The San Francisco call., 1896-01-18
CHINESE LETTER-TH|EVES,
Mail From Postoffce Boxes
Stolen by a Gang of Young
MongolianS.
Bold and Smooth Work by Which
Sam Yick and His Associates
Pilfered About $4,000.

-Four young Chinese, If not more,
have been operating together for sew
eral weeks past in a systematic scheme
of Postoffice thievery. They have man
aged to pilfer the mail of quite a number
of local Chinese firms from their boxes in
the Postoffice and so far as can be ascer-
tanned have got away with an aggregate
sum approximating $1,000 by their mis-
appropriation of the checks and money
orders inclosed in the letters of their vic
tins.
A few days ago the Postal Inspectors re-
ceived information pointing to the bold
but smooth work of the thieves 1t had
been thought all along that the letters
were being stolen by some one of the Post
office attaches, but an investigation soon
proved that such was not the case Soon
after learning of this scheme of looting
and the character of the offenders a Chi
nese named Hue Tin Foo was arrested as
being one of the gang. He was allowed by
the inspectors to go at large, however, on
sort of parole, upon his promise to CO.
operate with the Federal authorities in
bringing his accomplices to Justice.
The particular man the officers were
after is one Sam Yick, the downtown rep
resentative of Man Lee & Co., Dupont
street concern. Hue Tin Foo was en-
ployed by the firm of Man Yick & Co..
whose butcher-store is also on Dupont
street. Another member OF the gang very
much wanted is given the name of Fong
Huey. Sam Yick was the leader of the
gang.
AS Sam Yick had arranged to leave for
China on the steamer Peru to-day Messrs.
Munro and Thrall, the Postal Inspectors,
were indulging the hope of being able to
catch him as soon as he attempted to
board the steamer. But the wholesale
larceny of the Postoffice boxes had become
the talk OF Chinatown by yesterday morn
ing, and the efforts of the authorities to
keep their plans secret until Sam Yick's
arrest were defeated by the publicity given
to the matter by the gossiping Chinese
Sam Yick and mis- companions in crime
are all now in hiding in Chinatown and
their concealment may battle the officers
for time.
The firms who have suffered the most
are Fong Hal & Co., Chong Wing Nan
kee and Chew Ying Lung. Fong Hal e.
Co. say they have been robbed of at least
$500, and perhaps more. They were the
first to learn that they were loosing valua-
Bile letters-at any rate, letters containing
money which should have come did not
come. The first indication of this was
that some OF their mail had evidently been
extracted from their boX-how they were
at loss to explain, so mysterious was the
disappearance Of the letters which thew
should have received from their country
customers.
One OF the pilferers themselves gave the
scheme away. He boasted to a friend that
he had succeeded in taking letters from
mail box and found the act profitable
one. There are two theories in explana-
tlon OF their methods-one that they had
obtained keys fitting the boxes OF their
victims; another that, having the KEYS of
the firms by which they were employed
the thieves would open their boxes and
then reach around to the rear of the other
boxes and take whatever mail was obtain
able. subsequently they would open the
letters and cash the checks and money
orders forging the names of the payees
Man Lee d Co. have box in the Postoffice
Bank of California check was thus
cashed, and Montgomery street money!
broker cashed a check for $500. At one
store $25 suit of clothes was purchased, a
check for $100 being received by the store
In payment and the Morgolian customer
getting $50 back in good money. In Sam
1lcks particular case a complaint was
drawn up against him by Assistant United
States District Attorney Bert Schlessinger,
charging him with forging the name of a
Chinese firm, as payee, to a Postoffice
money order.
1t may have been that Hue Tin Foo,
whom the inspectors were using to effect
the capture of the entire gang, played
false. and took advantage of his oppor-
tunltv TO apprise his confederates. He is
still under surveillance.
Sam Yick is very we'll known around the
Custom-house and in business circles. He
speaks very good English, having been
educated in the public schools of this City
The others were also fairly well educated
and had the appearance of nice young ma
hves. Lately they have been spending
money pretty freely.