The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-22
THOUSANDS LOST BY THEFT.
An EMPRESS PACKAGE DISAPPEARS
AT COLUMBIA.

Contained $4,000 and HAD Rcen
Taken to Columbia For SnGc Keep
ing-OHiciaIs Institute an InVes-
tigRte and Declare the Theft to
Have Been Committed by an Em-
plOYe-Assistant General Superin-
tendent Leary Thinks lie Has
Spotted the Guilty Man, Hut De-
clincs to Name Him.
Columbia, S. c.. Dec 2i.-A package
containing $4,000 in cash was stolen from
the express office in this city some time
between Sunday morning and Monday
morning of this week, and the city Is now
fun of the best secret service men on the
psy rolls of the express company and the
pink of the Pinkertons.
Officials of the express company arc
here in numbers, but they are more than
usually reticent about the robbery. When
confronted with the fact that the robbery
was known, they finally admitted the truth
of the statement, but positively and abso-
lutely declined to give any of the details.
The first intimation here that anything
was crooked was given by the arrival of
a special train of O. M Sadler division
superintendent quickly followed by J. w.
Croswcll, another superintendent. but
these officials refuse to talk
A package containing $4,000 was sent
to a bank in Newberry Sunday. 1t could
not be delivered that day and was re-
turned to Columbia because the safe in
that town was considered insecure.
The money was put In a safe in the
office here, which was left unlocked all
night II was missed yesterday morning
A story is told about a stranger having
come into the Office and hurried out, but
the belief Is that one or more of the office
force is suspected and the men are being
watched.
This morning Assistant Superintendent
Leary reached here and was soon coseted
with the other officials and secret service
men. Every particle of information the
secret service men had secured was laid
before Mr.. Leary and then the investiga-
tton was resumed with more ardor than
ever, and up to midnight the work went
ON. At that hour Mr.. Leary was seen
and asked for information, nut except
for general answer gave out nothing.
Mr. Leary asserted that he and four di-
vision superintendents from adjoining
states had been instltutlng the closest in
vestigation all the evening The course
of the package of money had been traced
ON its trip to and from Newberry and un-
til it was put in the safe In the Columbia
office. Every employe, he said, seemed to
have done his full duty. But the money
had gone, and there was no use suspecting
stranger or to suppose that there had
been anything like burglary The money
was stolen, he said, by one or more en-
ployes of the office, and he proposed to
camp out here until he had his hand on
the guilty man.
Mr.. Leary declined to say who was sus-
pected, but it was evident the officials had
fixed their suspicious on one man. All the
employees are on duty as usual, but the
detectives are all around, and 1t is gener-
ally understood that every one who might
be guilty is being shadowed
When the facts about a robbery having
been committed became known in Column
bia this evening, there was a sensation.
Nothing of the kind had ever occurred here
before.
This was intensified when It was whis-
pered that an employe was suspected.