Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-08-01
GLUE TO CHICAGO STAMP CASE.
coIored Man Taken in Custody While
Disposing of Stamps.

Chicago. Aug. 1.--Postoffice Inspector
Stewart has sworn out search war
rant for the promises of Sumner Willl-
enson, colored. employed as porter by
one OF the express companies. and de-
tanned Wilkinson and his Wife in his
Office for several hours Wilkinson has
been getting rid of large quantities oi
/ postage stamps in the past few months
and Stewart and the postal authorities
| want to know where he has been get
| ting them. So far they have not been
able to find out and the search of his
premises yesterday did not reveal any
thing.
Postoffice inspectors in Chicago
| learned he has been purchasing goods
of a house in that city and paving for
them with stamps. They thought pos
sibly he might be aiding in disposing OF
the stamps recently stolen from the
postotfice in that city. A statement
from the mercantile firm shows that in
| a short time Wilkinson sent to 1t $29.14
| in and cent stamps in payment for
goods.
| Wilkinson. when he was brought into
the postoffice inspectors office, said
that he had bought the stamps at the
postoffice at the east side branch in
this city and sent them in payment for
goods because the house he dealt with
had advertised to take stamps in pay
ment He did not know why he had not
sent the money instead, but knew he
did not purchase money orders because
| they would have cost him a small fee.
Mrs Wilkinson said that she had made
| the purchases and that she had never
sent more than 81 worth of stamps a a
time.
Mrs. Wilkinson was confronted with
an itemiZed statement of purchases
made of this firm by her showing she
had sent in as high as So worth of
stamps at one time, and that with but a
single exception all her purchases had
amounted to over 81 and that all pay
ments had been made In stamps. When
cornered she had on further eXplana-
ton to offer.
Wilkinson was then informed that he
had been under surveillance for several
weeks and since purchases had been
made, that the stamp clerks knew him
and that it was not true that he had
purchased stamps in the quantities
claimed by him at the postof1ice or sub
stations.
This was a puzzler for Wilkinson and
he immediately hedged. well, boss
he said, Il reckon ] didn't buy all them
stamps from de postoffice. Come to
think of 1t, q gemmen come to ma house
one day and askt me If wanted to buy
some stamps. l toll him did and he left
me have seven dollars worth for a
FLYER an 1 took 'em. Honest, boss, OATS
right
Wilkinson said the fellow told him he
was from Chicago, that the man was
small, with dark mustache and dark
clothes, but that was all that he could
tell OF him. Wilkinson did not try to
explain where he got the balance of the
stamps, and in spite of strenuous
Sweating" would not give the officers
additional information.
He was finally released. but an off,
Ger has been detailed who will keep him
and his wife and their associates under
surveillance in the hopes they will be
able to find out where the stamps came
from.
The officers are confident Wilkinson
knows a good deal more about the
stamps than he has told and do not
propose to let him get away from them
for time at least.