The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-07-29
LETTER BOXES
PILF FERED

A dispatch from 'altimoro says Tho
last OF the gang Of alleged letter box
thieves, who mauo at least Two vlnlts 10
Baltimore, wns arrested last Tuesday ut
Uavrs, Mout, and the Post Office ol'iciuls
are accordingly delighted. HIS name ~
Miller, and he was. II Is charged one OF
a gang of three. The other two ore Prem
arrested in Hastings Mob, in tho Inter
par, of last March. They were taken to
Cincinnati, Ohio for trial. Both pleaded
guilty in the United states Court in Gin
Cinnati, and were sentenced TO tho pam
eutiary. Tlllor got tlvs yetr' anl Gtant
three years. From he time ai their ar.
test until he was apprrhended. Miller had
II is claimed, been in hiding.
All three man belong in New YORK
They were In Baltimore In September
1900 and Fonl unry Of this year, US many
persons hereabou have cause to remen
Der, 1t is said thoy obtained at least sls6
on their first vlsil and $40 OIL their second
visit on checks which they took from lot
ter boxes on street corners in this city .
Their method OF operation, as described
by the Post Office inspectors, was insenl
ou1 and calculated to avert suspicion.
Miller, it is said, roDbou the letter boxes
Dressed in the uniform Of 10! ter carrier,
carrying the regulation pouch. and with
u false key that vii! open any ol the Doxes
he had no difficulty IN his part OF the
work The boxes, 1t is said were gepsr
nlly robbed from 5 80 to Z in tho evening,
when few collectors Are MT work and few
Post Oltice employees are on the street.
People who saw Miller openiEg a letter
hox and nut the contents in his pouch,
would suppose him to bo collector.
Grant i, an expert penman, and his
part Of the work consisted In making
aternations in checks and lotters. 1lller
was the brains Of the gang, and he and
Gran. passed the stolen anu altered checEs
It's not known how many letters the
gang s, ole in Baltimore, but the number
Il supposed to have been large Compare
tiyaly few OF them obtained checks which
the gang could use, but many OF them
contained stamps and money, which, it Is
said, Miller appropriated. In some cases
ii Is said, tho gang remai!ed letters which
they had broken open. Suspicion in ueh
cases sometimes fall TO Post Oflico en-
ployes'
session of tho Post Office inspectors in
baltimore In Que case nv the use OF acid
they mad obliteratct oil Ssitlng except
the signature In u le,,.r transmitting II
check for 800 on a New York bank.
Then the blank space WAS filled mp with
a ,tntement that "our Mr.. Mitchell, :"
purporttng to represent the firm whose
advertisement was at the top OF the lsltor
would call in u few days OIL u firm in Al
legheny. Pa to which the letter was
In Il few dnys and got tho money for
the check which had been tuken from
tho letters.
In other Gases the gang obtained money
on checks made payable to individuals by
writing he words "or bearer after the
nnme Of the person on the check, In one
case check for seq. 40 was raised to $3.50
| and cashed. Tho original writing ON the
check, except he signature, was erased
with acid and thon 1t was rewritten. The
unframed eye would not detect anything
Suspicious in the altered checks and lot.
tors, but an expert would sec tho stain
left by the acid.
Tho gang WAS first heard OF in llavcrhil
| Mass on August Is, 1900. Next they
were heard Of IN Baltimore OH September
u, $500.
From hore they went to Wilmingto on,
Del. where they operated OH September
| 26, 1900 They weru In Newark, N, j., on
October 49, Novem Dor Is and December IL
1900. In tLe latter part Of October and
early in November thoy worked Indianar
oils, Evansville. Fort Wayne and Terrs
| Hauts, Ind. On Novem her 5 they were
III MeIHpHlst IeuH, auu III NoW VTh OL
| Nove,n Der "a and December IA, 1900. and
February s. 1891. From New York they
caine back to Baltimore and operated here
on February 10 last. Then they went Ia
| Cincinnati, Ohio where they Operated OIL
March 8. From Cincinnati they went to
Hastings, Neb, whsro Tiller and Grant
where arrested. Sumo Of the paying tell
| ers who had Casbed checks for the gang
could give accurat, descrptlo us Of the
men. This led TO their arrest by postol
| flee in peUtor. III