The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-21
Dan EngeIbert Detected in
Act of Opening a Letter and
Taking Money from it by an
Inspector.
|RRESTED AND HURRIED
AWAY TO INDIANAPOLIS
violence Shows That He Has
Been PiIfering Mails for a
Long Time-In Employ of
Government 16 Years.

On the charge of rif1ing the United
tates mails, Theodore Daniel Engel-
ert. a prominent mail carrier in this
Ety. and who has been connected
ith the local office for more than
fxteen years, was yesterday arrested
United States Secret Service In
pector A. r. Burr, who apprehended
i'm in the act of pilfering a decoy
htter which had been sent through
be mails.
EngIebert has recently been the
botman in all that territory west of
le river and North of Richmond Av-
nue.. and it was through the many
omplaints from patrons in this sec
on that suspicion turned toward En-
Gilbert This section alone had not
cen the only one that has suffered
ccording to the inspector, but where
ver Engelbert has worked in the
asst two or three years. train of
ndelivered letters has followed him.
n iCW ioothldii III luC Sily nav
cen changed quite often to ascertain
here the known shortages originat-
d. Invariably it has been found that
ngelbert was the man who caused
he shortages, but owing to the fact
hat he had never been caught in the
let of piIfering the mails he has been
llowed to stay in the service until
ome definite and incriminating evil
ence could be secured against him.
the inspectors worked upon the the
ry that he would some time reach
he end of his rope andS their expecta-
ions were realized yesterday, when
decoy letter was sent through the
ffice and into Engelberts hands in
rider to test him.
Inspector Here But a Day.
Inspector Burr arrived in the city
esetrday and at once set about lay
hg the trap for Englebert. The let
er was addressed to a person living
IN Engelbert's route and when he
Eas sorting his mail, in preparation
b making his afternoon trip, his eyes
ell on the letter. Inspector Burr,
Tho was closeted in a secret passag-
ray in the building watched Engel-
ert closely. Unhesitatingly Engel-
ert tore the letter open, regardless
+ the fact that he was yet in the
Postoffice and subject to probable de-
.ection, extracted the money which
mounted to five or six dollars and
hen tore the letter up and threw the
craps into the laboratory near by.
1t was at this time that Inspector
Burr confronted Engelbert with the
Evidence which he had just secured. |
but when Inspector Burr told him
hat he had used the secret passag-
|vay in order to watch his (Engel- |
bert's) actions, Engelbert broke down |
(tnd confessed his guilt
Cried Like Child.
Inspector Burr hurried him out of I
he postoffice after securing the SER
rices of a substitute carrier and took |
him to the Arlington Hotel. Here |
5ngelbert began to realize the force |
Ind awfulness of his deed, and he I
broke down and cried like baby, /
moaning all the while.
Engelbert was started on his jour
hey toward Indianapolis yesterday af-
lernoon at 80 where he will have to /
ace the Federal Grand Jury, and /
which will indict him, before he faces
he United States Commission On the
sharge of pilfering the mails. He
vas taken by the way of Anderson
n order to save time between Rich
nond and the state capital.
Before leaving the city Inspector
Burr stated that to his knowledge
Ingelbert had secured three or four
hundred dollars by his dishonest
Methods Owing TO the fact that all
from patrons of the Rich
nond Office are sent to the Postmas-
er General at Washington, the men,
,ers of the local force were unaware
hat the funds had been disappearing
rom the local Office. Even Postmas-
er Spekenhiera was dumfounded at
he arrest of Enge1bert. as he had ut
most confidence in the man. The
Federal officers knew that the short
ges in the Office were caused
~ some carrier. and they set about
king the blame although they had
cry good reasons to believe that En-
,elbert was the man they wanted.
hu lHe uStos "dS seHt uIEectiy
through him, owing to the many
osses which had been reported on his
outes.
Was Unusually Brazen.
Inspector Burr stated yesterday.
hat the work of EngeIbert in robbing
he mails was the most deliberate
hat had ever come to his attention.
nd the very fact that Engelbert went
bout it with such cooiness in the
Continued to Page Eight.)