The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-01-09
IT DIDN'T WORK.
Ruse of a Defaulting Clerk in the
Cincinnati Post Office.
He Tells Thrilling Tale OF How He Was
Assaulted and Robbed of $685.
Finally Forced to Confess that
He Took the Money to
Cover Up Shortage.

CINCINNATI, Jan. 4.--A1uer Jnfee nOurS
of the shrewdest kind of detective
work, Chief of Police Deitsch and his
detectives last evening caused Frank
H. Sparks to confess that he was a
thief and that his previous sensational
statements were lies.
Sparks is assistant cashier of the
post office money order department. At
about 1880 o'clock yesterday afternoon
he was found lying on the marble floor
of his Office, seemingly in an uncon-
scious condition, by Janitor John Weih.
Sparks was lying on his face with his
head in the din of the door, and Weih
turned him over and asked what was
the matter.
Il have been robbed" he exclaimed,
as he pointed to the cash drawer of his
desk, in which several hundred dollars
in coin and paper were daily kept for
the payment of money orders.
He was then lifted from the floor and
helped to seat, after which Inspector
Solomon was notified. Sparks has two
contusiOns on the right forehead, and
as he sat with pale face, frequently
resting his hand on the bruised head,
he told most sensational story.
He had returned from lunch and was
alone in the office, Cashier Albert Tuck
er having gone out tor dinner, when
two fairly well-dressed men entered,
one of them asking for change for a
five dollar bill. He told them to go out
side of the railing and he would get the
money for them, but instead of doing
so the fellows grappled with him, one
of them striking him in the forehead
with something he could not see and
knocking him to the floor in an uncon-
scious condition. They then stole all
the cash in the drawer, amounting to
$s6S.96.
After this hasty account Of the al
legged assault very meagre descrip
tion of the men was secured and police
headquarters notified. Several detec'
tives were at once dispatched to the
scene and the police of different cities
were notified to be on the lookout for
suspicious characters.
Detectives looked deeply into his
habits and at last confronted him with
the proof that he had been living fast
life unknown to his wife. He still held
out for some time, but it was after
o'clock when he was suddenly startled
by the question from Detective Witte
"How much are you short in your ac'
counts?"
"Only a few dollars-about $5," he
replied, as pallor overspread his coun
tenance.
80, come now, how much is il? IT.
more than that
"Well, guess it is about $3.50"
"Now, now, tell the truth"
"Well, expect it will amount t.
$780," and with gasp Sparks SUM
back in his chair.
The postmaster was at once notified
by telephone and hurried over to head
quarters, where he was apprised of thu
fact that Sparks had confessed having
secreted the money in the Office Spark
explained that the bump on his heat
had been produced by him falling pur
posely on the marble floor at fall lengtl
and humping his head so severely as II
bring the blood. After he made a full
confession he was escorted to the none.
order Office by Detective Schnucks am
Crawford, and in a lot of art folios, be
tween the pages, was found 1888 in pa
per money, where it had been secrete'
by him. Silver and gold amounting t
S23. so was also found in his possession
and in places where he had secreted il
He was then taken back to police head
quarters and locked up to await tn
action of the United States author
ties,