The Saint Paul globe., 1896-11-01

stole bars to the value of $4,000 from
the gold vault, stealing 1t bar by bar
from a stack of sixteen million dollars
worah of gold bullion, which was there
stored away. Mr.. Preston was one
of the officials who superintended the
putting away of the bullion, and he
was acting director of the mint at the
time that Cochran's theft was discov-
cred. The first great steal in the Phil
adelphia mint occurred forty-three
years ago, just before Mr.. Preston en-
tered the government service, and, Gu
riously enough, this theft was detected
by Cochran, who was an under clerk
of the robber, and who, by exposing his
superior, got the place of weigh clerk,
which he held for forty years, and in
which he was at the time his own
great robbery occurred. During the
investigation at Philadelphia, the thief,
Cochran, told Mr.. Preston the story,
and Mr.. Preston repeated it to me
today.
STOLE A FORTUNE
''It was away back in 1852 said the
director of the mint, when a vast
amount of gold was coming in from
California that the first big robbery
occurred The culprit was James E.
Negus, and he was the weigh clerk of
the mint. There was at this time no
assay office at New York, and all of the
gold dust and nuggets were sent by the
banks of the different cities to Phila-
delphia to be reduced to bullion. Ne
gus had the handling of this treasure,
and he for a long time carried on q
systematic stealing from the different
deposits sent in: 1t was his business
to take charge of them, weigh them and
put them into the vault until they
could be melted. By taking a nugget
or a pinch of dust from each deposit,
he was able to steal thousands of dol
lars, and he probably carried on his
stealings during the whole of the four
years that he was in the employ of the
mint Cochran was at this time boy
working in the mint. He acted as
Negus' assistant. He was led to sus-
pect that Negus was taking out gold
dust and substituting black sand for it
in some of the deposits. He took oc-
casion to reweigh several deposits when
NeguS was not present, and found that
they were from five to ten ounces short.
He went to the superintendent Of the
mint and charged Negus with the
theft Negus was called up. He con-
fessed, and stated that he had stolen
$40 800 worth of gold dust. As you may
see from the letters here in the records
believed his confession, but they did
not think he should be arrested, as he
had made restitution. He was allowed
TO go free. Within few weeks he
sailed for Europe, and that was the
last that was ever heard of him. There
was no cable in those days, and the
probability is that he carried a goodly
amount of gold away with him. The
robbery was not from the treasury, but
from the banks who sent in the gold,
and there was no way of telling just
how much he stole.
COCHRAN, THE MINT ROBBER.
at was in this way that Henry S..
Cochran became weigh clerk Of the
mint" Director Preston went on. HE
took the place Of a thief and there is
no telling how soon he became a thief
himself. He told me that he did not
steal anything from the mint until
after the deposit of that SIG, 100000 in
gold bars, but his connection with the
mint lasted for more than forty years,
and his position was the same as that
OF Negus. During his whole term of
employment he had the confidence of
every one. | have letter here signed
by Daniel Sturgeon, who was treasurer
Of the United States when he was ap-
pointed 1t is he who advised the an
pointment and he describes Henry S.
Cochran as honest, able and courteous
Cochran seemed to be crazy for gold.
He fell in love with the precioAs metal.
and when he found that he had robbed
the mint Of S113 000 he hated to give uD
his stealings, and he complained bit
Serly when the money found in his