Evening star., 1895-08-03

N anu OH tHe average
more than two post
year out Last year there was an increase
of 35 per cent in post Office burglaries. there
being 426 more such crimes during that
time than the year preceding. and within
the past ten years there has been an in
crease of PAT per cent in postal robberies.
The Indications are that the present year
will break the record. and that 1t will show
more burglaries than any in our history.
Mail RObbing u Science.
The robbing Of post Offices is now reduced
b a science. 1t Is known that there are in
the country class of professional burglars
who devote themselves to robbing post Of
fees. They are experts in their line, and
their stealings equal fortunes. They have
their fences through whom they get rid Of
the stamps they steal. and everything con-
Eected with them seems to be systematical-
1y organized. They operate In all parts of
the country. though the headquarters of
ore of the biggest gangs seem to be in
New York. During the past two or three
years they have become bolder than ever.
The Post Office Department has for some
time known of their existence. and the in
spectors are working night and day to wipe
them out. Two years ago the matter was
taken up by Congress and an appropria-
tion of 10000 was made to be used by the
Post Office Department in the shape of re-
wards for the arrest and detection of such
robbers. Last year this appropriation was
increased to 5000. and the result is that
the department now has standing rewards
for noted postal burglars. They are now
sending bills announcing such rewards to
the different detective offices of the coun-
try, and two which were lately issued lie
before me as 1 write.
One of these bills offers $1,000 for the
captur, of the three great post office bur-
glars-Kiliora n, Russell and Allen-who es-
capped from the Ludlow street Jail in New
York on the 4th of last July, and the other
offers $1,000 for the arrest and conviction
of Sidney Yenpie and George Carson, two
other celebrated post office thieves.
Post OAicc Inspectors.
These circulars are signed NJ. D. Wheeler,
chief P. o. inspector. The inspectors may
he called Uncle Sans postal detectives.
There are about one hundred of them, and
they are scattered all over the country.
They have charge of all crimes connect
ed with the post office. and may be order
ed by the Postmaster General to go to any
part of the country at a moments notice.
A number of them are on duty along the
line between the United States and Cana
da, and they ara especially busy Just now
in keeping track of the robberies in the
western states and territories. Every day
or so there Is telegram from Oklahoma
or tine Indian territory asking for the de-
lection of some lew post office crime The
D. Wheeler. who directs them from the
Post Office Department here.
The men who rob Uncle Sans post
offices are among the most dangerous of
our criminal classes. They are usually
men of more than ordinary intelligence.
and they seem to be adopts in the art of
getting out Of Uncle Sans jails. There is
o man now in the penitentiary at Joliet
ILL.,. who held up five men. and succeeded in
making his escape after he had been ar
rested by the postal inspectors. This mans
name is LIE Roy Harris. He was formerly
In the employ of the New York post Office.
About year ago he got possession Of some
money order and postal note blanks of a
Connecticut post office. With these, by
ing about 5000 from the post office funds.
He sent his bogus money orders all over
the country. The inspectors soon discov-
cred his fraud. and within six weeks after
the theft Of the blanks they had arrested
Elm, He was taken at Buffalo, N. Y, and
was brought before a United States COM
missioner. While that officer was issuing
the necessary papers Harris drew his re-
rolver, made the five men in the room hold
up their hands. and escaped. He was cap
tured. however. the same night at little
town In Canada. and was sent to Jail.
The Escape of the Letter Box Thieves.
Last year the department had great
trouble with gang Of letter box thieves.
a number of whom escaped after being
arrested. This gang made a speciality of
breaking open street letter boxes. They
carried on their work in different parts of
the country. About year ago the in
spectors got on their track and arrested
the three who were considered the chiefs
of the gang. One of these was a man
named Stratton, who was caught in Col
orado. and who is serving a twenty-one
years sentence in the penitentiary at
Canyon City. He escaped four months
after he was captured, but was retaken.
and Is again In prison. Two others of this
gang VINO were arrested also eScaped but
they were both retaken.
The Case of Rube Burrows.
OF all the desperate post office robbers
who have broken Jail, however, the de-
partment has no more remarkable case
than that of Rube Burrows This man
vas famous train robber and burglar
He had been engaged in a number of post
office robberies and he ended his career
through an attempt to rob a mail train in
Mississippi In 1889. He had two confed-
crates, and the three men entered the
train by way Of the engine. They covered
the engineer and fireman with their pistols
and then made their way back to the mail
car. They took all of the registered pack
ages and succeeded in making their es-
cape. The Post Office Department offered
1000 for the arrest Of Burrows. The rail-
roads also offered rewards and q man
named Carter finally captured him. He
was taken to Alabama and was put into
village Jail. Carter had gone of to sleep
et the hotel He left q white man and
two negroes to guard Burrows. During the
night the white man went OF into q cabin