Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-02-25
ROBBED OF
 $175,OOO Government Loses a Big Sum From Its ub-Treasury at
 Chicago
KEEPING IT QUIET
Money Taken Was in Bills of One, Five and Ten Thousand DoIlarS-- Idea That There Was an
 Error h Bookkeeping.

Chicago, Feb 25.-The Tribune to- day says somewhere between $175.- OOO and 100000 was stolen from the local sub-treasury last week.
 Chief WilkIe, of the United States secret service has been kept in formed by telephone and telegraph of every development in the case and will leave Washington to-day to take personal charge of the investigation made by the authorities.
 Secretary Shaw of the treasury de- partment was told of the gigantic theft when here last week and was in conference with Sub-treasurer Will liam Boldenweck and secret service officials.
 The money was stolen either a week ago Saturday, tile next day, or last Monday. The chances are, it was abstracted on Monday. The loss was discovered on Tuesday.
 All the money was taken in bills of the denomination of $1, 1,OO0. $5,000, and $1O,O00. At first it was believed that there must be some error in the bookkeeping. It was thought to be impossible that such large sum of money could have been abstracted in face of all the safeguards thrown around Uncle Sans strOngbox.
 The ledger men strenuously denied any error and m investigation show ed there was no possible clerical mis- take to account for the disappearance of the cash.
 This brought the inevitable conclu- sion that robbery was the only ex- 'planation. Just as certain was the deduction that the thieves were em- ployes of the sub-treasury and were at that moment pursuing their daily tasks.
 Every man who could have had anything to do with the Scase was called into Treasurer Boldenweck's office and put through m exhaustive examination and still more rigid cross examination. Captain Porter of the secret service assisted.
 They stood the ordeal. All denied Knowledge of the theft and protested their innocence. But it was obvious that some one was lying. The chances were 1000 to 1 that one or more of the employees actually had purloined the cash or had connived at the theft by some outsider.
 Day by day since then the inyest- gation has been kept up.
 Saturday there came a glimmer of light. A faint clew pointed in the di- rection of certain clerk, and that followed up, directed the finger of suspicion to another employe, close associate of the first man.
 These men were summoned. The suspicious circumstances against them were paraded, the certainty of detection and punishment was im- pressed upon them and they were ad- vised to make clean breast of whatever part they had played fin the conspiracy.
 One. thought to be the moving spir- 1t came through the ordeal calm and self-possessed. The officers put him down as innocent or q master hand of criminality.
 The other. younger. showed signs of breaking down. Just what he ad- mitted. the secret service men refuse to disclose but 1t is believed to be tantamount to confession.
 The admissions he made started the investigators into renewed activity. Half a dozen operatives started out and the results are expected soon.
 Every employe of the office Is un- der surveillance day and night, and should one or more of them prove to be the thief or thieves escape will be All have reported for work daily since the discovery was made. Every man Is under bond.
 That the robbery was committed during working hours is almost a cer- tainty. The plumber could have been concealed in two vest pockets. The huge vault of the sub-treasury Is con- structed of many layers of chilled steel and has a number of doors which must he passed before en- trance Is secured to the apartment the money. The theft of money which had once got into the vault has been regarded as an im- 
 Each Of the three doors is governed by a time lock and cannot he opened except during business hours.
 During the day only the outer of the three doors is kept closed. but ey- en in business hours the opening of this door by any one entering the vault rings an electric tell. so that should a sneak thief attempt to enter the vault the whole office force would receive warning.
 Sub-Treasurer Boldenweck today admitted tine theft of s1T3.0pu had lpen peupetrated. but refused to % into details. He said.
 We discovered the shortage last Therp is a possibility that the shortage is due to an error Df a bookkeeper. hut am inclined to believe that robbery has been con-