Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1893-11-24
Probably They Are the Same Men
Who Robbed o'shaughnessy's
Store Here.
Admit That They Started Out From
Bismarck Up River About
That Time.
Inspector Clement Thinks Them the
Same Who Robbed Peterson
aad Fired Casselman's.
Got EN- All.

Got En- All.
The men who robbed and burned
Strickler's store and the p~ostoffce at
Stanton; the men who touched
O'Shaughnessy's gun store at this place
for a varied assortment of FIRE arms: in
all probability the same men who fred
Robinson l. Casselman's general store at
Washburn, and the men who held up
robbed S. A. Peterson of $500 at Painted
Woods, have been arrested and jailed at
Chamberlain, S. D., by United States
officers.
Postofice Inspector E. c. Clement
who is we'll known about Bismarck, and
who is an as efficient thief trailer as
there is on the force of the United States
p%ostofice inspectors, was in the city this
morning, en- route to Stanton, to obtain
further facts in relation to the destruc-
ton of the postofice there. Mr.. Clement
has just returned from Chamberlain,
and he tells an interesting story of how
the uen were captured, and the fact dis
covered.
When the postofice at Stanton was
robbed it will be remembered anumber Of
stamps were taken, and among them a
quantity of newspaper and periodical
stamps. These latter are stamps usedby
postmasters alone, for afi1ing to news
papers when mailed by publishers, and
canceling, and they cannot be purchased
by anyone under any consideration. As
soon as the department learned the
Office at Stanton had been robbed, notice
"a sent to all postmasters to look out
for these contraband stamps. And this
was what led to the arrest of the rob.
bers. Becoming hard up in Chamber
lain the other day, one of the two rob-
bers, unaware Of the self eliminating
evidence which the possession of periodi-
cal stamps would have against him, en-
deavored to dispose Of them. He told a
plausible story of having worked as a
harvest hand in North DAKOTA, and his
employer, being postmaster at q little
town, paid him partly in stamps, not
having enough ready cash. It was a
very nice little story, and it might have
worked, had not he presented the fatal
newspaper stamps. These branded his
story as a fiction, for no postmaster
would give out any of the latter stamps
under any consideration. The officials
at Chamberlain became aware Of the
odor of rodents, and placed the two men
under arrest. Inspector Fosness of
South Dakota, and Inspector Clements
we're on the scene, and the two mems &C
tons after being jailed were closely
watched. They gave their names as
Henry 0. Peterson and Frank West.
The latter seemed a sort of devil-may-
care fellow, accustomed to prison sur
roundings-in fact u hardened criminal.
Peterson, however, was nervous, fearful,
frightened, and his whole appearance be-
trayel the novice in crime. At last the
strain was too much for him, and he
confessed to the Stanton postohice rob.
berry,
His story was that he met West in Bis.
marck and the latter suggested a trip up
river. They left town, going northward,
and had not proceeded any great dis
lance, when West dug up a couple OF
guns and pistols, which he had buried.
There is not much doubt these were the
ones stolen from O'Shaughnessy 9 few
nights before. Peterson goes on to say
they went up on the east side of the
river, until they reached Stanton. Their
supplies ran out, and West proposed to
enter the store that night. This they
did, and Peterson says West seemed
perfectly familiar with all of the arts OF
burglary. When they had entered, West
noticed a little safe, and proposed they
crack that. A hole was made in the
door, powder put in it, some gunny sacks
placed over the charge to deaden the
sound, and the safe blown open.
They left the store after this had been
accomplished, aud Peterson says When
they had proceeded about q mile, he
was horrified upon looking back to dis
cover that the place was in flames. The
powder in explosion must have ignitei
the gunny sacks, and the store caught
fire therefrom.
The pair then crossed back to the eas1
side of the river in the skiff, and cam
down the river again. The robbing O
the Stanton p~ostofice is the extent O
Peterson's confession but it is probabl,
they robbed the Washburn store on thel,