The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-16
Bandit Loots Registered Mail
on Oriental Limited.
Foses as an Inspector of the
| p. o. Department..
FIVE HOURS In CAR.
Does the Work of the Clerks
Whom He Had Bound.
futs OFF and Takes on Sacks at
Proper Points.

Proper Points.
spokane, Wash, March i6.-A lone
panolt boarded the mail car m tba
"estoound Oriental limited. the fast
Canscontfnental train of the Great
Northern. at Bonners Ferry. Idaho
Derore daylight, bound the two mails
CLERKS and robbed the mail and ex
press cars. The robbery was not dis
covered until the train reached Spokane
at S'1o a. M, more than five hours at
ter the bandit boarded the train.
Inc train carried the through trans-
continental mail and much of II was
registered. The amount stolen win not
De known until the registered mail has
been checked up by the postal authorf-
ties. When the train arrived here at
s:Zo O'Clock, the mail car was closed
employees of the station opened the car
ana found one of the mail clerks lying
pound On the mail sacks The other
clerk was locked in closet.
AS soon as the men were released
they said that bandit boarded the car
at Bonners Ferry, a division point
aDou. No miles east Of Spokane. where
CLERKS said the bandit held them up.
bound them and went through the reg
istered mail He then said he would
work regular mail and proceeded to do
SO. At all regular stops he threw off
the mail and took the outgoing sacks
though at some of the smaller places.
where the train does not stop, he did
not throw off the mail. He STAYED on
the train for nearly five hours. jump
ing on at the Oregon Railroad & Navi-
cation junction two miles east of Spo-
kane.
He did not put off the locked pouch
at Newport, Wash, and did not ex-
change mails at Priest River. Hdaho.
AS soon as the robbery was discover
ed the postal authorities here and also
the local police were notified, and the
work of checking up the mail began,
the train being held here 80 minutes
for that purpose. 1t was discovered
that all the mail had been badly mixed.
The robber is described as being six
feet tall. He wore red sweater and
overalls, and had three or four days
growth OF beard.
| Mail Clerks Benjamin Stumpf and
John w. Nystrun. who were held at
| the mercy of the robber. tell a re-
markable story of their experience.
Locked in the small closet, hardly
two feet square, the latter almost
tainted from suffocation after the
train. had pulled into Sand Point, "a
miles Of Bonner's Ferry, and rapping
on the door he pleaded with the rob-
Der TO allow MIN some If0Sn air. Inc
bandit responded willingly, and leav-
| ig the door ajar about an inch, Sc
cured it with a piece of rope. Twice
| later on the way into Spokane the
robber ceased his work of rif1ing the
mail sacks to go to the door of the
closet to inquire as to how Nystrum
was feeling. When Stumpf remon-
strated with his captor that the cords
| which bound him were cutting into
his wrists the robber generously loos-
ened the fetters and made every ef-
fort to make 1t comfortable as pos
sible for his victim. While ripping
open the registered sacks the pseudo
| inspector cut one of his fingers. and
many pieces of mail were blood
| stained.
| He Played Inspector.
st. Paul, March ia special to
the Pioneer Press from Spokane.
Wash. says that the bandit who
boarded the mail car of the Oriental
limited at Bonner's ferry. Idaho se-
cured admittance under the guise of
postoffice inspector, giving the name
/ of c. w. Bennett. John NyBtrun, one
of the postal clerks, was on duty at
that hour while the other clerk, Ben
1amin Stumpf, was asleep under a
table.
SIS there any mail for me?" the
bandit inquired. There ought to be:
please look" Nystrun complied with
the request and when he turned to in
form the pretended inspector thaf
| there was none, he looked into the
mu1zle of a revolver. After warning
Nystrun not to make an outcry, the
bandit directed him to get into the
closet, and proceeded to rifle the
mails. In about four hours Stumpf,
who had awakened when the bandit
| first entered the car and had gone to
sleep again when Nystrun informed
him that an inspector was aboard,
had again awakened. Thinking 1t
| strange that he had not been called
Stumpf looked toward the mail table
and saw the stranger sorting letters
AS the clerk was crawling from be-
meath the table under which he had
slept the bandit drew a revolver and
told him to be still. He then threw a
| Jumper over the clerks head, bound
his hands behind him and seated him
In tha far end of the car