Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-11
HELD UP THE
MAIL WAGON
A Daring Exploit of a Bold
HighWayman
TOOK REGISTERED MAIL
Covered the Driver, Frank G0db0ut
With a Big Gun, And Help
ed Himself.
TOOK REGISTERED MAIL

n
! thoroughly understands his hazardous
vocation, held up a United States mai
, wagon at an early hour this morning,
and took away with him as the spolls Oh
! his successful undertaking, the register
cd mai pouch. The wagon was driven
by Frank GodbOut, who was accom-
! panied by G.. A. Rivers, a railway mail
/ clerk. Godbout's story of the hold-up Is
to the effect that Immediately after the
arrival of the Oregon Short Line passen-
ger train he transferred the load of mail
! from the mail car to his h
registered pouch is always the last pouch
delivered to the driver and on this occa-
sion was placed on top of the other
pouches. The driver then started up
town, driving between the railroad tracks
to Wyoming street, and UP Wyoming to
First street. The wagon was nearing the
corner of First and Wyoming, n the
driver was chatting with the mail clerk,
when a man sprang into the middle Of
the street and yelled "stop!"
Instinctively Godbout frightened the
reins and as he looked up his eyes
focused OF the muZzle of a revolver,
which grew larger every moment he
looked at ii. Sack of the gun was a
man whose face was hidden behind a
mask. He promptly obeyed the COM
mand, and brought the team to a stand
still.
The ~highwayman stepped up to the
side of the wagon, and keeping the men
covered with the u in his right hand
he reached up to the pile of m~ail>pouches.
felt about until he found the registered
pouch, and took possession of it. He was
cool and collected, and seemed to know
just What he wanted.
"Drive ahead. Don't stop. Don't look
around!" he commanded.
The driver says he could feel that the
muzzle of the revolver was pointing at
the back of his head. and he fastened
to obey the order. AS he turned the COR
ner of Second street, he looked out the
tail of his eye and saw the robber stand
ing in the middle of the street, watching
him. He drove west on Second street to
Nevada. and then back to the Montana
Union depot, where he notified officer
Nichol, and accompanied the officer to
the scene of the hold-up. He then went
to the freight office n telephoned to
police headquarters, after which he drove
to the pOstOffice and delivered his load
of mail.
There We're eight or ten pounds of mail
on the wagon at the time of the hold-up.
The pouches in which the registered mat
ter is carried is constructed of striped
ducking, while the other pouches are
made of leather, and it is quite evident
that the highwayman knew of the differ
ence. and selected the one in which the
mail matter of value is carried. This
particular pouch was from Ogden, and
Postmaster Irwin wired the Ogden post
master for the billing, which will prob
ably arrive on tomorrow mornings train
II will tell exactly what the robber got
away with. However, Mr.. Irwin is of the
opinion that the booty did not amount
20 much. as the volume Of registered
matter at this time of the year is very
light. Between Ogden and Butte very
little money is sent by registered mail,
and in all probability the robber is not
much richer by reason of his work Of
last night.
In a majority of the cities of Butte's
size and Importance in the United States
the government carries the mail between
the depots and the postoffices, n pro-
vides for this service a regulation mail
wagon, the box Of which is constructed
of a strong iron screen, in which the mail
Is locked. In Butte the mail is carried
by private contract. in an open wagon.
With a government wagon this robbery
would have been almost impossible, as
after the h~ighwayman had stopped the
wagon 1t would have required some time
and strong tools to break into i. 1t is
possible that last nights episode may
hasten the installation Of the govern
ment wagon service in Butte, an i'm
provement that has long been desired.
Neither Godbout nor Rivers were able
to give a satisfactory description of the
~highwayman, n the police are consider
ably in the dark. Godbout says he saw
nothing but the muzzle of the gun. and