New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-12
CONGRESS- LIBRARY ROBBED.
TWO EMPLOYEES ARRESTED AND HELD
FOR TRIAL.
vI,rApLE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS RH "AShiN"
TON. JOHN HANCOCK. BENEDICT ARNOLD
AND OTHERS .sToLEN-WAsHlN"-
TONS DIARY RECOVERED
rny TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE

TONS DIARY RECONEifrF
rpy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE
Washington Feb. 1.-The arrest yes'eru'H . y,
,~o EMPLOYEES OF the Library OF Congress. chaIsou
80, ~ ,.rcerv Of valuable autograph letters
- oxc,.aa tho attention OF dealers and col'c'o'S
., sutoerapbs and manuscripts in all parts % ''''
country Fortunately for the LIBRARY "''
have been found to be less serious IMAM wa o.
,icipated hundred more autograph le''o''
tho most valuable among them by Wash'hk'o''
John Hancock and Benedict Arnold-as wen "
washtnston's Diary for 1887 the year OF me Noi'-
s,,tutional Convention have disappeared l'o'" NV
Library Ru, the Washington Diary mas "''e""S
been recovered, and there are hop's "
the return OF the minor missing pieCes' ~
Chief Hazen OF the Score; Service Bureau n'ean
.o,l an tho case on Thursday of last week d.
which time Assistant Secretary Curtis Oh '"e .r,
urv DEPARTMENT placed in his hands letters H'i"
" F. & W r. Benjamin. autograph ue"','a =.
New-YoYk The suspicion OF these 'eA'Tia nov
aroused by the low prices put on the al - $1,000
- INV and bv other circumstances. They feared
that the autograph letters had neeh S'''.n' o.
not knowing from what department Oh INC 49,,
WAN, they might have come thought best 10 "il'o
10 Mr. Curtis, who promptly lald Inc Hi"''V' % ",
Chief Hazen. Previous TO TINS 'ne' "'
havo written a letter TO Senator Hoa'' WI" A"o"
nothing about the matter. ana - Iop''''' "0 80
ing any further attention to II w.
Chief Hazen sent George W. Hazen 10 ,..'1
IN ,rves,iga,e the matter He secured descrl"''o'
n, the men negotiating the dealings anu d'So 10
. number Of letters written by them pu' III Ms IO'
session These are still in the posseSSio.' % Wv
Secret Service Offices ana VIII DC "9eU " -
dence A number OF the stolen arNc'e' "c'' as"
rocovered All the information was not secured
from the men mentioned. but from o'hcf" WI"
whom Turner and McEinone. inc Eo""e '''
rested Yesterday. had had deaiiAg'
!, uos quickly asccrtaincd that the ml7S'hE
,anars had been taken from the CongiesSo''l
library and an investigation by LibrAri4A HpoAo Il
showed that many autographs ana Ietles "e'o '','
sina The Washington Diary was shPiftu ,lo 10 ~
dealer in New lorn whose name - Io1 IL u,a g.,
shor, time ago by Turner. ana had not p'1i1 pa
for IL was shipped by The United SI .,tcS 6,
Company. and the receipt mas h'tI Ic - 20
value placed on It when no SHIPPED IL Wa 6T;,' H"
showing Turner's idea OF lis value II Wa I'm occ
,3inus a cover and this cover was taheh i, ,a
Of the pockets of Turner'S coat when ne was ~,
rested Librarian Spofford says u Is marc 10 lln.
IIe aJds that many Of the things disposed OF We"
NJ little value from financial point OF NieW:
IL is impossible t. say now iols '-'e '' ot,,' an
Of M pers from tho Library has oeen gong on
The letters were kept In separate room, ~ -
now said that time last fan not urn,
WrE,1bone made two trips to New-lork, consulting
Win the dealers there. TO whom the papers WerG
disposed Of Letters covering PERIOD OF seNeIai
nopihs have been secured from dealers In New
York The Washington Diary was taken within the
iast Two weeks Mi SpoTord kept that in draWe:
IN his desk ana frequently had occasion TO snow y,
II visitors The last time he noticed u was dpou.
,yo weeks ago He says that duplicate key was
necessary 70 get possession OF H. Ire other PdPe'
The story told to Chief Hazen by Turner was that
Re found the Diary the stone ledge or me star.
ca sc which leads from the front of the LIBRARY 70
the bottom Of the building on the west siu". ~. .e
cover of the Diary was found in Turner's pockets:
I'm his room at the Capitol were found number o
articles His own house was sealched nut n9th'ng
found there except some BOOKS o''ois'"S u
the Library. ,.,. ,,o...a
McEhone and Turner waived examination before 4S,r
ner was committed in default Of bal! ard McElhone
was released on 5000 bail