The Saint Paul globe., 1899-08-24
THIEVES RUN DOWN
CHIEF INSPECTOR Sullivan AVN
HIS STAFF ROUND UP
A GANG
OF PosTOFFICE WORKERS

Men Who Have Been Operating in
the Towns of Minnesota and the
DahOtas-SOme Traced To BeIoI+
Kanp While Others Were Arrest
ed at Council Bluffs - Stamps to
the Value of $500 Recovered.
The local postoftlce inspection depart
ment, under the direction of Col suIIi-
Van' mas succeeded in capturing the men
VINO burglarized the postoflce at Adrian
Mimi, few weeks ago. and in braalz,ne, {,
up an organized gang that has been rob-
olns country postoff1ces in the Dakotas.
Ihree Of the men are under arrest at
council Bluffs, To-, and another at Be-
Iolt' Kan. The latter has made q par
tlaI confession that resulted in the re-
coVery OF large amount Of storen
stamps The credit for tho capture.
"hlch is one Of the most important in the
poSCo11ce annals Of the Northwest. be-
longs to Chief Inspector Sullivan. who
with the assistance Of Inspector J. F. G.
Gordon, planned the campaign that led
TO the detection of the gang.
For several months the postofices in
the smaller towns in North and South
Dakota and Minnesota have been svste-
mattcally burglarized by g. gang that
mas been far-reaching in it's field Of on
eratons. In almost every instance en-
trance has been obtained to the post
once with the aid of burglars tools,
Whlch were left behind, and the WORK
was oone with a skill that showed tha
operators to be professionals At the
ADRIAN robbery the thieves secured as
part or their booty about $265 in postage
stamps besides small amount of cur
Iency. inspector Woods was detailed to
ICcK after the Dakota robberies and In
spector Gordon went to Adrian. whera
ne carefully looked the ground over with
out nndlng apparently any clue to the
lCcntlty or the perpetrators. Upon maxi
ing his report to Col. Sullivan a plan Of
campaign was mapped out that finally
caused suspicion to be directed TO a well
known crook with record that included
several postoffico 'jobs" and one Tom
Mccartney, another man of the same
stamp Inspector Gordon succeeded in
locating the men, but they eIuded him
until Friday, when the postmaster at
Beloit, Kan, wired Col Sullivan that
the two men wanted were being herd at
that place on charges of burglary
inspector Gordon went down to Kan
sas last Saturday and wired from Beioit
that he had found Mccartney but that
the other man wanted had succeeded in
securing his release and had escaped.
Mccartney made partial confession. in
which he disclosed the existence of an
organized gang Of postoffice robbers. and
told where a portion Of the spoils was
concealed al Council Bluffs The in
Spector left his man at BeIoit and has
tened to the Iowa town. Tere he found
that the plumber had been removed from
It's hiding place and sold by three men
A telegram received yesterday morning
announced the arrest of the trio, who
gave their names as John Bell, Thomas
heeler and Sully Haugh. They were
given preliminary examination yester-
day before a United States commissioner
st Des Moines. Stamps to the amount of
! $500 were recovered.
Mccartney has professed preference to
be tried for the offense against Uncle
Sam rather than on the charge for which
he is held, and the local authorities are
willing to turn him over to the govern
ment He will be herd IN Kansas until an
indictment is returned against him and
| then brought to st. Paul for trial. In
| his confession he is said to have impli-
| Gated several men besides those captured
and Col. Woods is now following a clue
that 1t IS believed will result m the CAP
ture Of the branch of the gang that
worked the South Dakota Jobs"