New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-01
TREASURY ROBBERIES.
Officials ThisnE an Organised Gang
of There's Did the Work.
rFrom &c Tribune Rureau.I


washington Feb. 2s.-The mysterious disappear
Rnce Of $4,000 from the sub-Treasury at Chicago
following so closely tho $4,000 shortage IN the -
Tous Sub-Treasury. which was never sausiao'o
.slv explained. leads some OF the omclaIs mere "
1.I,.ra that an organized gang of ROBBERS per
.-,.sa bofh crimes and, unless their scheme OF
.,orstions IS discovered. viii continue uleu 60
m The national strong box by visiting otl't -
rl,ies IN the St. Louis case the man aTies ~
.bo shortage was tried and acquitted anu
treasury has not up 10 date been AD'e :, ~
she missing money. Restitution |ll pio'a =,
-,da bv the bondsrnen Of the Suo-ITelsulsi -
sue time but the precise manner IN w"
money was stolen IS much OF a my sueiS . -,
IN the Chicago case all the autHoI4 -. ,.o,,lts
- sate IS that $1,000 vanished from me 80
= .be 5eslr az one OF the tellers. VINO go' H. -
!, yrss taken. or where It IS now no enc :. .,s
a--ovr Had magician waved MS 77 ~
s.,,r5,e n s. coo and S5Ooo bills ana ,.,,,,
:. sisarnear into thin air, and had II -, -,
u - - .ra money could not have peei1
- o,t more completely or the oIheia.s -
- he # a greater loss 10 account lo' 'iie
Ferce. 49,. money" said one
-, -. Oldest and best informed Of me -,
c.i.1s toaa,- "ard II the Sub-Treasurer at ~.
80 has a record Of the numbers OF '.e $50
,.f,r mark my words the government =" -.
-, them back The thief or thieves VIII -
,Aroueh the papers or in some o'"ei - ~
,..R.- or not the government has feeoiu -,
=. "a - such a record Is kept WEI
s.,,, an evidence Of the crime by destroying ~"
bins themselves. r. on the other hs'u' 10 go,
Is kent 81 the numbers the thieves WE
y,aes then, after waiting for reasonane ulIf ~
elspse and may sooner or later he aus -.
,oors, stolen happened TO he all new bus Ire
from the Treasury here, II is quite prooa"le nc.
she numbers OF all the bills are on record UP 49,
and flle Secret Service men VII attehpI L" va
chem Every banking house in the country -
v-eU as every big business establishment IN meas
v-u he warned 10 look out for the bills ana the
moment any one Of them Is offered for payment
fhe person presenting it viii be calico upon "
explafn how II came into his or her possession
Tine recent robberies look even more rn!sleI lo-S
s,s+ now than the robberies that have taken place
here at the Treasury in times gone by one oI ne
most famous cases OF the sort happened III 1919,
] believe when teller tn the counting room
she Treasury here-a man named Halleck Bot
away temporarily with s45 900 in 800 bills HalIeck
took the bundle OF bills out OF the layatory nut
toned I'D under his coat He was met IN lie
lsyatory by his confederate. saloonkeeper named
R ottmann HANDED ihe money ar 20 or n 81 ffr
ward IL discovered the absence OF the ollls dln
sbere was a terrible 70 do over it.. Mr. Spinner
vs. T-nfTes states Treasurer and he was pretty
nearly l.eartbroken over me sIleI' - r-i,-si -
stolen by Halleck and Ottmarn We OF go f,
sues and no record Of their numbers was nslu ~
5ole r5o,,nt and might never have been dscov-
cred had Ottman not taken a penlfi re 'eafSioT
eng "ilap -, oiu tbe Treasury with one OF the
toien Kills 20 get il changed. Then. within few
49, he Sends sFee-leg' Brown. a good for moth
;pg worthless rascslN gambler np - .Tay-
leg was never known 20 own SO 1!li ~ ms me
before much less $500 bill ANA 50 l4e oele1AN =
sbst arrested him on genera pLElInclp5ys5 on Ne
way he confessed al ana turned Sp Falle-A 80
Ottman Halleck got term IN the peilleillaIIf, =
Rslf Ottrnann. il ] remember correctly, esctpe'i::
ne Government recovered only very small
FRACTION Of the $4,000. the lawyers VINO qelehutg
TaIleck and Ottmann got most Of H. Halieck ana
.Peg-lee' have since died. but / understand ottman
one Of he most daring robbees of the Treas
money was made in the Treasury Building itself,
Instead ~ a. another establishment, as u IS no"
81 the Bureau of Engraving and Pruning. ou.u-
gers shown through the engraving ana FIllA-
Ing Departments then they are now ana one
dav the wife Of prominent Senator called With
3 party Of friends TO how money was made.
Walking along with the ladies a very dapper,
good looking young man, whose extraordinary po-
likeness was the only thing that attracted the at
fentiOn Of the Treasury employees He carried his
hat under his arm and Was very much interested
IN all the guide had 10 say. After the party had
been shown through, the polite young man sudden
y disappeared and about The same time II was
discovered that bundle Of 10000 had disappeared
with him. The Senator's wife and her friends dis
claimed all knowledge OF the mysterious gentleman,
and tie only theory that the officials could give 10
explain the robbery that the stranger had
sCOOped I'd the bundle OF money in his hat and had
carried il out I'm that convenient receptacle. De
teCtiVes working on the case thought they found
traces Of the robbers flight 20 New York and his
departure on steamer bound for Europe. but they
never caught nm or recovered the money mat
was before the cable had been stretched across the
Atlantic. and there was no means OF stopping a
man after he We'll started across the ocean
unless the ship upon which he sailed broke down
and blew back TO the United States IL
hauled by faster vessel For aught the United
Who got the 10000 lived 10 ripe old age in the
enjoyment Of his III gotten wealth After that,
their hats when they entered the rooms where the
money was kept Or displayed