The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-06

Thought to Have Stolen Money
From as Many as 15o
Letters.
Inspector William Watkins Bags Him on
tho Verge Of Ills Departure for
Other Fields.

eyo oI AuHpectOT VIII. WAGHln6, Jr. Inttef-
son has been in Butte for nearly two years.
living high and dressing we'll, and no one
knew how he managed to do it. He had
been employed on q mail route between
Salt Lake and Ogden, and was made q
clerk in Che Butte office few months ago.
About five weeks ago complaints began to
come in about letters. month or five
weeks ago the complaints came in thick to
Mr.. Watkins. at Helena, and all were in
regard to mail which went out Of the Butte
office and none regarding mail coming in,
go it was any easy matter to locate
the trouble. The inspector has visited the
Butte Office since then every few days and
by some strange instinct his suspicions at
once rested upon Patterson, but he could
not fasten the robberries on him until to-
day. Last evening Mr.. Watkins arrived
in Butte. At nine O'clock this morning
be went to the postofdoe and dropped in
two decoy letters with money, and then hid
himself in a loft over the mailing room,
and kept one eve on the door on the look
out for Patterson and the other on the
stock Of letters. He had long time to
wait. for Patterson did not show up until
after one O'clock this afternoon, although
he has always been in the habit of appear
ing .about 10 O'Clock in the forenoon.
He was in the office but
few minutes before he commenced sorting
letters, and he did not even take time to
remove his heavy overcoat or silk tile. Af-
ter sorting q dozen or two letters, being
careful with each one to run his thumb
across it in a search for bills, he struck
one of the deooy letters, which had bill
and a 30 cent silver piece in it. He took it
and tore a slit about half an inch long in
the middle of one end and looked into the
envelope. For some reason he did not like
the looks of the bill inside and he passed
it by ana continued his sorting until hdb
struck genuine letter addressed to WI
H. Stickney q Co., Salt Lake. Utah
sss q Ill isSter vas also torn, and
the bill inside apparently being
satisfactory, he dropped it in the inside
pocket Of his overcoat and then continued
distributing letters for a minute or so
longer. He then made sure that no one
was watching him and transferred the let
ter from his pocket to the inside of his
overshoe. Patterson then remembered that
he was going away on this evenings train
for Washington and New York, and was
just taking friendly leave of Postmaster
Evans when the inspector came down from
his hiding place and greeted the thief with,
How are you, Mr.. Patterson? I under
stand you are going to New York;"
Patterson replied that he expected to go,
and then the inspector said he would like
to see him in the money order department
before he left. Patterson smelled mouse
and prolonged his conversation with
the postmaster, but finally he
walked into the room, where the inspector
was waiting for him. He was followed by
Postmaster Evans, who at the inspectors
suggestion searched Patterson's left over
snoe and drew forth tho letter addressed to
the firm and on the inside of it found
q 500 bill. Patterson confessed that he has
robbed the mails in this way for sometime
and said he did not know what had
prompted him to do it. His excuse was
that he has been taking medicine for kid
ney troubles for a long time and he be-
lieved it "deranged his nerves." Patterson
was escorted to the county jail, and silk tile
and diamonds and all were placed behind
the bars, but only for q few hours. Mr..
Watkins went before United States Com
missioner Dingevon and swore to COM
plaint charging Patterson with robbing the
mails of the letter about mentioned,
this being the offense directly traceable to
him, although there is no doubt that he
has been carrying on the business for sew
eral months, if not for ayear. Hewaslater
taken before the commissioner, but waived
examination and was bound over to await
the action of the United States grand jury,
which meets in Helena in April. His bond
was fixed at $1,000, which amount. in cash,
his friends succeeded i'll raising. Patter-
sons robberies during the holiday weeks
are estimated to amount to about $1,000,
the amounts taken ranging III bills from
So to $50, and the number of letters miss
ing are something like 150. He came to
Butte from Salt Lake, is about 46 years old,
and has an estimable wife and 12-year old
daughter.