The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-08-28
Jealous Husband
Cave Clue

office inspector to solve the mystery
Of robbery Of mail without single
clew to begin with" said Inspector in
Chief Lethermai to a Boston Globe
writer.
"The recent finding of mail pouch
destined for Newton, but reaching
the waters of the harbor, with the
letters gone, is case in point. / re-
member when 1 was an inspector at
Cincinnati l was called out by tele-
gram to unravel the mystery of lost
pouch containing valuable mail.
81 reached the town late in the
evening, and hunted up the postmas-
ter, who was a prominent politician
and man of high standing. He told
me there was absolutely no clew to
the pouch, which should have arrived
at 11:15 p. m. the night before and
did not He said, however, that city
officer had said to him that il some
one talked with a certain woman some
information might be secured.
This woman, it was said, would
witness a parade next morning from
window in the Office of business
company, and a description Of hei
was furnished. Just before the pa
rade I went to the street number des.
ignated, but saw no one answering
the description at any of the windows
There was a lady, very refined and
well dressed, wearing the same sort
Of a coat and furs, standing on the
! curb, but it did not seem possible thai
she could know anything about the
robbery. Still, as a matter of duty
| moved beside her and handed her
| my card.
"she did not glance at it, but turned
her face away. then asked when the
parade started. She made no reply
but turned and walked away. fol-
lowed at a distance, and saw her en-.
ter one of the richest homes
i went back, thinking I had been
deceived, and saw at the window the
woman who had been described to me
l walked into the crowd around the
windows and handed her my card
I cannot talk to you here, but COME
to my house tonight she said, this
is the address,
81 called that evening, and found
the place was not the most aristo.
cratic in the world. Far from it.
"She chatted for a time, and then
becoming friendly, asked me if
could get money order for $50
cashed for her. I told her 1 thought
I could and would see the postmas.
ter about it.
81 took the order, and the mex
morning satisfied myself that it die
not belong to her, and, furthermore
that it was in letter sent in tn
missing pouch
81 went back to the house to Sc
her about it, and asked where sh
sot It. She said a man who owe
her some money had sent it to hel
I told her if it was all right it woul
be paid the next day, and changes
the subject. At length she aske
me If I would drink a glass of al
and started down to the cellar t
get some. AS an excuse when sh
was half down stairs offered t
help her, and started down. 'Yor
must not come down here-my hus
band will not like it,, she said, bu
I kept on down.
''The cellar was filled with plum
der-hams by the score, boxes an
packages of all kinds, and one DO.
opened at one end exposed two o
three silk parasols. asked he
what the collection meant, and sh
said her husband was going to opel
a store and had been collecting mel
.handise.
"She pledged me not to tell, a
be had not resigned his position vel
and did not want it known that h
was going into business for himsel
until he got all prepared.
81 had heard of the pillaging G
freight cars when 1 first came t
town, but as l was not on that Ell
rand l made no further remarks
The next day punches of looted ma
began to come into the post offic,
picked up by citizens. 1t was foun
under board sidewalks, in store boxe
and out of the way corners.
"The mail had ali been opened an
rifled, but the letters were in the en-
velopes. On my next visit to tn
lady's house she showed me four sill
handkerchiefs she said she had r
ceived, as a present, and asked m
what I thought they were worth.
"The next visit resulted in a flu
confession of all she knew about til
,, robbery. She had an admirer VIII
gave her the order to be cashed an
the handkerchiefs.
"The husband was suspicious
him, and gave the slight tip to til
! postmaster l learned that the az
l mirer was employed at a livery SIT
t BILE and slept in the loft, that he Wa
l in the habit of hitching up for II
man who had the contract for carr,
, ing the night mails from the trair
, 70 the post office, and that the tv
: we're very chummy.
81 went to the stable and was to-
the employee was asleep in the lof
took an officer with me. We had
go up a ladder. There was nothir
+ zsrht In fba loft huf q ,;Ia -