The Somerset reporter., 1897-02-18
Robbers In Glover.
United States Mall Affords Great Oppor-
tunity for Their Talent

tunity for Their Talent
One-fourth of the money transmitted
about the United States is sent through
the mails. What richer harvest could
the train robber want than this? Il is
so easy to rob mail car when il seldom
these are absolutely without means of
defense. Their work of asserting and
throwing the mail is so arduous that
they have no atime to think of robbers
and are never prepared for visit from
them.
The consequence is that every effort
to rob mail car is successful and in
many cases the railway postal clerk is
the sufferer for his vain and foolish en-
deavor to protect himself and the prop
erty In his charge. The train robberies
have become more frequent of late years
and the reason therefor is that the des-
peradoes, who, by the way, have increas-
ed in number, have ascertained how
much money is actually sent through the
mails aud how little trouble 1t is to con-
tiscate the contents of mail car. Ia
only one or two cases have robbers been
foiled in their efforts to rob the mail car,
for they seldom find postal clerk pre-
pared for them, and in nine cases out of
ten, not clerk In the car has revolver
on his person.
1t Is as easy to surprise postal clerk
in his car, as the ordinary citizen In the
dead OF night at his home. Clerks give
no thought to the dangers of their oecu-
pations, and never think of train robbers.
Few OF them ever think of locking the
doors of their cars, and even If they did,
they would be powerless to ward off an
attack from train robbers, for a knock at
the door will secure admission, and it is
easy for robbers to take them by sur
prise. The great wonder of the age. in
view of the recent great robberies of
this nature Ia various parts of the coun-
try, ia that the government has not
made some systematic effort to afford
protection To its mail, whether it cares
for the life OF the postal clerk or not.
As it is today, no one knows when the
mail train leaves at night where the mail
will wind up or what will become of the
men who have it in charge. When a
postal clerk leaves his home there is no
telling whether he will return whole or
fall victim TO the unerring aim of some
desperate along the line.
Either the mall cars should be fur
nished with sufficient number of men,
whose duty it is to guard the contents of
the pouches, or the cars themselves
should be so constructed as to be able
to resist the fercest attack that might
be made upon them by train robbers
OF late years the amount of money
sent by mail has increased to remark
able extent. The desperate men around
the country have kept track of the trend
of events and they are all aware how
easy it is to stop a train aud contiscate
the sacks OF mail. All they have to do is
to stop the train, take out the bags aud
rip them open when the train has passed
on, and il any resistance is offered it in
variably follows that the postal clerks
are the ones to fall. 1t is great won
der that the government has not long
ago taken some steps to remedy this
great evil and yet there appears to be no
movement of any kind looking to protec-
ton to the mail and the postal clerk and
the robberies occur with charming reg
ularity at different parts OF the country.
There is not railroad 10 the United
States which does not pass through Sc
cluded portions of the country where
such robberies become easy and the
worst of it is the offenders are seldom
caught and brought to trial.
Not single train that trayerses the
country today is without large sums of
bank notes forwarded through the mails.
Sometimes these sums go awuy up into
the thousands and there is not AZ much
as a good stout lock to guard the trras-
ure from the depredAtions Of the desper-
ado who, armed with gun and mask,
fluids no difficulty in getting what he
wants. In the mail cars there ia not
even II safe in which these valuable
packages NAV be placed.
The New York aud Chicago post Off
ces forward every day in the year fr,m
one to five hundred thousand dollars
through the mails. Money goes through
the mails on every train leaving those
cities, and in fact, evary other city in
the country. going In all directions.
The robbers throughout the country
do net modest the passenger coaches
nearly so much as they used to do.
They simply place guards at the doors
of the coaches to prevent interference
from passengers, aud then proceed to
deliberately open the mail car and con-
fiscate the contents.
The position of postal clerk is rapidly
becoming a hazardous one, and after
awhile il will be impossible to find com
petent men for the work unless the
guards or protection is furnished, and
apparently there is no disposition on the
part of the government to present a
remedy.
The government, in forwarding this
money of the people, does not seem to
care what becomes of it or what becomes
of the lives of the men who are employ
ed to take care of IT, On the other hand,
it takes risks for banks and insurance
companies by burdening the mails with
pound.
The fact that the government is
thorough in hunting down criminals and
relentless when 1t comes to iisposiDg of
or furnishing them, will not deter the des-
perate men. of whom there ARE many In
this country today, from going right on
with this style OF robbery. The fear of
punishment has not deferred men from
train robbery in the past, although on
many occasions they have been hunted
down and killed off swiftly and merciless-
ly. Express officials are equally persist
ent In following these robbers to the
bitter end, and 1t Is no less dangerous to
rob an express car than the railway mail
car, as the robbers In robbing an express
car, takes chances of bel < shot to death
by the express messengers, and the fur
thpEchanCe of getting ANYTHING for their