The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-22
BOLD WORK
 OF THIEVES $76,O6S in Stamps Stolen in Chicago. ROBBERY WELL PLANNED The Booty Was Carried Away in a ' gon. Men Working Other Parts of the BuildinsS ad No 1nkling of tBS old Theft Being 
ROBBERY WELL PLANNED

Chicago, Oct N.-A sensational robbery which netted the perpetrators $76OsS in stamps was discovered here this morning when the wholesale stamp department of the postoffice was opened for business.
 A rapid search developed the fact that the burglars had crawled under the flooring for about 300 feet. bored a hole in the bottom ef the vault. secured the stamps and escaped, carrying their booty in wagon.
 The work of forcing an entrance to the vault had evidently been forwarded with the greatest patience for many days. It is believed, however, that the intention of the thieves was to enter the cashier s vault, in which there was $s5.ooO in money and stamps valued at hundreds of thou sands of dollars. The bottom of the vault is steel, half an inch thick In this ninety-sevea holes were bored, until a space eighteen inches square--just enough to allow the entrance of a mans body had been so weakened that it was possi- ble to take out the whole plate with little difficulty.
 Finger Mark Discernable.
 A dry goods 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 discerna- ble on the board to which he had pushed it to one side.
 So carefully had been the job planned ksa 4th rfo rf building had not the slightest inkling of the daring robbery being worked almost under their noses.
 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 temporary affair and the men had only | to open little door to admit themselves under 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 care fully studied, for detective who went under today without knowledge of the location. was lost and nearly overcome by the foul odors before assistance reach ed him.
 Having secured their plumber, the rob- bers loaded 1t into the wagon, drove across a vacant lot and turned into Wa DdSn avenue III IToHt Ol tHe Art pullu- ing
 The Convertible Stamps.
 Of the $7461O in stsmps taken. $.n2 were in postage due" Ctamps and $2,060 in special delivery stamps. So the con- vertible stamps amounted to $67. .S2S but of these $4.S2S were Pan-American stamps of eight and ten-cent denominations.
 F. O. Spalding, chief clerk of the whole sale stamp department, discovered the robbery when he opened the vault. Post office Inspector Stuart at once began an investigation, and after completing the search said: Tt was the largest stamp robbery in the history of the postal ser- vice in this country. To get to the vault the men entered through a trap door. A few feet in they encountered @ brick wall which they dug through rather than prowl around looking for a clear route. The wall, like others under the building, is of fiimsy construction. and it would not have taken them long to pick their way through. A hundred feet or so fur ther on they ran against another wall and this they also dug through"