The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1901-10-24
CH|CAGOPOSTOFF|CE ROBBED
SIS 900 IN STAMPS STOLEN.
The Plot Equals the Recent San
Francisco SmeIter Rebbery-AbsO-
Robbery Took Many Days Work
Bored Through Half Inch Steel.


the Wholesale stamp department of the
postoilice was opened for business. A rapid
investigation developed the fact that the
burglars had crawled under the flooring
for about 300 feet. bored hole in the bot
tom of the vault, secured the stamps and
escaped, carrying their booty in Il wagon.
The work of forming an entrance to the
! vault had evidently been going forward
with the greatest patience for many days.
1t is believed. however. that the intention
OF the thieves had been to enter the cash
ier's vault in which there was $35, 900 in
money, and stamps valued at hundreds
of thousands of dollars. The bottom of
the vault is of steel half an inch thick.
In this 81 holes were bored until a space
Is inches square-just enough to allow the
entrance of mans body-had been so
weakened that it was possible to take out
the whole plate with little difficulty.
dry goods box stood over the hole thus
! made and concealed the work Of the rob-
bers while it was in progress. When dis
covered today the finger marks of one of
the burglars were still dscernible on the
dust of the box, which he had pushed to
one side.
So carefully had the job been planned
that men working in other parts of the
building had not the slightest inkling OF
the daring robbery being worked almost
under their noses.
The robbers drove up to the southeast
corner of the postoffice in a wagon. the
tracks of which could be seen plainly to-
day. The building is temporary affair,
and the men had only to open little door
to admit themselves under the flooring.
To reach the vault it was necessary ia
crawl about 800 feet over odds and. ends of
boards which Uttered the way The route
had been carefully studied, for detective
who went under without knowledge OF
locations became lost and was nearly over
come bv the foul odors before assistance
reached him.
Having secured their plumber the rob-
bers loaded it into the wagon, drove
across a vacant lot and turned into Wa
bash avenue in front of the Art building.
Of the stamps taken $47l2 were in 'post-
age due stamps and 1920 in special de-
livery stamps. So the convertible stamps
amounted to $67 1928, but of these $472s
were Pan American stamps of and 10
cent denominations.
Largest stamp Robbery.
4 F. C. .Spalding, chief clerk of the whole
sale stamp department, discovered the
robbery when he opened the vault Satur-
day. Mr.. spalding at once notified Post
office Inspector Stuart. who hurried from
his home and at once began an investiga-
ton, assisted by his deputies and squad
of detectives from the city hall. After
completing the search the inspector said:
at was the largest stamp robbery ever
done in the history of the postal service in
this country. To get to the vault the men
entered through a trap door. A few feet
in they encountered brick wall, which
they dug through rather than move
around looking for a clearer route. The
wall, like others under the building, is OF
flimsy construction and it could not have
taken them long to pick way
through it. A hundred feet or so further
on they ran against another wall. and
this also they dug through. On the way
they also encountered a number Of pipes,
and as the walls are but two feet and in
some places three feet above the ground,
they tunneled under the pipes. Their
whole course is plainly marked in this
way.
: cashiers vault and the money order vault,
is supported by brick WALL It formed a
, square and before the robbery was air
tight In this the robbers broke two holes.
possibly to secure more air, for the place
J undoubtedly was very foul, or to have an
, extra place of egress in case of discovery.
For light they used dry batteries, one Of
which they left behind. This battery one
of my men discovered. It and the wagon
tracks are the only clews we have at pres
emit.
. sThe space under the vault is large
enough to allow man to stand upright
and their work must have been COM
paratively easy, with the drills and steel
, saws which they used. The stamps were
arranged in 20 pound bundles and the
weight Of the load they carried of must
have been 500 pounds. Evidently one man
. handed the packages down to others wait.
ing below. As their progress must have
, been slow corrying even one bundle
, through all those tunnels, crawling on all
! TOURS, judge they worked for hours get.
ting their booty to the wagon.
Il Evidently they felt perfectly secure
) though somewhat disappointed at missing
, the cashiers vault, where there was &35,
! 600 in cash and great quantity o.
stavnvua nan ma %a11 Aour hos, MANY
. men worked at the job. Every effort viii
|, Of course be made to recover the prop
i ertv and capture the men who took it,