The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-30
MUCH WANTED THIEF is PICKED
UP BY THE POLICE IN
OMAHA
ROBBED MANY MAIL BOXES
SECURED MONEY AND CHECKS
FROM LETTERS STOLEN FROM
UNCLE SANS NAH.
HIS PAL ALSO UNDER ARREST
Jailed at Hastings, Neb., on u TeIes
graphic Order for Attempting
to Cash a stolen Check
for $1,000.

OMAHA, Neb., March ga man giv-
ing his name as John r. Hall, who was
arrested in this city two days ago as a.
suspicious character, was today identi-
fed as Prentice Tiller, who is alleged
to be the author of host of crimes
against the government, AMI for whose
arrest number of rewards have been
offered. said to aggregate several thou
sand dollars. His alleged accomplice,
whose name is Fisher. is now under ar
rest at Hastings, Neb, and gives his
name as Grant. Hall has confessed to the
chief of police that on March Grant and
himself robbed the postoffice at Cincin-
natl of draft for $780, and it is for tI.is
crime that Grant is being held at Hast
lngS. Tiller is known to the police
throughout the country, and is said to
have operated in many cities of the 0uth.
The arrest of Hall, or Tiller, was made
on information from Hastings. Tonight
Chief Donahue received a telegram from
Cincinnati to hold Tiller by all means.
NOT PETTY THIEVES.
Last Monday Fisher arrived in Hast
ings and attempted to cash a draft given
by a bank of Piqua, o., in favor OF
George H. Grant The cashier of the
Hastings bank became suspicious and
telegraphed the Piqua bank The latter
answered that the draft was a forgery,
and asked that the man be arrested,
which was done. The police at Has .ings
learned that Fisher had sent a valise to
Omaha by express and notified the
Omaha police to arrest the man calling
for it. This was done. and the man
proved to be Prentice Tiller. Tonight
Fisher was brought to Omaha from
Hastings by a United States deputy mar
shall, and is in the city jail ror safe
keeping
Chief of Police Donahua received a
telegram this evening from William A.
Pinkerton, as follows:
I'VE congratulate you upon your arrest
of Tiller and Fisher. You have two of
the most desperate letter box thieves
bank sneaks and professional forgers in
the United States. Hold them tight.
Will write particulars
LONG LIST OF RoBBERlEs.
CINCINNATI o., March 2a.-Postsaice
Inspector Humes tonight stated that E.
Prentice Tiller, under arrest It Omaha,
and Fisher, or II. G.. Grant, as he was
known here, are wanted in this city for a
number of jobs. Last October two mail
boxes were broken open and contents
stolen. Most Of the letters were from the
Turner-Looker company and Langdon &s
Co., and contained checks. The day fol-
lowing the theft four checks were pre-
sented at local banks and cashed. Where
the check, read ito order a line was run
through and the words ito bearer SUBJ
stituted. The entire body of the check
was traced so that the ink would all be
the same.
They next appeared at Fort Wayne,
Ind, Ind, where they robbed several
boxes, but, when attempting to pass a.
check they became suspicious and jump
ed to Richmond, Ind, where they sue
ceeded in getting rid of the checks. They
were next heard of in the East.
On March last they returned to this
city and again robbed the same mail
boxes and confiscated the letters there
Some of these letters also contained
checks sent out by the Turner-Looker
company and Langdon company. An at
tempt was made to cash one Of the
checks in Newport, Ky, but without sue
cess and the layer-down escaped before
the police arrived. Another attempt was
made to get a local bank to cash one Of
the checks through a messenger boy,
but again the thieves escaped.
WORKED SMOOTH GAME.
In their last raid they secured a letter
directed TO the Lenne Wine company, Of
Toledo, in which the Turner-Looker COM
pany complained about the shipment of
wine. The thieves took this letter and
added a postscript saying that Mr.. Patti
son, member of the firm, would call and
Mr. Pattison then dropped off at Piqua
and presented check for which he OBJ
tanned deposit check for SIT. He then
went to Toledo and skipped out without
paying his hotel bill Another check
stolen was one for 81 200 given by the
Weir Frog company to the Leither- Moore
Lumber company; Of Louisiana. We'd
nesday a message was received at the
First National bank from Hastings Neb.,
asking if that check was good. Word
was sent back to arrest the man, ana
later telegram was received stating that
Grant was under arrest. ard when
searched certificate of deposit for S417
on the Piqua bank was found on him.
In that manner the men were connected.
OLD-rIME OFFENDER.
ST. LOUIS. Mo, March 2a-Prentice
Tiller has record extending back near-
ly twenty years, but he is best remem-
bered for his first Job" in which, by a
bold and daring stroka he stole more
than 500 COO of the funds Of the ST. Louis
branch of the Pacific Express company.
He was captured by mere chance, but
not before he had made away with
$l5, COO of the money Tiller was sentenced
to a term in the penitentiary for this
crime