Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-08-21
Taken from Car En- Route fror
Denver to Chicago.
Loss DISCOVERED AT OXFORD
Thought at First Pouches Contained
Only Ordinary Matter.
CHICAGO BANK STARTS INQUIRY
Theft Believed 90 Have Been Made
During Transfer of the Bags
from Truck to Postal
Car.

WHAT lS laDlo 10 develop INTO ouo VI tho
most extensive postal robberies in recent
years is engaging the attention OF the
postal authorities between Denver and
Omaha. The amount involved in the rob
berry is said to be very large. exceeding
sa5O,OOO, which was shipped by registered
mail from a Denver bank to Chicago on
Burlington train No. 2. Three through
registered mail pouches are missing The
loss OF the pouches was first discovered at
oxford, Neb., Thursday night by Postal
Clerk Cole.
The indications are the pouches were
stolen at the transfer station in Denver
Two of the pouches contained registered
mail from the Denver transfer postoffice
and one was empty. The seven pouches
were known to be on the truck moment
before being placed in the through mail
car and were receipted for by the postal
clerks The theft of the pouches Is believed
to have occurred during the transfer or
them from the mail truck to the postal
car, the night of August To-
These poucnes were due to reach Omaha
over the Burlington Friday morning, but
have never shown up.
Delay Arouses Suspicion.
The delay in the arrival of the pouches
in Omaha was the cause OF immaculate
search being instituted and at nrst II
was thought the two pouches contained
but ordinary registered mail. however
an inquiry from one of the Chicago banks
for an extremely valuable package OF
registered mail started the investigation
going. Several of the best known post
once inspectors and secret service man
OF the west were summoned to Omaha
Sunday and Monday and the postal train
crew having charge OF the mail from
which the registered pouches are missing
was In Omaha Monday night to see what
light could be thrown upon the matter.
One Of the crew Is Fred Howland, brother
of Miss Grace Rowland. secretary to
Senator Norris Brown. No suspicion Is
attached to the postal clerks and the con-
srlusion is now reached that the entire
Y three registered pouches were never put
in the postal car at Denver, but were
spirited away from the car door or from
the transfer truck in the darkness at the
Denver station Just before the departure
of the train Thursday night.
Could Not Get Out of Car.
That the pouches could not have been
lost from the car or stolen from It is shown
in the fact that the through registered
pouches for Chicago are placed in the back
part of the car away from the car door
and are not handled again until they reach
Omaha. Two clerks are always in this car
and these registered pouches are scarcely
out of sight of one or the other OF the
clerks for a moment.
Postofhce Inspectors L. A. Thompson and
Henry 8. Grogan of the eastern Nebraska
district are working on the Nebraska part
OF the case and force Of inspectors and
secret service men from Kansas City. st.
Louis and Denver are working on the Colo
RADIO end of the mystery.
The impression prevails among some Of
the inspectors that the robbery was per-
petrated by professionals. who were in coll
lusion with someone who knew that a large
amount OF money was to be sent by regis
tered mail from Denver Thursday night
and kept in touch with It UP to the mo-
ment the registered pouches were to be
placed on the train.
Statement OF Inspector.
One experienced inspector said to a re-
porter for The Bee:
ut would be a physical impossibility for
thief to steal a man pouch In the depot
from the fact that these pouches are al
ways under the eyes OF the transfer clerks
until they are turned over the postal clerks
at the postal car ana there they are re-
ceipted for. The only one chance in the
world to steal so large a thing as a mail
sack would be during the moment the
pouches were being transferred from the
trucks into the car Some one In col
lusion with the thief could accidentally
drop one or two sacks, the registered sacks
being less heavily laden than the ordinary
mail sacks and II would be spirited away
under the car during the confusion OF de-
parting trains and a large accumulation
Of mail especially on the through mail
trains Neither could a mail sack be
stolen from a mail car where two or three
postal clerks are constantly on duty day
and night"
Cheyenne Case Cleared Up.
The story OF number OF packages re-
ported missing from a registered pouch
at Cheyenne, appearing In Tuesday morn
ing's papers, was cleared up three or four
days ago. A postal clerk had unintention-
ally picked up the wrong packages to place
In the registered pouch and when II was
opened at Cheyenne the contents did not
correspond with the record OF that par
ticular pouch. The mistake was discovered
before the departure of the succeeding
mail train, the missing packages were
found in another pouch and the mistake
rectihed.