The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-02
FREE BUT a MOMENT.
Thousand Of Dollars Secured Before His
Capture and Conviction.

I
Capture and Conviction.
Joliet Ill. Correspondence of the Chi
cago Chronicle
When the doors Of the states prison
here opened Monday Leroy Harris
stepped forth free man. But 1t was
only for a brief moment that the ex-
cOnvicts liberty was enjoyed. He had
served out the sentence OF the federal
court in Chicago for defrauding the
government by means of bogus money
orders and was free so far as this charge
was concerned. But his feet had not
Yet become accustomed 10 freedom
again until he was arrested by United
States deputy marshal and carried OF to
indianapolis to answer TO another
charge.
Harris has a career which is singular
in criminal annals. He devised and
executed one Of the most ingenious and
one Of the boldest schemes to rob tha
government ever generated in the brain
Of man. His plan was to swindle ths
pCstoffices and he laid his lines so care
fully and picked them UP SO cleverIy
that he was thousands of dollars ahead
when arrested. Nothing so clever had
ever been perpetrated in this land. This
is the history Of the crime for which
he served a term in the Illinois peni-
tertiary.
RE NiSlltu llIllS LOW II VI NoTOlDIt
Heights. Conn, where a credulous gen
eral storekeeper was also postmaster.
Harris told the postmaster that he was
an Inspector and exhibited some official
looking documents to prove that what
he said was true. The purpose of his
visit. he said. was TO close up the money
order portion of that office.
The storekeeper was very busy that
day doing a rushing trade in groceries
and calico and it was a matter of in
difference To him whether the money
order part of his office was closed or
not. He could not spare the time from
his mercantile business to check up with
the inspector, so he invited Harris into
the office to do it himself.
This was the opportunity Harris want
ed He checked up the business, packed
up the money order blanks, advices, spe-
cial department envelopes and the office
stamp. He officially declared to the
store fun of people that the money
order department of the Noroton
Heights postotfice was closed. Harris
took the first train for New York and
for the next "a hours he was diligently
employed He filled out the money or
ders. payable to himself and forwarded
the advices to Is postofficeS between
New York and illinois, Harris made
out some 80 or 60 of the orders, each for
$780, which Is the highest amount for
which single order can be drawn, and
in all the advices inserted the clause
waving Identification.
He forwarded the orders in department.
envelopes and then started out to collect
them. The offices on which Harris had
drawn orders were sprinkled on the map
in every state from Connecticut to IlIi-
nois. Decatur, Peoria, Joliet. La Sale.
Fort Wayne and other points in tho
West all received adyices.
Five days after he left New York Har-
ris appeared at La Sale and presented
two orders for 800 each. The postmas-
ter had only enough money on hand to-
cash one order. Harris was compelled
to remain in La Sale until the next day
to cash the second order.
On that day Inspector Stuart of Chi
cage was notified OF the swindle per-
petrated upon the creduious postmaster
of Noroton Heights. Stuart Immediately
wired a warning to the money order Of
fees in his division and asked If anyone
had received Noroton Heights advices.
A quick reply came from various points
that they had cashed orders the day be-
fore. Stuart went to La Sale, learned
all the facts he could and then put secret
service men on the hunt for the GRIM
inal. Harris walks with a slight limp
and the department added to IT'S de-
scrlption of him. One of his legs il
shorter than Ii ought to be-
Every ex-employe of the postal de-
partment who was known to have a
short leg was hunted up. 1t was learned
that a man with a limp had former
~ been chief clerk of station L in New
York. He could not be found. The de-
scription tailed exactly. Harris was
finally caught at Buffalo and taken be-
fore United States commissioner xoc
examination.
When asked to hold up his hand and
be sworn he flashed a big revolver and
held the court and officers at bay, whilS
he backed cut of the room and darted
into the street. He escaped TO Canada
but was afterward caught at Niagara
Falls and taken to Chicago for trial.
Harris was convicted and sent to Joliet
prison for five years.
When arrested Harris had several
thousand dollars concealed on his per-
son, which money was taken from hing
by Inspector Stuart. Harris recently
brought suit TO recover this money He
won the case. but it was appealed and
Justice Waterman of the appellate court
reversed the Judgment and decided that
the money belonged TO the governments