The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-03

4 remarkable robbery occurred near
Grand junction, Col. in fse6. Highway
men held up mail train, having piled
ties on the track 20 stop t. They put the
conductor and tremen cut on pie OF
rocks alongside the tracks and kept them
covered with guns while they got the pos
tai clerk and the express messenger and
put them under guard likewise. Being
content with pillsgl3g the express and
mail cars. they did not interfere with the
passengers. but one Ems. lshman, on his
travels, Ess so delighted AZ the notion Of
encounterlng so wild and woody. IN
adventure that he insisted upon leayln z
the car in order 10 see what was going on.
When the porter tried 70 restrain him,
saving that he would re killed Il lie went
outside, he replied: But I want 10 OBJ
serve how they rob train IN this bloom
ing country, don't you know" he did
actually get as far IS the platform, when
g bullet through his hat induced him ID
retreat clpltately. The robbers were
pursued by Inspectors and United States
marshals through Colorado and Utah ID 3
hole N the ground called : ''dug-0ut, -
where they had taken refuge. There were
four Of them. and each got i've years.
4 gang OF higawaymen, led oy the no
torI0Cs Ed Reeves, held up q train on the
Panhandle road n Texas in Ios7. They
ROBBED the express car, knocking the
messenger senseless with Z six-shoocer;
bat the postal clerk refused 10 open the
mail car in response 70 theIr demand; 50
they blew open the door with dynamite
and cut open the pouches. Then they
went through the sleeping cars and co..
lected watches, rings. diamonds and other
va4Qao4es from the passengers. Altogether
II was very thoroughly done. and. besides
jeweLry. they secured $.09.51 n cash.
Reeves was subseGU ently captured after 3
deperate fight, during = hlcl he was s1oI
ATe times, and, pTeferrlng death 70 IN
priSonmelt, he offered the sheriff $50 70
xii him. Five inspectors and deputy
marshals Law n wait for " altleF, another
desperate member o. the band, az his
house When he entered they covered
him with their guns, but lie opened IRE So
once and fell rIddIed with bullets, dying
pistol n hand anu WIKI the nall smile
upon his face which men wear " no die
from g1nshOL wounds.
One OF the most remarkable postoffce
ro55eries on record occurred 81 Mime
apOlis N July. 1855. The thieves en-
tered through the stamp window 80 night.
closing the shutter behind them. Then
they proceeded 70 break into the safe N
which the stamps were kept, performing
the task with diamond drill So quietly
that men working close BY in the building
did not hear them In front of the safe
was = large plate-g.ass window, but the
one could see through II. The burglars
secured 90, 90 2-cenE stamps and 200. 900
f-cent stamps, besides some money, the
whole amounting TO the value OF over
$4,000. They tried 70 dispose Of their
booty through other persons, who acted
as fences, and in this way they were
caught az Chicago, s407S worth Of the
stamps being recovered.
During the last year ffty-eIght post
masters, twenty-three assistant postmas-
ters, fort-hve clerks in postoffices and
sixty-siX mail carriers were arrested on
charges OF dishonesty. PoStmasters are
exposed TO much temptation incidentally
10 the handling OF Uncle Sans funds.
Sometimes they ind themselves in tight
places financially. and IL seems very
simple thing 70 help themselves out tenn
porarily by using some of the government
cash which is lying idle at hand. Cnfor-
tunately, they can never tell when the in
spect0r viii come along 10 look over the
accounts.
Every dishonest postofice emplove
imagines that his method Of stealing is .
new one, that he does IL better than any
one ever did il before, and that he can
elude detection. But such offenders are
invariably caught. They can never tell
when they are being watched or how.
structed with peep-hOles expressly for this
purpose. The riding of letters is the most
usual form of theft. 4 clerk was caughtin
the act the other day at Wilmington. Y.
c, who had achieved such expertness in
distIng uishing paper money by smell that.
after his capture, he selected with unerring
accuracy seven letters Containg bank notes
out Of 400 placed before hun, though bind
folded, in order 70 satisfy the curiosity Of
the inspectors. Not merely old bills
can be thus smelled out. but new ones
likewise. Simply 4 keen sense well trained
is required. Men in the bureau OF engrav-
ing and printing say that they can smell
out new notes IN envelopes every time.
The method OF detecting paper currency
by feeling Is familiar enough, as is also
that OF drawing thread 18th q knot on
the end Of IL, by the help of needle
through letter. the knot fetching with il
some Of the fiber from the enclosed bill.
Two years ago mail clerk az LYNCH
burg. Va, was suspected OF riding letters
4 postoflce inspector hired q room over
the one which was occupied bv the sun
posed guilty party, IN an office building
and overlooked him day and night through
q hole bored IN the ceiling. The official
spy had an opportunity OF watching the
progress of a very interesting love affair
and Of securing damnins evidence at the
same time. In another case of similar
character at Charlotte, y. c.. an in
spector gazed upon an employee who
wss stealing from registered letters
through chinks in the ceiling. Over
the postohice is an opera-house, and the
detective crawled beneath the stage so as
10 get his eye at suitable crack. From
this point OF vantage he saw the guilty
party open the miSsiyeS intrusted 10 his
care by doating them on a bowl full Of
water, placing them afterwards under a
press for the purpose OF sealing them with
the old mucilage. Thus the letters worid
arrive safely enough, and apparently in
tact, but without the valuable contents
So engrosse3 was the criminal with ~
little game when caught at it that the in
spector was able 10 walk quietly in and
peep over his shoulder. saving: s'Nbar
have you got there, my bOy?" The entity
ones reply, as his knees gave wav nnder
him. was simply, Good Lord, you've POT
me"
\ clerk in the postofice al Fargo. Nd.
IN October, 1859. claimed that he had been
bound and gagged By two men who en-
tered the building az night, half smothered
him with the bed clothes. burned his fear
with red-h0t poker TO compel him IN
give the combination OF the safe ard
finally shot him. The triainc nature IF
the wound and the fact that MS foot
Nas hardly clustered led %
suspicion that he had committed
the robbery himself which was proved
by ms subsequent confession 70 ba the
fact Another curious case occurred ir
the following year a. a North Carolina
postofice. where the pOstr1istress CiecIsrej
that she had RENTED $50 in a registered
letter hlch arrived az the department in
" 2shlngtou without any such enclosure
10 prove that she had made the 70.
mittance she furnished an affidavit
- that eIfect from 3 witness xb0
vas man OF standing and had acted az
her ooudsmau. she was iinallvind4ce3 -
confess that this man. being in the uosr.
Office when she was about 70 send of the
. srte--v = gg.