The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-12
A CLOUD OF MYSTERY
No Glue to the Men Who Held
Up the Mail.
IT'S A KNOTTY PROBLEM
Suspicion Has Been Directed Against
the Driver of the Wagon - But
There Is as Yet Very Little
~ Evidence Against Him.

A cloud of mystery envelopes yester-
day mornings hold-up of the United
States mail wagon which promises a
knotty problem for the government to
solve. The investigations of yesterday
developed but one important feature. 1t
caused suspicion to be directed toward
Frank Godbout, the driver of the wag-
on, and he was arrested and is to be
held pending further investigation
though 1t is understood there is not
much evidence against him and that his
arrest was due more to the suspicious
circumstances of the case than to any
direct information the authorities have
obtained. Postoffice Inspector Woods
was called up from Anaconda early
yesterday morning, and after looking
into the case he decided to file a com
plant against Godbout The complaint
was filed with United States Commits
sioner Wood and charges Godbout with
completely in a robbery of the United
States mails. Godbout's arraignment
will probably take place to-day
The circumstances Which caused Sus-
picion to attach to Godb0ut were these:
1t is a regulation of the department
that the railway mail clerk who arrives
in Butte on the Oregon Short Line train
with the driver of the mail wagon, and
must sit with his back to the team so
as to be in position to watch the mail
sacks, the wagon being a common open
one. Being in this position, Mail Clerk
Rivers could not see the highwavman.
while he must have been in full view of
the driver, and as Godbout could not
give any description Of the highway
| man, could not say whether he was tall.
snort St0l1t lean thn al -.
ties at once suspected he knew more
than he cared to tell.
1t was also figured that no man not
an employe of the postoffice could know
just what sack to select as the regis
tered pouch when there were so many
other sacks looking very much like it
on the wagon unless he had a confed-
crate. As Godbout had been driving
the wagon a long time and was aware
of the fact that the registered pouch
always laid on top at the feet of the
mail clerk, it was figured he could
easily inform confederate of this fact
as well as the fact that the mail clerk
went unarmed, and the confederate in
possession of this knowledge would
tended to strengthen the suspicion of
the postal authorities and prompted
them in the action they took against
Gqdbout
1t was not known just what the reg
lstered pouch contained and will not be
known till Postmaster Irwin gets I'D
vices from Ogden, where the pouches
were made up. Mr.. Irwin does not he
lieve, however. that it carried much OF
value and he has good reason for this
bellef. Had there been reason to believe
the sack contained a considera BILE
amount OF money or other valuables,
suspicion might have attached to per-
sons nearer home. but under the cir
cumstances noiFgoVernment employees
are suspected and this theory adds
strength to the belief that outside
parties did the job 49,.
/ Immediately after the robbery was
reported to the police, seven officers
We're on the ground who searched the
entire locality, but they found no trace
OF the highwayman. From the fact that
the pouch could not be found, it is
thought 1t must have been carried into
house in the locality and probably
destroyed Should this be the case if
would be another item in favor of local
parties being responsible. The officers
are working diligently on the case I'M
der the direction of Postmaster Irwin
and Inspector Woods and are hopeful
of unearthing something more tangible
IN the shape of a clue than is vet at
hand.