all evidence destroyed. The posoffice
at Albuquerque. n. NJ, was robbed in
very methodical way. When the postal
clerks had registered in from their
runs and gone to bed, at about o'clock
in the morning, three burglars entered
the rear door of the postoffice, seized
the nignt clerk, boy of Is, bound and
gagged him an, proceeded to their work
very deliberately. The postoffice room
had formerly been used for a national
bank and had in its rear large vault
the doors of which were customariIy
closed and locked with key. In the
rear of this large vault was a strong
safe. which contained the postoffice
funds, while the sacks of registered
letters awaiting outgoing trains were
put in the vault.
By closing the front doors of this
work without noise upon the safe and
by six o'clock they had opened it. alb
stracted its contents. taken the regis
tered letters from the sacks by cutting
the latter open and had then gone on
their way.
Early IN the morning the postmaster
engaged the local officers, who were
assisted by detectives of the express
companies, but very little could be dis
covered. When reached the place the
only cIcw found was a blacksinith's
sledge, which lay among the weeds in
the rear of the building. The owner of
this we found after diligent search
to be blacksmith half mile away.
He remembered that the day before
the robbery stranger had been in his
shop asking questions and that the next
mor-ing he found his shop door forced
open and some of his tools missing.
We next learned that this stranger
miles away and that he had gone from
Albuquerque To small town
in kansas There we had him promptly
arrested aud himself and his baggage
searched on suspicion. but as he gave a
straight account of his proceedings and
no stamps nor money were found upon
him he was released
The adjoining officers were thorough
ly advised OF the details of
the robbery and the kinds and
quantity OF the plumber, ard . month
sfterward word came from the marshal
of Western Texas that . clew had been
found there. The inspector was in
that way put in communication with a
prisoner awaiting trial for murder in
III Paso This prisoner told q fairly
straight story. 10 the effect that he was
hiding in house on the Rio Grande.
about Eve miles below Albuquerque,
on the night Of the robbery. and in the
morning bic friends. wbo were outlaws,
came In with lot ~ stamps and postal
supplies. which they hid In the garden
frw rods from the river
Before he would give me their names
he wanted the government Ia nav him