The San Francisco call., 1905-02-04
LETTER CARRIER
NEATLY CAUGHT
Inspector O'Connell Traps
William J. McGraW Steal
ing, Finding Booty on Him
PLUMBER Is IDENTIFIED
Prisoner Would Have Been
Promoted to Higher Grade
Within Next Two Weeks

William j. McGraw, second class
mail carrier, with a wife and ten
months-old baby on his hands, was
locked up yesterday in the prisoners
room at the United States Marshal's
office. with the prospect of imprison-
ment in the penitentiary staring him
in the face. He had been caught like
a rat in a trap set by Postoffice In
spector James O'Connell, and his ca
reer as thief in uniform had ab-
ruptly terminated. Part of the money
he had stolen from registered letters
was found in his possession. The
money had been marked before be-
ing placed in the letter from which it
mad been extracted by McGraw and
its Identification conclusively proved
his guilt
Many complaints were received at
the postoffice that registered letters
containing money had never reached
their destinations. Other letters
reached the addresses minus the
money they had contained and show
ing marks also of having been bro
ken open. Others that had not con-
tanned money were mutilated by some
person who had been examining them
Tor money. 1t was not long before In
spector O'ConneIl traced the leaks to
McGraw, and steps were secretly TAX
en- to build up an impregnable case
against him.
Among the letters received by Nc
Graw yesterday morning to deliver on
his first round was a registered letter
addressed to G. w. Lee, 1904 Powell
street Through an Intentional omis-
sion McGraw was not required to re-
ceipt for this packet and the address
was not on his beat, so that the dis
| honest carrier was assured that the
| possession of it could not be traced
| to him. A postoffice inspector sta
toned at Mr.. Lees address notified
| Inspector O'Connell that the carrier
had not made his appearance at that
place and when McGraw returned to
| the main postoffice OConnelI asked
him for the letter. McGraw denied
ever having had it in his possession.
| The inspector thereupon searched him
and found in his righthand hip pocket
purse containing 81 silver sertifi-
cate, three 2-cent stamps and a half
! dollar piece. All three articles had
been privately marked by O'Connell
| before being placed in the registered
| letter addressed to Mr.. Lee. He was
at once taken in charge by the United
States Marshal and shortly thereafter
| Inspector O'Connell swore to a COM
| plaint before United States Commits
SlOneT deaCOck ana a warrant was Is
sued. Wednesday next was set as the
date of the preliminary examination.
McGraw is good-looking man of
| 33 years. He entered the postal SER
vice on August 1, 1901, as a substitute
| carrier. On February II, 1903, he
was appointed a regular carrier of the
third class. A year later he was
raised to the second class and on the
18th Of the present month he would
have been promoted to the first. class.
McGraw attempted to divert suspi-
cion by sealing letters that he had
partly torn open and stamping upon
the envelope Accidentally mutilated
| by the stamping machine" But such
stamping is done at the ferry and the
printing is different on the stamp used
| by McGraw.
McGraw's bail was fixed at $1,000,
failing to obtain which he was sent
/ to the County Jail.