The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-09-18
THE MISSING BULLION.
1t Was Stolen from the Mint by q
Veteran Employe.
TIE TH-r2 CowPBssBs HIS GUILT.

attracting Gold Bars from the Vault
for Ten Years Past--Most of the Plum
der Already Recovered.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. IS. - Henry s.
Cochran, weigh clerk in the Philadelphia
mint, has confessed that he Is the thief
who stole the thirty bars of gold bullion
from the vaults. He stated that for the
last eight or ten years he had been ex-
tracing bullion bars from the vault. Dur
ing that time he had taken S34, 600 worth
Within the last ten days he had taken
500 900 worth.
The method he employed was substan-
TALLY this:
BY means Of a crooked wire he pulled
the bullion bars from the top Of pile
where they were placed crosswise, like
railroad ties When they fell upon the
floor he would, by means of this hook, pull
the bars to the iron latticed door, the bot
tom of which was little loose on one side,
the bolts having rusted.
BY pushing the door inward on this side
the bar of gold could easily be removed.
His habit was to do this stealing before
the employees Of the mint came to their
work in the morning As the gold bars
only weigh twelve to fifteen pounds each,
he could carry them home secreted in his
lunch basket
In this way he took out Of the vault and
carried away S34 600 of gold bullion by
means of the same hook and in the same
way he took out of the vault within the
last ten days 100000 in gold bullion. In
| stead of removing this from the mint
building, however, he secreted it in the
ventilator loft, where it was found after
he made his confession, he himself show
ing the officials its hiding place
! Mr. Cochran is under O,000 bond and
| lives in house in the suburbs of Phila-
| delphia said to be worth $4,000, so that
with the amount of money already re-
| covered-S1OO, GOO at the mint and 81 900 at
| his home-it is believed the government
can make up the difference between the
! Sl34,OOO stolen and the Sl07OOO recovered
| from his property and his bondsmen to-
| gether.
| A feature of Cochran's management of
his department. was his peculiar transac-
| tions some years ago previous to Colonel
| Bosbyshel's superintendency, as a buyer
of old metal. As deposit weigher it was
part of his duties to receive old gold and
silver, in the shape of wCrnout ornaments
and utensils from dealers and others who
might offer it to the government weigh it
after melting and pay to the sellers the
market value of the precious metal con-
tanned in the goods which thus became
bullion belonging to the government,
A former employe of the mint asserts
that for years Cochran did private busi-
ness over the deposit weigher's counter as
a dealer in gold and silver jewelry and
other articles. which he rescued from the
old metal offered the government, paying
the government price to the seller out of
his own pocket and selling again at a
lprOfit to himself. The attention of Col
Onel Bosbyshell was called to the state
ment, and he declared that, while he had
been aware of such transactions occurring
some years ago, he had put an end to all
such practices when he was appointed
superintendent.
The news of Cochran's fall was a great
surprise to his friends. 1t was the current
opinion among those of the employees who
gathered at the mint that "Old Henry''
was out of his mind.
They describe him as an immense, fat,
talkative man, 63 years old with laugh
that was ready to explode on the slightest
provocation. He was grass widower,"
his wife having obtained a divorce from
him years ago.
The mint employees say Cochran was at
tunes very free with his money. He owned
six trotting horses, although his salary
was only $1,000 year. He has been en-
ployed in the mint for forty-thrce years.
Chief Inspector of the Secret Service
Drummond last night said that he was
not in a position to definitely say whether
or not the government would prosecute
Cochran, but declared that he would
recommend the abandonment of the case,
in the event of complete restitution being
made. "He is old and feeble and has done
good service in the mint" Chief Drum
mond said, ''and l do not believe that he
is altogether responsible for his actions.
] would trust Cochran with millions OF
dollars worth of anything valuable except
gold, 1t would be safe to give him con
troll of a vault filled with greenbacks, for
he would not take a cent of 1t. He has
handled gold all his life, and has devel
oped passion for it which is too strong
to be described He thought the govern.
ment was rich enough without a few bars
more or less, and he helped himself to an
extent that would make his declining
years happy ones"