The evening times., 1895-11-29
ROBBERY OF THE STAMPS
Messenger Edwards Made $3.50
in One Of His Thefts.
HELD FOB COURTS ACTION
Com missioner Mills Commits the Man
to jail In Default of So 500 bail.
Auditor Baldwin Testifies as to
the Magnitude of the Losses-Three
Clerks Dismissed.

c. c. Edwards, the colored messenger In
the Treasury Department. who is accused
of being actively engaged in amassing a
small fortune from the. collection and sale
of revenue stamps Oh Official documents,
was committed to Jail by Coinmis sioner
ILLS today, iu default OF 81. 800 bail,
to await trial in the criminal courts.
This trial will be at an early date. The
prosecuting attorney is anxious 70 Ircss
It., and Edwards counsel. fruf. Laagsfdn,
practically admitted that it would i'r Use
less to attempt tn give bail. Edwards
went down to jail with Deputy Marshal
Wilkinson, who iirst placed him under ar
rest.
The testimony developed in part the
enoruii;y OF the stealing OF stamps that has
been gong on. Only three witnesses were
exaniined and they contributed only enough
testimony TO warrant the commissioner in
holding Edwards. The witnesses were:
Ernest L. BALDWIN, auditor OF the Treasury
Mt. Brown, OF the army assay Office, and
Walter II. Hill, assistant superintendent In
the secret service division.
MANY HAVE BEEN RECOVERED.
Fully 25, 900 stamps are estimated tc
have been stolen. Nearly 10000 have al
ready beeB recovered through Edward!
and it is believed nearly, IL not all, the
ptherS VIII COMO through Hill.
MIR. Baldwin stated tnat II had been dis
covered that thousands OF the papers taker
were the receipts from government EN-
ploycs III days past, and that these papers
with The. stamps attached, were the only
things that could I've offered in evidence, as
the payment OF any gaia-y every drawn
In question. The receipts covered a period
of about eight years, from 1859 TO 1870.
Thry were the receipts of collectors and
deputy collectors principally.
Up To date ii,t arrests have been made ex
.ept that OF Edwards. Three disnissals
have been made from the depa parunent. how
ever. The names of thuse dropped are
e. u. yinsng n clerk in the appointment
division: Arviile Bacsn, OF the Third Au
ditor's Office, and messenger named
Hopkins.
There will be no more arrests made, "
said Mr.. Baldwin 30 The Times reporter
unless there are new devclo opnients. There
is no evidence. sufficient To hold the dis
missed persons. They took no vouchers, but
only n few stamps Then the stamps. too,
were probably frequently torn off by
relic hunters, maybe one at a time. Ed
wards sold what he got to n young stamp
dealer in this Sity who. believe. bought
them as limo Gently as an angel would have
done. The messenger made $3.50 in one
week Off the strnlps. which ranged in value
from one cent 10 S15.'
SAW ONE ROBBERY.
MT Bowen sword that he saw the me ssen-
ger take wo packs OF documents in the files
in the southwest corridor of the fourth
floor Edwards worked down in the
hasc.nent The last time he saw Edwards
was about the / st of November The wit
ness did Hot know what was in the pa cia ges
at the time. but when he heard the theft
of the stamps first talked about he reported
the Incident to the auditor
Mr.. Hill testified that he was tod by the
chief clerk last Thursday TO investigate
the case. Fifteen minutes later he had
fastened the deed on Edwards who con
fcssed to him. Edwards todd him he did
not know the papers Were valuable and
that he did not realize he had done wrong.
Commissioner Mills said that the evidence
warri nte,i him beyond doubt in holding
the prisoner, and the bail stated above was
agreed upon by Mr.. Jcffurls, who was
present for the Government, and Prof.
Langston.
The officials doubt very much the state.
ment made by EdwaTds that he did not
realize the Importance of the papers. They
say he is q bold. shrewd man. and claim
that he has already served two terms in
the penitentiary for grand larceny. He is
a ma rricd man.