The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-02
THELOSTBAG OFGOLD
Hasn't Been Found, Nor Has
Any One Been Arrested.
EXPRESS EMPLOYEES DISMISSED.
The whole Matter Termed Over 70 the
Surety Company-statementb by
Agent Squires.


ern Pacific express Office has not turned
up vet, nor has anyone been arrested yet,
although Superintendent Hall has made
threats to put Agent Scuires in Jail. This
ia the second robbery OF money which has
occurred in this city from the company
within few months, and in both cases
the manner in which the licre disappeared
was very mysterious. The 81, 900 was con.
signed by Ben E. snipes & Co., of Rosiyn.
to Dexter Horton & Co., in this city. on
Thursday night and was not missed until
the train arrived here.
r. p. Harlow. the local agent, refused to
talk about the matter, and Division Super
intendent III. G. Hall. who was summoned
from Portland as soon as the loss was dis
covered, would only state that he had dis
charged Station Agent G. II. Squires, sus-
pended Route Agent Lee Hopkins, paid the
money over to the bank, and thatthe mat.
ter now lay with the surety company. He
said he had discharged Squires for DISC
bedience Of orders in not compelling Hop
kins to take his safe into the little check
pen partitioned OF from the Office and the
storage room.
II is impossible to say when the sack
containing the s.. 1000 in gold was taken.
Thursday night when Hopkins, squires
and friend of the formers, named Bur-
ton, who rode up from Tacoma with him,
had unloaded the express matter, taken it
into the storage room at the depot, and
Hopkins and Squires had begun to check
mp the way bills. the sack was missing.
As Squires said yesterday:
"The safe WIS dropped on the door about ten
feet from the ONCE, and took seat on chair
about the same distance away at one side, while
Burton stood about the same distance from the
iron box and between me and the Office. Hop
kins first took up the waybills and handed
them to me. snc had TO get up of my chair to
reach for them, and after took them sat down
again and did not move from the chair until
the loss was discovered. Hopkins, after hand
Ing me the way bills. took up several packages
and stepped TO the Office counter and laid them
down. his back being turnsd only about one
half minute. He came back to the box and
asked him If he was ready to check up. He
said:
".Boys, Tn short There il q sack OF gold
containing $500 which is gone
II then looked a, the waybiil and found that
there should be- such package, and after Hop
kins couldn't find IL ! went to the telephone
and called up Mr.. Harlow, who came down
about 2:3o O'Clock. Harlow then made a search
all over the room. but couldn't find ii. then
checked up the remaining stuff and marked the
waybiil short was kept on duty continuously
Friday, Friday night, saturday and Saturday
night and sunday. In tho meantime superln-
tsndsnt Hall came to town and sent for me to
come to his room at the Rainier. After had
entered the room he locked the door and at
once commenced to curse me and call me q
thief and other foul names, aud demanded to
know where / had hidden the money. ! told
him knew nothing about the matter whatever.
He continued to threaten me, and said he would
send me 20 tho peni;entiary. / told him to go
ahead. but that he had better be sure what he
was about whenever he attempted anything OF
that kind. said was ready with bondsmen
and attorneys, and he could begin soon as he
wanted to. He asked me IL was ready to 60 to
jail. and said was. and furthermore, l pro-
posed TO either sleep 1T home that night or slee
in Jail. because had then been on duty two
days and three nights and was worn out
"All at once he changed his buildozing tone
into friendly one He said he wanted to be a
friend to me, that there was no necessity for me
to disgrace my wife aud parents, and that If
would fetch the money back by 10 o'clock this
morning he would hush the matter up, keep it
out of the newspapers. aud no one would ever
know that anything had happened. When
ttli declared my innocence he again got mad
aud said he would discharge me- went down
and checked up with Mr.. Harlow ami turned
ever my Keys aud came homo and have been
waiting for them to arrest me. but they haven't
done so yet Detectives hung around the house
ali night aud this morning, but they haven't
made my attempt 10 modest me We.
81 have worked for the company four years
was on the Tacoma Seattle run two years and
have been night depot agent for the las. four
months, aud this Is the first time that have
been suspected OF any crookotness. What
makes inc mad is that they should think did
IT, when even the ether two men, Honxins aud
Burton, said that II would have been impossible
for me 20 have done without their snowl-
edge. They both told Harlow SO when he first
came down to the depot. and Burton repeated
IL yesterday at the Rainier hotel. | sckuowl-
edge was careless In not requiring Hopkins to
take she safe into the check peu, but then he
was equally careless In not taking IL there, al
though alone am held responsible.
"fhere are hundred ways in which the stun
could have been taken before IL ever 60, into
Seattle. The end door of the express car WAS
open all the way up from Tacoma and the mes
ssnger probably had occasion 10 open the safe
several times on the way w. Tralnmeu, and
even people at the different stations might have
gone into the car while the safe was open, and
even IL might never have been put on the car at
all. Hopkins might have lett ii on the floor of
the Tacoma depot and the porter some one
else picked il up"
Hopkins is the son of the Tacoma agent
and has been in the express business fo-
several years, but only recently started on
this run. 1t is said that he was under the
influence of liquor when he left Tacoma
sQuires Is son of Rev. ". T. Squires, of
Mount Vernon. who came to the city last
night "a see him.
Superintendent Hall left yesterday for
Chicago. Route Agent f. \. Reece left for
Portland Saturday night and Hopkins
and Barton returned to Tacoma the same
evening. NJ. {. Sullivan, the detective
who Was put on the case, il still in the
city.
Mr.. SQui-es has retained Judge Burke as
his attorney. has arranged for hondsmen
aud Is waiting 10 be arrested. He feels in
dsgnant that he should receive such treat
ment from the company when he claims
there is not the slightest foundation for a
suspicion against hun.
A special dispatch from Tacoma saw.
that superintendent Hall. in speaking OF
she discharge OF Squires and suspension of
HOPKINS just before his departure for Chi
eRgo with his family. said:
iris seton has been taken for tie failure Of
these employees - carry cut the ORDERS Of The
EXPRESS company. We have iroa-c,st rules Tor
the protection OF PACKAGES. At seattle we went
O. The expense oi couple d hGadred dol ass 20
4. Up 81 o1lce II aTst-clKSs shape. Oar orders
axe that messenger shall he per
m,tted % oren lis saie uaul he g. get inside
TIC ofnee aad the door Is lCekea Il this in
stance The safe was opessi outside ard scu.res
s.t " ca the arm OF chair ami saw 1t COMA
= epklns violated cur orders ir allowing Burton
g. T,de - Seattle with him on the express car
sqalres as under $500 bonds, and the
entire case Will he turned over 70 tAe