Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-25
DETECTED BY A GIRL,
Cook Halls Strong Resemblance to
Inspector McCalmont
RESULTED IN SPEEDY ARREST.
A Country Postmaster Who Didn't Propose
to Be Robbed.
WEAVING A STRONG WEB OF EVIDENCE

Interesting a. the chain of evidence now |
being forged against the men Hughes ana
Coleman for wholesale postofice robberles
in the UnitedState District Court is, there
are some incidents in the background, and
not yet brought out, that are still more
SINGULAR Postmaster Grifiths, OF Kane,
for instance, had an experience with COOK
Hall which convinces him that his office
narrowly escaped the attentions of the
bhrglarious gang.
On April 25 Mr.. Grifiths and his daughter
were at work in the postofice when the
latter said: sFather, look! there's 1nspec-
tor McCalmont! He looked in at the door
Just now."
Mr.. Grifiths replied that she must be
mistaken, that Mr.. McCalmont was to MS
knowledge in another part of the State, and
ANYHOW if it were he, he knew enough to
come in and announce his presence. HIS
daughter insisted that she was pretty nearly
sure it was Mr. McCalmont, SO Mr.. Grlthths
went to the door to see for himself
The Stranger Didn't Inspire Confidence.
The man was near the postoffice and Mr.
Grifiths recognized him at once by his
| striking resemblance to Mr.. NJ cCalmont, but
| knowing the postofice inspector we'll per-
| ce,yed that it was not he. The bearing OF
the stranger, however, struck him as sus-
nicious This uncomfortable feeling was
strengthened when the unknown man was
| observed sneaking about the postofhce,
looking in at the windows and generally
showing more curiosity about the internal
arrangements of the office than modest
properly excite.
So uneasy did the actions of the spy
make Mr.. Grifiths that he gathered up the
| Office funds, amounting in money and
stamps to over 81, 900, and took them up to
the bank. where he had them locked up in the
safe over night. As he entered the bank he
looked back over his shoulder and saw the
same stranger close behind him and evil
IDENTIFY watching him. This did not ailay
his suspicious and next day when the man
| came In and mailed three letters Mr. Grit
fiths made up his mind to see to whom they
were addressed.
Had Correspon dents in Oil City.
He couldn't tell his son, who took the
three letters, of his desire to see them be-
cause the stranger was looking, but after
the latter had gone out Mr. Griffiths ex-
amiued the mail and finding three letters
addressed by the same hand, all to parties
in Oil City, concluded they were what he
wanted and made a note of the addresses.
The mysterious stranger was Cook Hall
who has since confessed to being a member
of the burglarious band which was in Kane
with q view to breaking into the postofice
there The burglary was not carried out
because Hall guessed that the postmaster
was alarmed. But for Halls peculiar re-
| semblapce to the man who ran him down,
which has already been noted in The DIS
PATCH, Mr. Grif6ths would probably
not have had his suspicious aroused and
the postofice would have been plundered.
According to Hail. testimony the gang, ,dls
appointed in Kane, transferred their at
, tent,ons to Ridgeway, where the postcfice
was sscracked" and looted the next night.
After the robbery of the other postoffices
: occurred Mr. Grifiiths remembered the
/ addresses he had noted down and wrote to
Postmaster McKim, of Oil City, asking
: him if he knew the parties whose names
l were on the envelopes. Mr.. Mcklm re-
l piled that two were women OF dlsreputable
5 antecedents, and the other young lazy o
4 eminent respectability, all residents OF vi
i City.
: Inspector McCalmont Takes Hand.
About this time Inspector McCalmont
: who had been working on the robberies
heard of Hall having been seen in Hughes
E company. and was in Oil City prosecutin,
I INQUIRIES in that direction. He had heart
:; also that Hall had written to the youn!
q lady mentioned above, although q tota
u stranger to her, in terms that justified hi
: arrest Inspector McCalmont had abou
i decided to arrest Hall for the latter otfens'
y when he heard of the other coincidence
which the Kane postmaster had reported
and be realized that Hall was the man d
! was after
l Hall had been in Oil City till that mo
. ment. but when McCalmont started to lool
for him he had flown. But he was easil,
found and arrested at Bradford. Upon hin
= vsre found letters from the two wome
y whose names had been noted on the letter
mailed BY him at Kane, and prima faci
/ case against him was clinched by the tele
" grams, which McCalmont intercepted, iron
J, Coleman, who had, according to Hail.
. story, gone to Detroit to sell the stamp
stolen from the five postofhces robbed
Y Since then Inspector McCalmont hs
II ! worked like beaver to procure the nece
sary evidence corroborative of Halls col
!. fession.
i, Weaving Strong Web.
How perfect this circumstantial chain {
testimony Is the jury will of course decid
in the case now on trial, but there can b
no question that the Governments case
E. as strong as 1t could have been made, an
t, to Inspector McCalmont the credit belong
TO The testimony taken yesterday was NJ
ID sensational at all, and was almost all OF
g. intended to establish the truth OF the bu
glarious bands itinerary, as described b
Cook Hall on the witness stand last weel
The defendants are apparently no mol
49, interested in the case than any other spe
q tators in court, although Coleman not il
Il frequently makes suggestions to his cou
he sci. Mr.. Breene. The latter is fighting do
ne pedly for his clients, and several times We
rs terd.y engaged in tilts with District A
torney Lyon over the admissability OF mu'
of the evidence introduced Judge Buftin
toms eminent fairness and reasonablene
have never been better exemplihed than
of the trial of this case. The court room W
ad crowded all day. The case will probab
es be concluded to-day.
Don't Take the Risk
| Of fire. or thieves, but keep your valuat