The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-09-26
ANDREW A. SMITH
ADMITS THEFT
Postal Clerk Arrested For
Stealing From Mails.
He is CAUGHT IN THE ACT
CAPTAIN IN NATIONAL GUARD
AND WIDELY KNOWN,

A NDREW a. SMITH, captain IN tie
y national guard of Utah for the
past seven years ar clerk in the
salt Lake postofice. was arrested last
evening for riaing the mails. He made
a fun confession TO Postonice Inspect
or F. c. sharp i'm the presence Of two
other postal clerks and later was
locked in the city jail. This morning
he Viii be arraiGned before United
States Commissioner TwOmy on the
charge Of rifiing the mails and stealing
valuable matter.
Losses have been frequently report
ed 10 Postmaster Thomas during the
past three months. These complaints
became so frequent that the author
tiles became satisfied that some clerk
was stealing money sent i'm letters
through the regular mails. One letter
containing SIS sent by a young man
20 his mother 20 buy her winter sup
ply of coal turned up missing, ana
there were many other cases some
what similar
How Crime Was Detected.
Finally the case was turned over ~
Inspector Sharp, with tie result mat
il took him but a few hours to locate
HIS AldH anu IN NAlt ~ Z INV - 49,
He marked three 81 bills and placed
them in an ordinary envelope. This
he addressed TO Drs- Shores d SHORES
ina this city The stamp he placed ON
the upDer left-hand corner instead Oh
the right so that he would nave no
trouble in recognizing this letter at
some little distance. The letlef ne
sent TO Bingham canyon and had IL
regularly epOstmaTked and then sent
back 10 him enclosed in another en-
velope. Here il was placed IN lhe
regular mail, care being taken oy
Chief Distributor Joseph l.. Weller
wEo was i'm the confidence Of the IN
spectOr. TO see that this particular let
ter went 20 Clerk Smith
Inspector Sharp. from his position III
the lookout saw the letter feach
Smiths hands. de had no difficulty IN
recognizing it by the position of the
stamp and by the handwriting. Wheh
Smith reached this particular letter III
the bunch ne was distributing ne put
if AT the bottom. holding il between
the third and fourth fingers of his LETT
hand. When the other letters were
disposed of he looked quickly about
and as no one was watching lie tore
the envelope slightly in the middle 10
leave the. appearance that the tearing
had been done by the string about the
bundle of letters i'm the mail pouch.
He tore the envelope four times before
he became sure that the money was
there Then ne showed ii quickly INTO
mis- pocket. Later, all but the money
was flushed into the sewer and could
mo- be found Two other letters were
torn. but as they contained no money
they We're left.
Makes a Confession.
When Clerk Smith passed out into
the lobby of the pOstOftice after ms
work was done. Inspector Sharp called
him into a private Office and confront
cd him with lis crime At first ne
stoutly denied il, but the three marked
81 bills were found in his pocket the
record of the bills was shown him ana
he wilted The other letters were
brought to him and the inspector tolo
him lust what had taken place Wnile
he was in his cage distributing ms
letters. Then. before two or the
clerks. Smith broke down and mace d
confession. although he would not tell
the extent of his stealings- He IN
sisted that he had not stolen more
than $50 altogether.
Clerk Smith was at work yesterday
at station 4. In order 10 get him 10
the main office. so that his work might
come under the eve Of the inspector,
one of the other clerks felghed sick
ness SO that Smith had 10 be called
into the central office. There he fell
readily into the trap set for him.
The arrest of Smith produced a SEN
sstion among the postofhce force. lie
was one Of the old clerks. having been
i'm The service seven or eight years
and was generally regarded as beng
above reproaCh. He was captain III
the national guard and was popular
among his associates everywhere.
The young man is married and mas
two bright little children.
The extreme penalty for the oHense
for which Smith Will be arralSned IS
five wears in the peuitenuiary He has
MANY friends I'm the city, who VIII see
that all the eXtenuatinE features IN
his case carry their full weight