The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-10-31
WAS CAUGHT
RED HANDED
Postoffice Thieves Ferreted Out by
the Local Officers.
ILLEGAL TENDER OF STAMPS
To Calix Dugas Led to Setting the
Trap Into Which They FeiI-An
Offer of $50 Worth of Stamps for
$40 Was Their Undoing.

One of the most important captures |
of crooks and bad men ever made in |
Kalispell was the roundup Tuesday of |
two men supposed to be members of |
the gang of post Office thieves who |
have long been inhabiting North and |
South Dakota and adjacent states. |
The arrest was the result of clever
work by Postal Inspector E. A. Beat-
tie, aided by local officers, and re.
suited in landing two of the gang be-
hind the bars, while the third man
only escaped like fate by receiving
tip just in time to evade the Off
GERS who were looking for him.
On the night of October 9, the post
office at Galesburg, N. D., was en-
tered and robbed of $3.50 worth OF
stamps, about $175 in cash and a
quantity of old coins. The thieves
succeeded in making their escape at
the time, and although their descrip-
tons had been scattered broadcast
over the country and the government
detectives had been working on the
case, no clew had been found of their
whereabouts. Postal Inspector Beat
tie had also been investigating the
robbery, and while at Havre last
week he obtained information thai
led him to believe that the men could
be found in Kalispell He arrived in
Kalispell Monday evening, but before
his presence was known, some of the
local officers had found the trail of
the thieves and were laying plans to
round them up.
Tuesday forenoon, one of the men,
| whose name was afterward ascer-
tanned to be James Burke, entered
the saloon of James Anderson, on
the bartender, Calix Dugas, $50 worth
of stamps for $40. Dugas consented
to the proposition, and Burke went
away, saying he would return at IL
o'clock the same forenoon. Some
| time after his departure Officer Don
ahue entered the saloon and Dugas
told him of the proposed transac-
ton. After hearing the particulars
of it, the officer notified Chief John
son, who in turn consulted with In
spector Beattie, and a trap was ar
ranged in which it was intended the
postal thief should fall, and he did
Taking Dugas into their confidence
the Chief of Police appointed him a
special officer, with instructions to
purchase all the stamps that Burke
, Of fn hIIt 10 rly hn IN
chase money so he would recognize
it. After Burke had pocketed the
money, then Dugas was to arrest
him.
The plan all arranged, Dugas AGAR
resumed his WORK behind the bar anC
waited for Burke to appear. At Il
o'clock, as promised the latter en-
tered the saloon, but without the
stamps, explaining that he would BIZ
back again at l o'clock with them
1t was some time after the hour APP
pointed when he again appeared, bu
this time he had the stamps, ant
Dugas purchased several hundred o
them, paying him $15 and afte
Burke had pocketed the money, thu
former carried out the program b,
pulling his gun and placing him I'm
der arrest. He was handcuffed an,
taken to Jail, but when searched tn
money had disappeared in a myster
ious manner, and not a cent wa
+ found on his person. How he got ri,
of it is a question, as being hand
6 icapped by the handouts he couldn'
v reach in his pockets, and he appal
= emily had no chance to hide it befor
" he was arrested.
o Before his arrest Burke had bee
v seen in company of two other mer
= who were thought to be in the gang
II one of whom was a cripple, the othe
+ an elderly man with gray hair, an
q it was the officers intention to roun
n up these men also, but in this the
G were only partially successful. The
, got the cripple all right, but tn
q other man became suspicious and e:
r capped The cripple, who, after hi
" arrest, gave his name as Louis Pete
6 son was in the saloon shortly afte
=. Burke's arrest, and he and Duga
also made an agreement for the di'
posal of stamps, and after the pr'
re liminaries had been arranged, Pete
IT son left the saloon in search
" Burke, not knowing that at that tim
he was safe in Jail. He returne