The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-28
HE LOST S1l,O25 IN STAMPS.
BREWERS CLERK HAD ONLY JUST
BOUGHT THEM

Somewhere Between the Revenue ONCE
and n Shop He Visited They Vanished
Arc Beer Barrel stamps, Not Easily
Negotiable because Not Safely Usabl-.
Joseph Shedding. a clerk a. the Bendleston 4
WoerZ brewery. at al West Tenth street, lost
Sl1,025 worth OF internal revenue STAMPS
yesterday afternoon twenty minutes after
purchasing them. The stamps were lost or
were stolen somewhere In Nassau street. be-
tWeen Internal Revenue Collector q. II. Treats
Office in the American Tract Society building.
at Spruce ana Nassau and the photograph
supply store Of the Dickinson Company. at &?
Nassau street. below Fulton street three and
n half blocks walk. Ono OF the theories tho po-
lice are working on is that the brewery clerk
was seen to make large purchase OF stamps
and was followed by some sneak thief. II was
with This idea in mind that the order was
given by HEADQUARTERS police to watch oil fer
ries ard the Brooklyn Bridge to pick up any
well-known crooks who might seem an xious to
leave town.
IL the stamps are never recovered the loss
will be total to the brewery owners. while the
benefit to the thief is doubtful. The stamps
are Intended for beer barrels. and are not as
easily negotiable US docu nentary or war
etamps would be. II any dishonest brewer
should buy the stamps the revenue agents.
missing stamps. will probably learn from n
comparison OF the number Of beer sasks or bar
rels sent out with stamps on them and the
stamps purchased by that particular brewer
from the internal revenue Office that the stolen
stamps are being used.
For all the ppllce know or the brewery clerk
was able to tell them. the stamps might havs
been lost rather than stolen. The purchase
was made shortly after O'Clock. The clerk pay
Leaving the American Tract building. the
clerk walked rapidly down Nassau street,
pie, in his short Journey. The stamps were
rolled 9nd wTapned In brown paper and re-
The clerk vent to the photograph supply
store OF the dickinson Company between ]
and : o'eiock; The store T. large one and a
asked to see some albums. and Louis Bunker,
a clerk. took him 10 the rear OF the store While
and, without saying a word. made for the front
OF the store. swept the counter with hurr ed
glance "a, and ran into the street. Twenty min,
questioned Bunker the clerk. about package
the young man had lost. Bunker had seen no
send Dickinson. the head Of the firm. and told
MIN the lost 1acSaee c2ntanei 900 worth
search. bus with no result suit DeN'D'oN 'D"0'
Il feel certain" said Mr.. Dickinson last
revenue stamps in some other place. His &C.
making az outcry leads me TO THIS belief ;.
l
lost and not stolen, were picked up by some
person who. after learning the nature and
value OF his find. decided to keep mum until
the brewery firm should choose to offer re-
ward for tho return Of the stamps.
The clerk was in no hurry to return to the
brewery after his loss and chung to tho poles
hoping that they would find the stamps H>
said he felt sure that he had laid the roll Of
stamps on n counter near the front OF the
store. and then ahsentmindedly walked along
the counter toward the rear looking at pho
toRraphers' materials The roll Of stamps in-
cluded 10 900 81 stamps for half barrels, 900
2o-cent stamps for quarter barrels. and twenty
five 81 documentary stamps. The revenue
ofilcers were at once informed but the reve-
nue. agent. Frank Il. Thompson. decided that
tho loss. II theft was n violation of State
laws and not his affair. The revenue agent
promised. however. to give every help in his
power to the police. Mr.. Thompson said TO
SUN renorter last night that as the internal
revenue laws required brewers to keen de-
tailed accounts OF their stamp transactions.
and these accounts are ALWAYS open to the in
spection Of internal revenue agents or their
deputies. II would be risky for any unscrupu-
Qua brewer to purchase stamps he might have
reason to believe were stolen. Had the
STAMPS been OF tho documentary kind they
could have been dsposed OF in the Wall street
district to any Of a hundred brokers who would
be only too willing to take chances.
Shedding lives at :}3i East 1hirtieth street
and is II years old When he got to the brew
ery with his story.of the loss. President Alfred
y. Read!eston and the other officers had left
for their out-of-town summer homes.