Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-10-26
BOLD POST OFFICE THEFT
Large Haul of Burglars in Chi
cago's Government Office.
ROBBERY EFFECTED IN MIGHT
Entrance Effected Under the Flooring and The
Cashiers Vault Cut opee-N Nearly
$4,000 Worth q Stamps
Catsd Away il a
v. or.

w or
Chicago. oct. GA remarkable
robbery. which netted the perpetrators
$4,000 in stamps, was discovered here
yesterday when the wholesale stamp
department Of the post Office was
opened for business. A rapid inyesti-
cation showed that the burglars had
crawled under the flooring for about
300 feet, bored hole in the bottom Of
the vault, secured the stamps and es-
capped. carrying their booty away in
wagon.
The work Of forcing an entrance to
the vault had evidently been going for
ward with the greatest patience for
many days 1t is believed, however.
that the intention of the thieves had
been to enter the cashiers vault in
which there was $4,000 in money and
stamps valued at hundreds of thou
sands Of dollars. The bottom of the
vault is OF steel half an inch in thick
| ness. In this 81 holes were bored, I'M
til 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 concealed the work of
the robbers while it was in progress.
When discovered the finger marks of
one OF the burglars were still discern
BILE in the dust on the box, which he
had pushed on one side. SO carefully
had the scheme been planned that men
working in other parts of the building
had not the slightest inkling of the
daring robbery being worked almost
under their noses.
The robbers drove up to the south
east corner of the post Office building
in wagon the tracks of which could
be seen plainly yesterday. The build
ing is a temporary affair, and the men
had only to open a little door to adj
NIT themselves under the flooring. To
reach the vault it was necessary to
crawl about 800 feet over odds and
ends of boards which Uttered the way.
| The route evidently had been care
fully studied, for a detective who went
under yesterday without knowledge of
locations became lost and was nearly
overcome by the foul odors before as
sistance reached him. Having Sc
cured their plumber, the robbers load
ed ii into the wagon, drove across
vacant lot, and turned into Wabash
avenue in front of the Art Building.
OF the $74,61O in stamps taken, $4,-
{ IL, 20
So 900 in special delivery stamps, so
the convertible stamps amounted ito
SCI 1928, but of these s4,S2S were Pan
American stamps of eight and ten-cent
denominations
f. o. Spalding, chief clerk of the
wholesale stamp department, discover
ed the robbery when he opened the
vault at 7.50 o'clock The safe had
been locked, with its contents appar'
emily secure, at p. m. on Saturday.
| Mr.. Spalding notified Post Office In
spector Stuart, who, assisted by his
deputies and a squad of detectives.
made an investigation. Inspector Stu
art afterwards said:
at was the largest stamp robbery
ever committed in the history of the
postal service in this country. To get
to the vault the men dug through the
brick foundation wall. and a hundred
feet or so further on they encountered
another wall, and this they also dug
through. On the way they met with
number of pipes, and as the floor is
only two feet and in some places three
feet above the ground they tunneled
under tie uipes, The wholesale stamp
vG1it he cashiers vault and the
morcr D. vault, is supported by a
brict 10 forms a square, and
l2.c-e TO clhe~y was alright. In
this So broke two holes. posi-
bly, o. aoGe air"
Tie s., va were arranged in 20
pour3 t-rG Fl. md the weight of the
load = must have been 500
pourJ teatly one man handed
the D1.E Ga DOWN to others waiting
below IS ,her progress must have
been slow ,orryine even one bundle
through s'i nose tunnels. crawling on
all fouls, jhcy probably worked for
hours getting their booty to tne wagon
SUPREEF COURT ON MINE CAVES