Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-11
My CLEAR BURGLARY
Stamps Worth Thousands of Dol.
lars Seized From a Dealer
in New York.
Believed to Be Part Of Those
Stolen From the Chicago
Postoffice.
Dealer Denies All Completely
With Criminals, But His
Story is Doubted.

New York, Dec. H.-PoStOnce InSpec-
tors Stuart and Mayer OF Chicago, in
conjunction with Inspector Swift of this
city, arrested here on Monday Charles
Stokes. stamp dealer of 651 Monroe
| street, Brooklyn, on suspicion of being
postoffice on Oct. 10. On that night
| burglars, who had tunneled under one
of vaults OF the postoffice, broke in and
got away with $76,61o in stamps.
Stokes was locked in Ludlow street
Jail, and his house was searched by the
postoff1ce inspectors and the Brooklyn
police. The search revealed stamps ag-
gregating in value $2,2ss.ss. and Stokes
when arrested had on his person stamps
worth 1900 more. The stamps are OF all
denominations, from cent to 81. They
are mostly in sheets, and their quantity
them for sale drew suspicion upon him.
The arrest is regarded by the inspec-
tors as of the highest Importance. They
took their prisoner before United States
Commissioner Shields, charging him
with having in his possession stamps
belonging to the United States govern
ment, and he was committed to jail in
default OF $1,000 bail pending examina-
ton on Thursday.
How they had come to arrest Stokes
the inspectors will not say. Ever since
the robbery, however, the postofflce au-
thorities all over the country have been
keeping their eyes open for persons Of
ferIng to sell stamps In large Quanti-
ties.
Stokes has been going around offering
1-cent stamps in quantities at dis
count of about 10 per cent, and has
been doing a land Office business with
druggists and cigar dealers. The in
spectors say that he had more 1-cent
stamps than have been stolen in the
last year from all the postoffices in the
country, except that In Chicago.
They arrested him on Monday as he
got Off a Brooklyn trolley car, on this
side of the bridge, and took him to the
postoftice, where he was closeted with
the inspectors for more than nine
hours. Just what was got out of him at
this secret examination has not been de-
veloped.
In all, s1.2s6 stamps We're seized at
Stokes home, where he lived with his
sisters. There were 1862 1-cent and
1921 of the 2-cent denomination. The
rest ranged all the way up to 81 stamps,
the lot including more than 1000 special
delivery stamps. This, the inspectors
declare, is an unheard of number for a
private individual, even tho he Is stamp
dealer.
The sheets all bore the government
plate number, and by means of this 1t is
hoped that the stamps can be ldenti-
fled. The number of the sheets will be
sent to Washington. where they will be
compared with those Of which the books
there will show were issued to the Chi
cago postoffice.
To a correspondent. who saw Stokes
in Ludlow street jail, he seemed little
put out by his arrest.
1.-The people who arrested me will find
that they have made mistake" he
said. II have been in the stamp BUSH
ness for over twenty years and have
plenty to vouch for me. am what 10
called stamp broker. That is, I sell
TO drug stores and cigar stores. The
stamps buy from anybody that comes
along, and buy all kinds of stamps.
1t is little unusual for me to have such
a large amount on hand as have now,
but came by them perfectly regularly.
as far as I know. do not recall the
different people / have bought them OF.
IL that is what they are after. That
would be impossible. But I can prove
that have not been away from the city
for more than five months
Jacob Marx. who is Stokes lawyer,
eaid yesterday that his client had not
done anything wrong. He is one of the
best-known stamp dealers in the CITY,"
said Marx, "and there is no possibility
that he can be mixed up with the Chi
cago robbery, as we will show"
poh.n Table oS Arra.+