The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-10-21
STOLE $74,6I0.
Burglars Tunnel Into the Chica-
go POstOfiice.
Drilled a Hole Through Bottom
of Stamp Vault.
NOTHING BUT STAMPS.
Penetrated to Within Six Feet
of Cash Vault
Where $35, 200 in Money Re-
posed in Safety.
NOTHING BUT STAMPS.

Chicago, Oct 21.-A sensational rob-
berry which netted the perpetrators $f4,-
610 in stamps was discovered here this
morning when the wholesale stamp de-
partment of the postoffice was opened
for business.
A rapid investigation developed the
fact that the burglars had erawled un-
der the flooring for about 800 feet, bored
a. hole in the bottom of the vault. Sc
cured the stamps and escaped carrying
their booty in a wagon.
The work of forming an entrance to
the vault had evidently been going for<
ward with the greatest patience for
many days.
1t is believed, however, that the in
tention of the thieves had been to enter
the cashiers vault, in which were $780,
00o 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. A dry goods
box stood over the hole thus made and
it was in progress. When discovered
today the finger marks of one of the
burglars were still discernible 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 al
most under their noses.
The robbers drove up to the southeast
corner of the postoffice building in 4
wagon, the tracks of which could be
seen plainly today. The building is
temporary affair and the en- had only
to open a little door to admit them
selves under the flooring To reach the
vault, it was necessary to crawl about
300 feet over odds and ends of boards.
which Uttered the way. The route evil
IDENTIFY had been carefully studied, for a
detective who went under today with
out knowledge of locations, became lost
and was nearly overcome by the foul
odors before assistance reached him
Having secured their plunder, the rob-
bers loaded it into the wagon, drove
across a vacant lot and turned into
Wabash avenue in front of the Art
building.
OF the $74.610 in stamps taken, $4,712
were in postage due stamps and 81, 060
special delivery stamps, so the converti-
these $4,2S2 were Pan-American stamps
of eight and ten cent denominations.
HOW IT WAS DONE
F. o. Spalding, chief clerk of the
wholesale stamp department, diScoV-
cred the robbery when he opened the
vault at 7:50 O'Clock. The safe had
been locked with it's contents appar-
entity secure at p m Saturday. Mr..
Spalding at once notified Postoffice In
spector Stuart who hurried from his
ar
tion, assisted by his deputies and a
squad of detectives from the city hail
After completing the search the in
spector said:
ever done in the history of the postal
service in this country. To get to the
vault the men entered through trap
door A few feet in they encountered
a brick wall, which they dug through
rather than prowl around looking for
a clearer route. The wall, like others
under the building, is of f1imsy con-
structiOn, and it could not taken them
long to pick their way through it. A
hundred feet or so on they ran against
another wall, and this also they dug
through. On the way they also en-
countered a number of pipes and as
the floor is but two feet and in some
places three fet, above the ground
they tunnelled the pipes. Their whole
course is plainly marked in this way
The wholesale stamp vault like the
vault, is supported by brick wall. Ic
forms a square, and before the robbery
was air tight In this the robbers
broke two holes, possibly to secure
more air, for the place 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. 1t and the wagon
tracks are the only clues we have at
present
THE space under the vault is large
enough to allow man to stand M
right, and their work must have been
compare lively easy with the drills AMI
steel saws which they used. The
stamps were arranged in 20 Mound
bundles, and the weight of the load
they carried off must have been 500
pounds Evidently one man handed the
packages down TO others waiting be-
low AS their progress must have bea,,
SLOW carrying even one bundle through
all those tunnels. crawling on all fo1ITs
I judge they worked for hours erattine.
their booty to the wagon.
Evldently they felt perfectly secure
though somewhat disappointed at miss
ing the cashiers vault. where there vK-ae
$35, 900 in cash and a great QUANTITY If
stamps cannot tell now how many
men worked at the job. Every effort
WILL OF course, De made to recover the
t. Il. Si'e' : anu capture 'ne men who took
Postmaster Frederick E. Covne is in
Washington He is responsibIe fo,. AZ
loss tin an act of congress frees him
from IT. For amounts I'D 10 70 nm ~.
postmaster general has autboritiv -
relieve postmasters. Of the starnnS
stolen 1.776 were one-cent and ee5
800 two-cent stamps They cot 15n Il
S04 Sz ana 1O5 50 stamps also. but In
spector Stuart said he thought they
would have difficulty in disposinr or
the large denominations.