The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-04-20
CLEVER MAIL RoBBERIEs.
These Thrillers Took Place on the 9th
 CT Side of the Atlantic Ocean.

IuGSS 1IlIlllSIS 1OOh I1dC6 Oll lllS Otll-
 CT Side of the Atlantic Ocean.
 News recently came to hand of an audacious mail van robbery at Tou- louse, says P. S. o. The van in ques- tion was standing outside a postoffice in the Rue Bayard at 10 o'clock at night, the driver having gone inside, when some one fastened the doors at the back with a bar of iron covered with paper, and drove the van away.
 Some years ago an enterprising and elaborate mail robbery was attempted on the Great Western railway, but was only partially successful. The robbers had conceived the double master stroke of robbing on the same night both the up and the down mail, and in their eff forts curiously overreached themselves. The up mail left Plymouth at 6:35 and Exeter at g, arriving at Bridgewater at 10:90, there being no stop between Bridgewater and Bristol. At the latter place the mail bags were found to have been tempered with, being cut open and some of the contents removed The down mail left London at S:55, and when it arrived at Bridgewater it was found that the mall bags in that train also had been tempered with. By 8 curious coincidence the same two clerks -postoffice clerks-traveled with the down mail from Bristol to Bridgewa
 ter as with the up mail from Bridge water to Bristol, and therefore knew of the other robbery. It happened that a director was travelling in the former, and when the two robberies were re- ported to him ne concluded that the robbers were still in the train, and at once ordered the doors of all carriages to be fastened, and nobody allowed to depart This being done, system of searching and overhauling of passen- gers was commenced, when, sure enough, the robbers, two in number were found in a frst-class6 carriage. Another such robbery of a remarka- ! ble character was that of the mail which left Cannon street station on the 1 night of April 8, 1SS6 The bag con- , taining the registered letters, which in- cluded a package of 100 ruble notes, was placed inside another bag which held ordinary letters and packages, t, The van had doors each siGe. was di- vided in the middle, being secured out side by hasp and pin, and on tine in side by bolt. It was also lighted by ] two lamps, but was not in charge of anybody. There was no stop between ! London and Dover, and, after a delay of but minute at the latter place, the bags were put on troleys and run alongside the mail boat Louise Marie. The boat arrived at Ostend at in the morning of April 3, the mails were transferred to a postoftice van, being 1 sealed with leaden seals both by the custom house and railway officials. At Cologne the. bags were transferred to another post van, and so, via Hanover and Elberhed, Berlin was eventually l reached. Then a surprising thing was discovered. The bag containing the | registered letter had been tempered with. A slit had clearly been made in the bag and sewn up again.
 l This daring robbery had a curious sequel Shortly after a man presented some of the ruble notes which had been stolen to the firm in London who ho posted them. When he was ques- toned as to how he became possessed of them he made evasive replies, so he
 was taken into custody, He was sub sequently put upon trial, charged with being in possession of stolen property. The trial was interesting from several points of view The defense, for in- stance, questioned the jurisdiction of
 the court, maintaining that the rob
 bery was committed on the high seas,
 but the prosecution demonstrated to the satisfaction of the court that the
 robbery was undoubtedly committed near Ci1islehurst After a lengthy
 trial the prisoner was found guilty and
 sentenced to eight years penal servi- tude.