The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-02
FIVE YEARS. STEALING.
Postal Clerk Rowse of Grand Trunk
Arrested

Arrested
BY U. S. Inspectors Snow and white-A
Test Letter Used-He Confessed When
Captured.
When the train over the Grand Trunk
reached here Saturday afternoon, and
William c. Rowse, the railway mail
clerk left the postal car he had no idea
that he was being "shadowed" and that
the officers of the law were only quietly
giving him "a little more rope" as they
| later said. AS a matter of fact a quiet
looking gentleman, Inspector Snow, was
then behind the scenes at the post office
waiting to see if letter addressed to
"Charles w. jerks & Bro, Providence,
r. L., was in the proper bag. Had it
been there Inspector Snow would have
removed it. for it was "test'' letter,
mailed that morning at Paris, Me-, and
| intended to trap the mail clerk
| if he was dishonest. 1t was
not there and so Inspector Snow started
for the hotel of Colonel A. W. Bradbury,
United States district attorney.
In the meanwhile Inspector White had
watched William G. Rowse closely and
had located him in an Exchange street
restaurant, where he had settled down
to the enjoyment of good dinner. Then
Inspector White returned to the Grand
Trunk and the postal car and found that
TILL tsmUcn,, rrmn,rD
had not remained, as letters sometimes
will, attached to the pouch.
Inspector White returned and was in
waiting, and saw that Rowse paid for his
dinner with 81 sbilI. Inspector Snow
was also waiting and when Rowse was
about to step on board Spring street
car he said "Rowse you must go with
mel"
The clerk turned, and made no reply
He knew the inspector, but there was
one thing that he might yet get q
chance to do-to be alone for a moment,
and SO at the head of the stairs he said,
Please let me 60 into this room for a
moment?'
Not until you have been searched"
said the officer, and he took his prisoner
to the office of Marshal Donovan, where
he was searched and So of the money sent
in the test" letter was found. In the
meanwhile Inspector White had ex-
changed another one dollar bill with the
restaurant keeper for the bill Rowse gave
him, and once more the inspectors had
the 81 in one dollar bills they placed IN
the ''test" letter they had sent from the
Paris post Office.
Rowse was arraigned before United
States commissioner Bradley as soon as
Colonel Bradbury reached his Office and
had made out the necessary papers. The
complaint charged him with opening q
letter addressed to "Charles ". jerks &
Bro, Providence, R. L." and with ap-
propriating 81 lawful money of the Unit
ed States.
THE RESPONDENT
said "guilty" to the complaint and was
held for the April term of the United
States court. Bail was fixed at 81, 500.
| Inspector White said that Rowse said
to him." was little wild in my young
er days and contracted some debts. MY
creditors pressed me.
"Nobody knows how / WAS pressed I
was tempted to open some letters I knew
contained money, and I yielded
''He said to me-" said the inspecto
''that this thing has been going on for
five of the ten years of his connection
with the service. We had many COM
plants of the loss of letters on the Grand
Trunk between Portland and Island
Pond, and fixed test letter. If clerk
is all right the letters go through, but if
he isn't we catch him. The letter was an
ordinary one. and still man like Rowse
could tell that it contained money. OF
course there was nothing about the letter
itself to excite his suspicion after he had
opened and read it,
The inspectors are disposed to regard
the capture as one of much Importance
in view of the many letters lost on that
particular division. The French Canad-
ian residents of Maine are in the habit
of sending money home to their families.
They very seldom SEND checks, and just
as seldom register their letters. The
opportunities given dishonest railway
mail clerk under such circumstances are
practically limitless.
Inspector Snow said that he was much
pleased with the arrest. He, however,
agreed with Inspector White that il will
probably be impossible to ascertain with
any degree Of exaotness the amount of
| money or the number of letters taken
by Rowse.
William G. Rowse was one of the best
known, liked and trusted of the Maine
clerks in his class. He is about 40, and
has family. The penalty for the offence
of which he is charged may be imprlson-
ment from one year to five.
Inspector Snow said that after he made
his tull confession Rowse told him where
he would find the pieces of the 'test' let
ter he opened and tore up. He also gave
the inspector some United States property
to give to the chief clerk.