Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-10-22

CHICAGO. October PA sensation
Tabhery which netted the perpetra-
-5-s $3.50 in stamps, was discover
odd here this morning when the whole
sale stamp department of the postof-
r. was opened for business.
rapid investigation developed the
lct that the burglars had crawled I'M
4r he flooring for about 300 feet.
| bored hole in the bottom of the vault,
fred the stamps and escaped. carry
F rg their booty in a wagon.
The work of forcing an entrance to
tlc vault had evidently been going
inward with the greatest patience for
lu- days. II is believed. however,
at the intention of The thieves had
On TO enter the cashiers vault, in
v1i4h there was S35 eco in money and
,arps valued at hundreds of thou
sads of dollars. The bottom of the
uult is of steel. half an inch thick In
is - holes were bored until a space
-hteen inches square-just enough 10
sHaw the entrance of a mans body
T. 4 been so weakened that ii was pos
snlo to take out the whole plate with
lJia difficulty A dry goods box stood
o-r the hole thus maze and concealed
ths ork of the robbers while it was in
rrogress. When discovered to-day the
finger marks of one of the burglars
we're still discernible on the dust of
ne box which he had pushed to one
s1c
tat men working in other parts of the
hiding had not the slightest inkling
Of the daring robbery being worked
Almost under their noses.
The robbers drove up to the south
east corner of the postoffice building
10 a wagon. the tracks of which could
BE- seen plainly to-day.
The building is a temporary affair,
and the men had only to open little
tOI 10 duIlll bhhtA NAiV
Gloring. To reach the vault it was
r4cessary to crawl about 300 feet over
o.ds and ends of boards which Uttered
,io way. The route evidently had been
srefully studied. for detective who
vent under to-day without knowledge
locations, became lost and was near
overcome by the foul odors before as
s,4nce reached him.
Having secured their plumber the rob
7rs loaded it into the wagon, drove
a-ross a vacant lot and turned into
Wabash avenue in front of the Art
alilding.
Gf the $746i0 in stamps taken. $4,1l2
We're in postage DUE stamps. and
go in special delivery stamps. So
tI4 convertible stamps amounted to
}lS2S, but Of these s4.s2s were Pan
nerican stamps Of eight and ten cent
nominations.
p O. Spalding, chief clerk of the
Wholesale stamp department, discovered
robbery when he opened the vault
q 7 30 O'Clock. The safe had been
iaa6d. with its contents apparently Sc
rre at p. VI. Saturday. Mr. Spalding
Notified Postoffice Inspector Stuart who
hurried from his home and Immediately
cyan an Investigation. assisted by his
deputies and squad of detectives.
After completing the search Inspector
SGar said
It was tne largest stamp robbery
eve committed in the history of the
postal service in this country To get
q the vault the men dug through the
or foundation wall and hundred
i''t Or SO further on they encountered
another wall, and this also they dug
through. On the way they met with a
number of pipes, and as the floor is
1li two feet, and in some places three
'''f above the ground, they tunneled
'aqer the pipes. Their whole course is
panty marked in this way. The
Wholesale stamp vault like cashier S
want and the money order vault is sup
ported by a brick wall. 1t forms a
square and before the robbery was air.
'sh, In this the robbers broke two
aoes, possibly to secure more air, for
'-H place undoubtedly was very foul, or
u have an extra place of egress in
case Of discovery. For light they used
cy batteries, one of which they left
behind. This battery and the wagon
tracks are the only elews we have at
Present.
The space under the vault is sufi-
gently large for a man to stand up
right and the work must have been
oomparatively easy with the drills and
STOOL saws which they used. The
camps were arranged in twenty pound
ouhdles, and the weight of the load
'uey carried off must have been 500
pounds. Evidently one man handed
me packages down to others waiting
oeiow As the progress must have
osen Slow carrying even one bundle
.afoash ali those tunnels, crawling on
~ Tours, ! Judge they worked fifteen