The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-03-06

Sentences were imposed yesterday by
Judge w. II. Archibald in United States
District court. on Fred j. Robinson, of
Greenfield for counterfeiting and Lint
ford j. Smith, of Honesdale for rob-
bing the mails. Both plead guilty.
Robinson was given two years in the
Western penitentiary and Smith was
sent to the Huntingdon reformatory.
Robinson is about thirty-two years
of age and farm hand. He cut the
numerals from an old Confederate $50
bill, pasted them on 81 bill and
passed it for $50 on Samuel Gricko, an
Italian storelleeper in Carbondale, Feb
ruary ii last.
When arraigned he frankly admitted
his guilt and attempted no excuse or
explanations other than that he was
hard up for money. Secret Service
Agent NJ. f. Griffin told of Robinson's
detection and arrest and United States
Attorney McCarrell stated that Robin
son averred that he had no accom-
plices.
Smith Is 16-year-old colored boy and
was employed at the Allen house bar
Der shop in Honesdale. When loung
ing about the corridor of the postoffice,
he noticed that some of the box hilders
negligently failed to close their boxes
after taking out mail. During a period
of several weeks he succeeded in alb
stracting letters from five boxes.
TRACED TO SMITH.
Assistant Postmaster John M. Sharp
stein explained to the court the man
ner in which the thefts were traced to
Smith. "A complaint came from Attor-
ney \. #. Searle that a valuable docu-
nent he was expecting by mail from
Harrisburg had been picked up, minus
it's envelope, on the street opposite the
Allen house.
w. p. Shank an insurance agent,
complained a few days later that an
insurance policy which had been mailed
to him from New York, was found
in the Allen house barber shop, and
that young Smith, admitted he had
taken it from Mr. Shank's box in the
postoffice.
The boy was placed unde, arrest and
when questioned confessed to having
taken mail from five boxes. One letter
which was abstrated from f. b. KIM
ble's box contained SO. Numerous let
ters We're taken from the Wayne Coun-
ty Herald's box but no money was
found in any of them.
In imposing sentence, Judge Archibald
limited the boys term to two years.
A true bill was returned against Will
liam Reader, a butcher of Towanda,
who is accused of making, possessing
and passing counterfeit five cent pieces.
He was willing to plead guilty to hav-
ing the counterfeits in his possession,
but maintained that he did not make or
pass any of them and never intended to
pass them. United States Attorney Nc
Carrell refused to accept the plea, and
Reader will have to stand trial on all
three counts Of the Indictment.
a TRUE BILL.
There was a true bill also returned
against r. Heber Breitnale, of 4Sew-
ark, one of the seven members of the
Blooming Grove Park association
charged with violating the Lacey game
law Two more of the seven cases are
still pending.
Ignored bills We're reported in the
cases in which Joseph Strate, of Pitts
ton, and Stanley Andrachik and Felix
Moscocavicz, of Edwardsville, were
charged with counterfeiting.
Strate was arrested last December
by Chief of Police Lotus, OF Pittston,
on suspicion of having passed thirteen
counterfeit silver dollars which were
picked up among Pittston storekeepers.
He admitted his guilt and alleged that
the two Edwardsdale men had given
them to him to circulate. He told that
he was in Wilkes Barre one night and
was taken to ball by Andrachik and
MascocavicZ. They gave him dollar
coins and had him set 'em up on his
turn and give them the change. They
afterwards gave him Il number of other
counterfeit dollars and told him to pass
them at Pittston.
Deputy United States Marshall Sny-
der and Chief Lotus went to Edwards
dale and searched the premises occu-
pied by the accused men. Between the
ticks OF Andarchik's bed was found
$l675 in halves, quarters, dimes and
nickels. No counterfeits or anything
tending to indicate that they made
counterfeits could be discovered. The
only evidence found that even squinted
at a corroboration of Strate's story was
the change found in Andrachik's bed.
The grand jury evidently didn't believe