The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-07-10
SOME ODD STORIES.

0ON'& 49, - OhIESs
Hunting Down Mall Eobbers-Uncle Sans
Agents Pursue Criminals to the End.
How Clever Dodger Was Followed From
North Carolina and Caught In Rochester.
Copyright. 1893, by American Press Assoc,a-
ton.
Up to a period of 80 years ago only 20 ner
cent of the robberies of the mails resulfed
In arrest aud punishment. Since the close
of the war only about Is per cent have as
capped punishment. This is due to the mol
Icy pursued by every postmaster general
for the last quarter OF century-that Of
hunting down dishonest postal employees
and any outsiders who lay hands on Uncle
Sans mailbags, at whatever cost or trou-
BILE. Time and money are not considered.
# it becomes necessary, two, three or four
government detectives will be put upon
the trail, and they are not called off unless
1t can be shown that the fugitive is dead
Instances have become rare where people
not connected with the postoffice depart
ment NEEDLE with the mails The sole rea-
son for this is the knowledge that it is a
risky business, and that the governments
Will I1Jb PCl2AlAu csA4J 400 up ALI UQe
In case of bank or store robbery only one
detective is usually employed, and after he
has spent certain sum Of money without
avail the victims are apt to call him off and
let the case drop. Uncle Sam has pursued
men clear around the globe, and once his
detectives are given o case they must pur-
sue 1t to the end.
A case in point is that of James Simpson
Of North Carolina. He was employed in
the postoffice at Hillsboro, small town,
and one night he gobbled several letters
containing about $500 In all and disap-
peared. A government detective was tele-
graphed for next day. Simpson had long
start Of the officer, but was followed to Ra-
leigh whers the detective was five minutes
too late to nab him. Simpson made his
escape into Virginia, and for a month was
not heard Of because he had purposely
committed an ofense for which he was
sent to Jail for 30 days, giving an assumed
name.
The next heard of him was at Richmond.
where he was spotted" by an officer in the
secret service, but he disappeared before
telegram could be answered. Hester, the
officer, then proceeded to Richmond and
took up the trail, following Simpson to
Washington. He was three days behind
him and was knocking around the city
whole week before he learned that his man
was preparing to open tobacco store at
Georgetown. He thought he had him sure,
but Simpson was off again, hiring q livery
team to take him out on the line Of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad to station.
Hester was ready to take the next train,
but went through to Baltimore, while the
embezzler stopped at the junction and took
the train for Annapolis.
Simpson then had three days start, and
the next heard Of him he was in Columbus,
D. Believing that he was safe there, he
made arrangements to 60 into partnership
with confectioner, but along came the de-
tective and chased him away Then for
several weeks he was not heard of again.
Some is or 20 days later he was seen
in Cleveland, but again gave the officers
the slip and was idllng around Toledo
for several days. He lett there for Chicago,
where he went to work In shop as car
painter and for six weeks deemed himself
safe. Hester. with the aid Of local officers,
got on his trail, however, and he left for
Rochester, N. Y, where he was finally ar
rested while serving as street car driver.
He had spent all his stealings and more, too,
trying to escape capture, and though he
did some clever lodging he was run to earth
at last. Had he made for the solitudeof
the Rocky mountains or crossed the Attain
tic to try and lose himself in London or
Paris he would have been followed just the
same, and his arrest would only have been
matter of time.