The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-07-05
Harry J. Snyder Taken Into
Custody and Held in
County Jail.
ALLEGED HE RIFLEp SPECIAL
DELIVERY LETTERS--A DEcoY
LETTER USED BY INSPECTORS
AND FOUND IN HIS POCKET.

Following a series of thefts of let
tiers containing money, covering a
period of several weeks, Harry ].
Snyder, a mailing clerk at the local
postoffice, was arrested yesterday
morning and is now held lin the
county Jail in default of bond of
$500. The arrest was made by Police
Officer Benjamin upon complaint of
Postoffice Inspectors Roege and Reese.
Upon the person Of the young man
were found a decoy letter used by
the inspectors, several letters contain
ing checks for local merchants, and
also seven silver certificates that
had been marked by the inspectors,
and were identified. These were sur
rendered by the clerk when the in
spectors accusd him of the theft.
Check Disappeared.
The first complaint was made
several weeks since by one of the
local banks. A number of checks
had been forwarded in one envelope
through the mails TO a Mobile bank,
and when the envelope reached there
it was short one check and the en-
velope showed that it had been tam
pered with. This was reported here.
and the next day the missing check
was received by the institution to
which it had been sent.
Accompanying the check. which
was for about 65, was a letter in
structing the bank to place the
amount to the credit OF the sender
and forward a pass book with the
credit by return mail A fictitious
name was signed
Inspectors Notified.
hoe tO
the local officials of the postof1ce,
they wired the postoffiee inspectors,
suspecting that the trouble was in the
local office. Upon their arrival they
were made acquainted with the cir
cumstances, and also with the fact
that for several days or weeks COM
plants had been received about the
non-delVery of letters with special
delivery STAMPS attachssS, especially
when addressed to wholesale liquor
firms.
A Decoy Letter.
The inspectors Immediately planned
to test Snyder, and accordingly, on
Wednesday night, when he was on
duty, letter containing 81 silver
certificate and five ST certificates
was mailed and special delivery
stamp attached
yesterday morning WneH the uidll
was made up this letter was missing,
and the inspectors Immediately sUs-
nected Snyder He was accused or
The theft and returned to the inspect
ors the money contained in the en-
Y. ope A search of his clothing found
the envelope and letter, which had
not been destroyed.
Placed Under Arrest.
The accused clerk accompanied the
officers to the Office of the postmaster,
and waited there until Officer Ben
lamin. could arrive from the police
station and place him under arrest.
At the station he was searched, and
other letters and checks found. He
was later taken before United States
Commissioner Marsh and given
hearing, being held to the United
States grand jury His bond was
fixed at $500, and failing 20 make j
he was locked up in the county jail
Was Trusted in Office.
Snyder, who resides on East In
tendencia street, was truste1 in the
Office, and had never been Unde sus-
picion. He was sober and steady,
and his arrest caused much surprise.
He is a young man, and entered the
most office on March 3, 1906, ana
worked until December, when he re-
signed and went TO Texas. After
being there a short time, he returned
here and re-enterd the pcstofhce on
February 81, 1907, and had been
regularly employed since that time.