The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-11-23
EXPRESS COMPANY
PAYS A HEAVY LOSS.
Check For $4,000 Given to
Commercial National Bank.
SOME ONE STOLE THAT SUM.
'he Thief IL at Largo And May Never be
Captured-It Was a Clever Robbery
The Employees Are

innocent.
Chicago, Nov. pa check of the
Adams Express company yesterday re-
)aid the Commercial National bank the
$4,000 stolen last August while being
transmitted in a sealed package to a
bank in Burlington, Iowa. The thieves
are still at liberty, address unknown,
although many detectives have been
working on the case since the sensa-
tional theft.
Officials of the Commercial National
bank acknowledged that the money had
been reimbursed by the express COM
pany, but seemed to derive their great
est satisfaction from the exoneration
Of their employees inferred from the re-
payment. The delay in settlement has
been due to attempts by the express
company, through the detectives em-
ployed by it, to fix the blame for the
theft upon other than it's own en-
oloyes.
Had evidence of this theory been dis
;overed the responsibility would have
cen shifted and the Adams company
would not have been asked to stand the
loss. That it has paid up is said to be
the result Of the investigation by Pin
kerton detectives. While they decline
to state the latest developments, it is
Known that they have arrived at a
definite belief in the innocence of the
banks employees.
BELIEVES employees INNOCENT.
I'VE have the money" said President
James II. Eckels, "and I have no fear
hat We will be asked to return 1t. OF
curse. we would be obliged to do this
If developments fix the theft upon any
of our own employees, but nothing has
shaken our belief in the integrity of our
own men. The Pinkertons, / believe.
are satisfied that the theft took place
after the package left the bank. That
caves them two avenues of investiga-
tion-the history of the package en-
route and it's reception at Burlington"
''The payment of the 500, ,0O0," said w.
II. Damsel, manager of the Adams Ex-
press company, was in accordance
with our general policy, whereby
amounts, large or small. supposedly =
stolen while in our care for transmits
sion are returned to the shippers after
an investigation of reasonable length
has failed to place the guilt on other
than our own employees.
WOULD NOT LOSE MONEY.
I'm this case our payment is not a
confession that the robbery took place
while the package was under the con-
troll of any OF our agents. In any event,
IL responsibility is placed outside the
express company it will not have lost
the use of this $40 600. for then the
money would be returned to us with
interest"
"The Pinkerton National Detective
agency" said Manager ]. II. Schu-
macher, still has it's men at work on
the case, but cannot state for publi-
cation what are the rccaat develop
ments, IL there be any The case viii
not be abandoned"
The circumstances under which the
$4,000 were stolen on August II, last,
made one of the most sensational rob
berries of recent years. The money had
been made up in twenty packages of
81 900 each, most of the bills being fivcs
tens and twenties. This work was
done under the supervision of the pay
ing teller, who also saw the package
sealed by the regular clerk and deposit
ed In the safe to await shipment over
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy rail-
road. Under the guard of four men
and in charge of the assistant paying
teller the safe Sas taken to the station
and started on its Journey.
NEWSPAPERS IN PARCEL.
When the seals were broken and the
package opened in the Burlington bank
to which the money had been consign-
ed, instead of the cash were found
bundles of neatly trimmed clippings
from newspapers. Examination of the
seals and the handwriting OF the ad-
dress showed that the limitations, while
good enough to deceive at first glance,
were notably different from the origin
ais. AS pointed out by Cashier J. T.
Talbert of the Commercial National
bank the ink was OF different color,
and the seals showed that they had
been affixed by person not acquainted
with such work.
Just when the substitution of the
sham for the valuable packages was
made has remained a mystery. but. the
supposition has been that the thief
escaped at some intermediate point on