The age-herald., 1901-10-22
Chicago POstOflce Robbed After Many Days of LabO-
 riOus Work
BOOTY CARTED OFF IN WAGON
No Clue to the Largest Stamp Robbery In the History of the coun- try-Postmaster May
 Pay Up.

Chicago. October 21.--A sensational rob- bery which netted the perpetrators s76.- 06S in stamps was discovered here this morning when the wholesale stamp de- partment of the post office was opened for business
 A rapid search developed the fact that the burglars had crawled under the floor ing for about 300 feet, bored a hole in the bottom of the vault, secured the stamps 1 and escaped. carrying their booty in a, wagon.
 The work of forcing an entrance to the vault had evidently been forwarded with the greatest patience for many days. 1t is believed, however, that the intention of the thieves was to enter the cashiers vault, in which there was $35.O00 in money and stamps valued at hundreds of thous- ands of dollars. The bottom of the vault Is steel half an inch thick. In this nine- ty-seven holes were bored. until space eighteen 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 dif- ficulty.
 A dry goooJ box stood over the hole thus made and concealed the work of the robbers while it was in progress. When discovered today the finger marks of one of the burglars was still discernible on the board to which he had pushed it to one side.
 So carefully had been the job planned that men working in other parts of the building had not the slightest inkling of the daring robbery being worked d. most under their noses
 Left Only Wagon Tracks. | The robbers drove up to the southeast corner of the postoffice building in a. wagon, the tracks of which could be seen | plainly today The building is a tempor- ary affair and the men had only to open a little door to admit themselves under l the flooring To reach the vault it was necessary to crawl about 300 feet over | odds and ends which filtered the way. | The route evidently had been carefully studied, for detective who went under today without Knowledge of the location. was lost and nearly overcome by the foul odors before assistance reached him
 Having secured their plunder the rob- bers loaded 1t into the wagon drove across a vacant lot and turned into Wa bash avenue in front of the Art building.
 O. the S54,610 in stamps taken s4.712 were in postage due stamps and s2,060 in special delivery stamps So the con VeTtlD1e BtaIupb dInOunLeo LO $pfsolo put Of these s4S2S were Pan-Amertcan stamps of eight and ten cent denominations.
 Largest Stamp Robbery.
 F. O. Spa1ding chief clerk of the whole stamp department, discovered the rob- bery when he opened the vault. Post office Inspector Stuart at once began an investigation and after completing the search said:
 '.It was the largest stamp robbery in the history of the postal service in this country. To get to the vault the men entered through trapdoor. A few feet in they encountered a brick wall, which they dug through rather than prowI around looking for a clear route. The wall. like others under the building, is of fiimsy construction. and 1t would not take them long to pick through. A hun dred feet or so farther they ran against another wall. and this also was dug through"