St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-17
CAUGHT IN A CRIME.
Copeland G. Snapp, a North
ern Pacific Clerk, Under
Arrest.
He Confesses Having EmbeZ-
zled $4,000 by Means Of
Raised Checks.
uost Of This Sum Was Squan-
dered on Women and Fast
Living.
Court Records Show This Is
Not the First Crime Com
mitted.

"Mr Snapp, you are my prisoner"
said Sheriff Bean at4 o'clock yesterday
afternoon. as he placed his hand on the
shoulder Of Copeland q. Snapp, who for
four years has been the trusted commits
SION clerk Of the Northern Pacific rail
way company at their general Office In
this city.
1t was a CHASTITY white face that the
man turned toward the sheriff. and
startled exclamation fell from his lips,
and then, without another word, he
drew on his oyercoat, cast parting
glance at his surroundings and accom-
panied the officer TO the Jail. 1T will be
rude shock to his hundreds Of
friends in this city TO read tins morn
ing that Cope j. Suapp is behind the
bars accused of emDeZZlin2 "a, 7SS from
the Northern Pacific Railway company,
and that he stands convicted by
his own confession. This cOnfes-
sion was made a short time after
his arrest to Charles $. Fee. general
passenger agent, and John c. Bullitt,
attorney for the Northern Pacific. The
period Of Snaps embezzlement eX-
tends over wear. and
HIS SteaIings
have been carried Oh in a way that
prove HIM to be one Of the cleverest Of
criminals. The prominent position
which he has occupied in social circles
Of the city and his connections both here
and elsewhere lend the affair
more or less Of sensational
character. The system used by
him in delrauding the company
was to raise checks after they had been
signed and returned to him to send to
the parties for whom they were drawn.
Ills business was TO look after the com
missions which are paid by
the company to agents all over
the United States for selling tickets
over its lines. The list Of names mum
ibered about 1000 monthly, and this was
given TO Snapp, who drew up checks for
the amounts due. These were signed
and returned TO him. He would then
raise the amounts, cash the checks and
retain the difference between the true
ana forged amounts He would then
enter fictitious names on his list and fill
out the same, so that the amount paid
out balanced with the figures upon his
list, aud, as he
Had Exclusive Control
OF that department he was able to avoid
Diet, zion for a long time.
AT l55 Nina avenue he has q happy
home, but, il reports be true, the pris-
Oner expended but reasonable amount
on his household. The rest was Law
ished on women and wine in the down
town resorts, aud he has squandered all
OF his ill-gOtten gains In this
way His experience in matters
Of the nature THAT has now placed
him in Jail is not new. In 1880 Snapp
was employed in the tax collectors Of
flee at Louisville, KY. There was an
investigation of the affairs OF the office,
ana it was discovered that be-
tween S75O,000 and Sl000.0O0 had
been embe2zlcd therefrOm. Ferguson,
the tax collector. Levi and Snapp, his
chief assistants, were arrested, tried
and convicted. The two former were
sentenced to The penitentiary. Snapp
appealed his sentence TO the court of
appeals of the state, which set
aside the judgment of the lower
court on mere techncality
in the trial and he left Louisville, where
he was born and raised, IA free man, but
a guilty one in the eyes of the citizens.
Nothing was known of his whereabouts
until four years, when he came to ST.
Paul, and being man OF good address,
brilliant aud capable. was gwen the po
stion already referred to.
A GLOBE reporter called at the Jail
last night, but Snapp had requested
that only three persons, whom he
named, be allowed to see him, and his
request was complied with. During his
confession at the Jail he broke down
several times and said that the stealing
had become a mania with him. He had
tired to stop it several times, but with
out avail