Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-16
BOLD ROBBER
LOOTS MAIL
ON NLMITED
POSES AS INSPECTOR, E.0LDS
UP, CLERKS
DARING CRIME PERPETRATED BY
LONE HioHWAYMAN
Bandit CoolIy Puffs q Cigar as He
"Goes Through" Registered
Sacks After Binding
Two Men
BY Associated Press.

by Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash, March 15.--As-
suming all the airs and authority of a
veteran postoffice inspector, daring
fighwayman boarded the Great North
ern Oriental Limited train just as 1t
pulled out of Bonners Ferry, Idaho. this
morning, and with the aid of a re-
volver locked one of the clerks in a
clothes closet and tied the other in a
chair. Afterward he travelled a dis
tance of 100 miles into Spokane, spend
ing three hours and forty minutes
rifling registered mail, loading and
unloading mail sacks along the route.
The bandit puffed complacently on a
cigar the while. The lone bandit
dropped off the train at a railroad
CLOSING inside the city limits, carry
ing with him, it is believed, much
valuable plunder in satchel. Just
how much he obtained is not definitely
known.
Mail Clerks Benjamin Stumpf and
John w. Nysteun, who were held at
the mercy of the robber, tell a remark
able story of their experience. Locked
in the small closet, hardly two feet
square, the latter almost tainted from
suffocation.
GentlemanIy Robber
After the train had pulled into Sand
Point, forty-four miles west of Bon
rer's Ferry, Nysteun raped on the
door and pleaded with the robber to
allow him some fresh air. The bandit
responded willingly and leaving the
with a piece of rope. Twice later on
the way into Spokane the robber ceased
his work of rifling the mail sacks to go
to the door of the closet to inquire as
To how Nysteun was feeling.
When Stumpf demonstrated with his
captor that the cords which bound
him were cutting into his wrists, the
genteeI roboer generously loosened the
letters and made every effort to make
it as comfortable as possible for his
victim.
While ripping open the registered
mail sacks, the pseudo inspector cut
Cne of his fingers and many of the
pieces of mail were bloodstained. Blood
bounds were put on the trail of the
1obber by means of one of the bloody
packages and the dogs followed a trail
several blocks through the residence
district to a car line, where the scent
was lost.
ed a street car and rode down town.
Postoffice Inspector M. ID. Linn. with
corps of assistants, spent the after
noon checking up the contents of the
six sacks to see what was missing. In
spector Linn announced 1t as his be-
lief that little plunder was obtained.
Poses as Inspector
The robber first appeared just after
the train stopped at Bonner's Ferry.
He threw into the car a mail sack such
as postal employees usually carry and a
small grip bearing the name &c. w.
Bennett" He went away telling Nys-
tcun he would be back in a few mo-
ments. Just as the train was starting
the robber reappeared. He then OBJ
served Stumpf. who was off duty,
asleep under table. The robber re-
ouested Nysteun to see If there was
any mail for him and when Nysteun
turned to tell the robber there was
none, the clerk was looking down the
barrel of revolver. He was warned
to make no noise and ordered into the
closet.
Stumpf awakened a while later and
seeing the man cutting open letters
started to crawl out from under the
table The robber heard him and COW
cred Stumpf with his revolver and told
fim to keep quiet If he did not want
his head blown off. The robber is de-
scribed as heavy man about feet z
inches tall. The clerks disagree as to
his beard which leads to the belief
that he used false mustacheS.