Omaha daily bee., 1907-08-22
BELL SUSPECTED OF ROBBERY
Expert Mail Pouch Robber Supposed
Guilty Of Recent Crime.
ARMY OF OFFICERS ON THE JOB
No Further Doubt is Now Expressed
as TO the Commission of the
Deed and Federal Inspec-
tors Are Busy.

Bell, the alleged mail pouch robber ex-
pert, is now suspected Of the $25o,OOO regis
tered mail pouch robbery on the Burling-
ton, supposedly at Denver. Some OF the
best secret service men of the government
are being put on the work. several of whom
arrived in Omaha Tuesday night. and after
a conference with the local officials and
inspectors left for the west
Superintendent K. l.. West OF the Sixth
division railway mail service of Chicago.
Chief Clerk J. NJ. Butler OF the Lincoln
division railway mail service, on whose
branch the robbery OF the mail pouches
was discovered, and Chief Clerk J. S.
Humphrey of the Sioux City railway
branch of the Sixth division, were in con-
ference Wednesday in Omaha, ostensibly
to arrange for a readjustment of the rail-
way mail service on their respective
branches, but incidentally to assist in the
investigation of the robbery. These off,
cials are reticent and were closeted nearly
all Wednesday forenoon at railway mail
headquarters. Chief Clerk F. S. Keller of
the Omaha branch has gone to Fremont, It
is rumored, on business connected with the
robbery
NO Bones Now Made of IL.
No further secret is made of the fact that
the robbery occurred and the general opin-
ion is It took place at the Denver transfer
station Thursday night as stated exclu-
sively in The Bee Tuesday evening.
1t is the opinion of some OF the best In
formed secret service men the three miss
ing pouches will be found somewhere IN
the vicinity OF Denver and that the $3.50. 900
package after having been abstracted from
the pouch, was mailed to Chicago to a con-
| federate there. The inspectors are now
working on that theory to trace the pack
age from Denver to Chicago, which ac-
counts for the presence OF a number of
strange inspectors and secret service men
in Omaha at this time. This theory was
held as early as Sunday evening and 1t Is
thought one or two inspectors were se-
creted In the watch towers of the Omaha
postofflce Sunday and Monday night for
| observation. Not that any of the Omaha
postoffice force was suspected in the slight.
est degree, but that description OF the
package had been obtained from the bank
at Denver and that 1t was so wrapped as
TO pass as ordinary package mail without
suspicion as ~ its real contenta
registered pouch robbery OF almost an
Identical character with thi- last one hap
pened some years ago in Georgia, the
amount stolen being $4,000
Brings UP the Bell Case.
| 1t is said one OF the most expert regis
| tered mail pouch thieves in the country up
to few years ago made his headquarters
I In Omaha, operating from Denver His
name was Bell. Bell was arrested at Dem
yer three years ago for registered pouch
robbery at Denver. the pouch being con-
signed to Philadelphia. Bell was taken to
Philadelphia handcuffed to two United
States marshals. and succeeded in escaping
/ from them just before reaching Philadel-
phia. He was traced back TO Omaha, where
| his wife was said to be living and was
finally arrested at Seattle, but again es-
! capped from the officers, and has since been
at large.
A secret service official said to a reporter
| for The Bee that IL Is now believed Bell
| is at the bottom of this latest robbery.
"The work has the Bell ear marks" said
| this official. HE is the s,rewdest mail
robber in the United States, End It is very
| likely that he has slipped back to Denver
and worked off this trick, But 1 believe
we will get him this time.