The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1903-04-25
LAFAYETTE. LOUISIANA, SATURDAY, APRIL
POST OFFICE ROBBERY.
TsaSll;sl Peek Captures John
White and Receivers Booty.


Last Tuesday morning at two
o'clock Mr.. Ed Higginbothan
who lives next door to the post
Office saw Il light in that building
and upon closer investigation
discovered a burglar in the act
of opening the small iron safe
kept on the premises. Mr.. Hig-
gin bOuham Immediately sent
in an alarm to the central phone
Office and Sheriff Broussard.
Marshal Peck, Deputy Campbell
end a posse of citizens responded
promptly but before their arrival
the thief had secured some $50. 90
in cash, stamps etc, and had
fed. The officers gave hot chase
but soon lost their man in the
neigh borhoOd of the railroad
depot. Every precaution was
taken to intercept the fugitive
on the outgoing trains here and
at all points along the line. Two
men were arrested at Crowley
but were subsequently, released
as no evidence of guilt could be
found.
However about daylight Mar
shall Peck and Deputy Campbell
responding to call at Scott to ex-
anime two suspects held there,
search the railroad track. In
l.; -0,,1
Peck followed the railway while
Deputy Campbell returned by
the public road. Marshall Peck
soon met John White, a negro
and ordered him to halt, which
the darky refused to do. Under
cover of a weapon however Mar
shall Peck succeeded in march
ing his prisoner to Il nearby
cabin, where the negro made a
desperate attempt to escape by
striking the officer over the
head with a single-tree and in
tlicting slight scalp wound. The
plucl1y marshal closed in upon
his man and with timely assis-
lance of two negroes succeeded in
overpOwering him and placing
letters upon his limbs. A search
of the prison was rewarded by
the recovery of all the stolen
money stamps and even an old
pen knife taken from the Office.
White was brought to Jail and
Inspector Anderson of New Or
leans lodged the proper charge
against him before Justice Mon
nier. The culprit will be held
here until his trial before the
United States court at Opelousas.
It was first believed that
several persons were implicated
and that some explosive had
been used to open the safe but
later Developments proved that
White was alone and that he
pried the vault open with an ak
or some like instrument. The
proof of the negroes guilt is be-
You'd question and White him self
has made acknowledge ent of
the entire transaction.
A reward Of 5000, it is under
stood, will be paid for the cap
ture and conviction of White and
dOu btless this will be appOr
toned between Marshal Peck.
the two negroes who assisted
him and Mr.. Ed Higginbotham
whose prudence and prOmptness
so nearly enabled the officers to
bag their man in the very COM
mission of his crime.
This is the third and only sue
cessful attempt to open the
safe, in Ques ton, two attempts
being made under Postmaster
Demanade's administration, the
second resulting in breaking off
the heavy outer door. White
therefore had only to pry open the
thin inner door and secure the
money. Postmaster DOmengeaux
may be congratulated over the
happy outcome Of the affair as
otherwise it would have been
rather a discouraging feature of
his induction into office. AS to the
officers concerned, nothing more
could be said than
that they have faithfully and eff
ficiently performed duty. Such
admiral BILE work will soon inspire
a wholesome respect for law and
order.
Mr.. II. N. Blake, our fellow
townsman and energetic drum