Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-04
Money Package by Express
Contained Brown Paper
When Opened
THE MuciLAeiE WAS STILL WET
Must Have Been Opened While En-
Route in Express company's Charge
Robbery Occurred October 20, But
Facts Have Just Leaked out--Some-
one viii Suffer.

leaked out that either on October 20
or II, $1,000 IN bills were stolen from
package shipped by the Des Moines, Ma
tional Bank TO the Bank of Irwin. The
American Express Company undertook
Ito deliver the package. When it was
opened in the bank at Irwin on the
morning Of October 81 the package was
found to contain strips of brown paper
cut to the size of bank bills and which
had been substituted for the money.
The order from the Bank of Irwin
was received October 10 sate in the day
and the package containing the $4,000
was made up in the Des Moines Ma
tional Bank early on the morning of
October 20. 1t was delivered to the
American Express Company and re-
ceipted for by it at 9.10 a. m. of that
day. The package remained in the safe
in the compalay's city office until 6 p.
m, when it was transferred to the safe
in the company's depot office at the
Chicago & Northwestern station. 1t re-
manned there until $40 p. M, when it
was turned over to the company's mes
senger and taken by him 10 Alnes. It
reached Ames an hour and forty-five
minutes later and was there trans
ferred to the express cornpanys depot
agent, who had it in charge until a.
M, when it was given over to route
messengers on the NorthWestern's
Omaha limited. AT Carroll it was trans
terred Immediately to the messenger
On the Carroll & Kirkman branch run
and was delivered by him TO the depot
agent at Irwin at about Z SO d M. At
a. IN. the package was delivered to
the Bank of irwin.
The cashier of the Irwin bank In his
statement says that he broke the right
hand seal on the back of the packakge
3nd tore the flap of the envelope which
is folded under and stuck with gum
arabic, and reached in to pun the inner
envelope in which the money is wrap
Ped out, when he discovered 1t was torn,
and instead or finding money he found
the pieces of brown paper which had
been cut to the size of the bills and
substituted.
An examination of the package show
ed that the right hand seq had been
torn UP from the paper, but not broken,
there being evidences that 1t had been
worked loose with a knife. The flap
also showed that it had been torn and
that in replacing 1t so as to rescal it
that 1t had been pushed in with the
fingers and instead of laying smooth
had wrinkled On the back OF the seal
which had been raised was quantity
Of rnucilage, which had been used in
sticking it back into place so as to
avoid detection. So much mucilage
had been used that 1t had saturated the
back of the envelope and communicated
to some of the paper on the inside. This
mucilage, when the package was open
ed, was still wet.
Bank officials and representatives of
the express company who have been
investigating the matter are convinced
that the package was opened after de-
livery to the express company and the
paper substituted. Their reason for
thinking this is that the rnucllage was
still wet when the package was opened.
1t could not have been opened before
delivery to the express company be-
cause If it had been the mucilage would
have dried in the twenty-thr hours
intervening between the time OF deliv-
cry of the package to the express COM
pany and its receipt at Irwin. In fact
the officials are pretty we'll satisfied
that the package was opened after 1t
had been transferred at Carroll and are
positive that the robbery must have oc-
Cured beyond the transfer from the
Des Moines run to the agent at A-mes.
They are of the opinion that the mucii-
age would have dried had it been open
ed at Ames or between Ames ano Des
Moines.