The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-01-20
MAIL noxlis RoRnEp.

sevon Of Uncle Sans Lamp Post Reccr'
tacics Iirosen open by Thieves and Killed
of their Contonts-alonoy was wiint thcJ
were Aftcr.
Yesterday morning when tho letter
carriers made their first round TO collect
the mail in tho boxes on tho lamp posts,
!: was found that seven OF thcm had
been opened some time in tho night and
the contents stolen. Tho robbery was
doubtless committed after midnight
and In all probability not long after
midnight. 1t was m Indictment night
and fow people wcro about, which made
1t comparatively easy for the thieves to
get in their work.
The boxes robbed worc ut tho follow.
ing places: Sixteenth and Jacob streets,
Seventeenth md Woods, Eighteenth
and Jacob, Eighteenth and Eod, -Four.
teenth and McColl0ch, Fourteenth and
Eoif, Chaplinc and Alley ~.
At Alley IL, on Chaplino street, Mr..
Sidney sarver, who lives above the
oiiice OF tho Wheeling Natural Gas Com.
pany, CHANGED to look ut the box ut
midnight and it was all right. His ut.
tcntion was directed to it by the snow
which had gathered on it. When he
first looked out OF his window yesterday
morning he was surprised to soc tho
box standing open.
In tho course OF tho day all The locks
but tho ono at the alley 70 corner wero
found, and the hook OF that was found,
and there Is no doubt that the main
part OF the lock will DO found in the
snow near the post, as this was the case
in all the others. Until tho discovery
OF the locks it was not known whether
the robbers had key and unlocked
tho boxes, or broke them open by main
strength aud awkwardncss, but when
the locks wero found it was Mt once
apparent that the thieves had used
some sort OF 4 tool to hold the padlocks
in position and with another had pricd
the catch loose, as all but one OF the
locks had tho staple broken clear loose,
and in that one case it was pried
forcibly around 80 that the catch came
out Of tho lock.
\ lot OF tools were stolen from n
house in course OF construction on Fiji
tcensh street night before last, and it
was thought yesterday that possibly
those tools had been used in forcing the
locks open.- The work was very clum-
silly done, and the idea at first enter
tanned that it was the work of experts,
was not tenable after the locks were
found.
1t seems most likely that the rob
berry was tho work OF young toughs, the
object being to get what money was in
the boxes. There has been no positive
information OF any money stolen OK,
ccpt in one case. one letter having been
heard OF which contained g sent to
Rev. DR.. Talmage for publication.
Postmaster Cowden said yesterday af'
tcrnoon that he would be obliged to any
person who had mailed latters in the
boxes named above after three O'Clock,
on Monday afternoon if they would
send him word.
a number OF letters were found torn
open and wet and soiled by the snow
Yesterday in various parts OF the city
and the desks and window stills in the
postmaster's private Office were covered
with the scraps OF mail matter. About
thirty letters or parts OF letters, some OF
them OF considerable value to the wri.
tiers, but not containing money, were
found. So far there has been no clue
discovered to the perpetrators. It is
probable, however, that the thieves will
be discovered in day or two.