Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1901-10-25
RAIDED BY ROBBERS.
Thieves Loot Main Post Office at
Chicago.
Tunnel Under the building, Bore
Through n Steel Vault and Escape
with s74,G10 Worth of POST
age stamps.

Saturday evening and Monday morn
ing and accomplished the biggest
postage stamp robbery on record.
They secured $74,610 in stamps of
various denominations and escaped.
Skill, ingenuity and wonderful endur-
ance were required successfully to
carry out the plans that evidently
had carefully been laid.
Two brick walls, each two feet
thick, were tunneled through and a
hole 10 inches square was made in the
bottom of the steel vault The air
under the building where entrance
was gained is sitting. Inspector Far
rell was overcome by the bad air Mon
day when making the first investiga-
tion, and the wonder is that some of
the thieves did not succumb to the
odors and the hard work in so close
a place.
Entrance was gained to the space
under the temporary structure on the
east side of the main building
through a small door. The men then
took diagonal path to the main
brick wall and tunneled through it.
Over n Path of Darkness.
This admitted them to the space
under the main building, with moth
| ing between them and the vault foun-
dation but 300 feet of darkness. The
path to the vault was made almost
in a straight line, as shown by the
trail in the slime and dirt. When it
was reached the wall was broken
through, evidently with pickax. and
only the steel floor remained to be
broken through. 1t was attacked
with a drill and 81 holes bored
through half an inch of steel. A lever
was used and the piece encircled by
the holes pried out.
The stamps taken weighed more
than 700 pounds, making the task of
transporting them to the open air one
of hardship when the necessity for
haste and the long dark tunnel with
its foul air are considered. 1t was ac-
complished, however, and all that
was lost en- route were five one-cent
stamps found underneath the vault
Monday morning by Paul Hull, Post
master Coyne's secretary.
| Wagon Used to Carry Stamps Away.
Wagon tracks at the rear of the
building lead up to the door entered by
the men, and it is thought that wagon
was used to carry away the loot. The
size and weight of the pile of stamps
would make a wagon necessary, in the
opinion of the post office authorities.
When Fred Spaulding, chief clerk in
the wholesale stamp mpdepartment mt, closed
the vault Saturday EVENING" contained
$76,O6s worth of stamps, He discov-
cred the robbery Monday morning
about seven o'clock, when he opened
the vault to prepare for the days
business.
Detectives at Work.
Inspector Stuart was notified in
haste, and all the inspectors, with a
squad of a dozen detectives from Gem
tral station, were soon at work on the
case. Clews are lacking. Inspector
Farrell went through the tunnel, fol-
lowed by Inspector Stuart and w. S.
Mayor. Farrell was overcome by the
bad atmosphere, and before his COM
panions could continue their trip un-
der the floor of the post office it was
necessary to admit air through half a
dozen trap doors in the floor.
|
followed, and the inspectors reached
daylight finally through the small
. door on the east side that had served
the robbers.
The foundation of the vault makes
small room about four feet high,
and it was there that the work of
drilling the holes through the steel
floor was done. Besides the large hole
. through which the men reached the
vault door, there is a smaller one near
the foundation of the cashiers vault
.. joining the first on the north side
This leads the inspectors to believe
that perhaps the men made mistake.
In the cashiers vault there was about
$4,000 in money and about S1,O00,OOC
in stamps.
This vault could have been reached
as easily as the other, but the floor is
thicker, being composed of two sheets
of steel and layer of concrete.
VIII Ask for Relief.
Washington, Oct. 22.-It is explained
at the post Office department that the
law allows a credit up to $4,000 to
postmasters at offices where losses oc
cur in which proper precautions had
, been taken. All above this amount has
to depend upon the action of con
gress. Postmaster Coyne, of Chicago
will present a claim for the amount o.
the loss, and the department will trans
NIT it to congress. Meantime, any bal
=, ance against him on account of the los!
will remain outstanding, but if con
gress should fail to act favorably, hi
will be called upon to make the los!
good. 1t is foregone conclusion, ac
, cording to the belief of postal officials
that the relief will be granted as usua
> in such cases.