The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-17

the messengers, Detective McDougal,
the receiving clerks of the Adams EsK-
press company and the express mes
senger-Was closely examined. Who're
and how the $4,000 had been stolen
was important to learn not only In
itself, but also to fix responsibility for
the sum lost as between the bank and
the express company.
Three theories were at once sug-
gested: The bogus package might
have been substituted for the genuine
one either at the bank, between the
bank and the express office or
between the express Office and the
treasury. The first assumption threw
suspicion on some of the bank en-
messengers, the third upon some one
in the service of the express company.
Both the bank and the express com
pany stoutly maintained the integrity
OF its own employees.
An examination Of the bogus pack
age disclosed some points Of sig
nthcance. Ordinarily, when bank
notes are done up for shipment by an
experienced clerk, the bills are pressed
together as tightly as possible In small
bundles, which are secured with elastic
bands, and then wrapped snugly in
strong paper, until the whole makes a
package almost as hard as g. board.
Around this package the clerk knots
eLkOAlE AW4nGs lnGiCS q drop OF Se6llIl5-
wax over each knot, and stamps 1t
with the banks seal. The finished
package thus presents a neat and trim
appearance, But in tina present in
stance the package received at the
treasury was loosely and slovenly
wrapped, and the seals seemed to have
been put on either in great haste or
by an inexperienced hand. Moreover,
the label must have been cut from the
stolen package and pasted on the
at lar FnF -
previous wrapping showed plainly in
a margin running around the label
The address on the package read:
$4,000.
United States Treasurer,
Washington,
ID. c. -
All this was printed. except the fig
ures $4,000, even the dollar sign.
The figures were in the writing of
Mr. Watson, the paying teller of the
bank, whose business 1t was to over
see the sending OF the money. His
initials were also marked on the label,
with the date of the sending; so that
on examining the label Mr.. Watson
himself was positive that it was genu-
Inc.
All this made it tolerabiy clear that
the robbery had not been committed
at the bank before the package was
intrusted to the two messengers; for
no bank clerk would have made up so
clumsy a package. and the paying tell
er himself. had he been a party to
the crime would not have cut the
label written by himself from the gen
utne package and pasted IT on the bo-
gus one; he would simply have written
out another label thus lessening the
chances of detection. Further more.
it was shown by testimony that during
the short time between the sealing up
of the package in the paying teller
department and its delivery to- Domi-
ME Earle, who took it first, it was con-
stantly under the observation of half
a dozen bank employees; SO that the
work of cutting off the label and past
ing it on the bogus package could
scarcely have been accomplished then
without detection.
Earle and Crawford. the bank mes
sengers, were submitted to repeated
examinations; but their statements
threw no light upon the mystery Both
stuck persistently to the same story,
which was that neither had loosed his
hold on the handle of the valise from
the moment they left the bank until
they had delivered the package
through the window Of the express
company's money department. Accept
ing these statements as true. 1t was
impossible that the package had been
tempered with in this part of its jour
ney; while the assumption that they
were not true implied apparently a
collision between the two messengers,
which was highly improbable, since
Dominic Earle had been a servant of
the bank for So years, and had never
IN that long term failed in his duty or
done anything to arouse distrust. Be
fore entering the banks employ he had
been a preacher, and his whole life
seemed to have been one Of simplicity
and honest dealing.
AS for Ora wfOrd, who was. indeed.
new man. 1t was plain that if the
dominic told the truth. and had really
kept his hold on the valtse handle all
the way to the express company's win
dow, his companion. honest or dishon-
est, would have had no opportunity to
cut Oft the label. paste 1t on the bogus
package and make the substitution.
Finally came the theory that the
money package had been stolen while
in the care of the express company.
In considering this posi- bility it be-
came necessary to know exactly what
had happened to the package from
the moment it was taken through the
window of the money department up
to the time Of its delivery at the
treasury. The package was first re-
ceipted for by the head of the money
department Mr.. J. G. Young. Having
handed the receipt to the bank mes
lsengers, he passed the package to his
assistant, Mr.. Iittleheld who in turn
passed it on to another clerk, Mr..
Moody. who way-billed it in due form
for Washington. and then placed it
IN the iron safe which was to carry
It on its journey. Two or three hours
may have elapsed between the receipt
OF the package and the shipment Of
R9wR ""