The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-25
Secret Service Officers Un-
earth Romance of Real Life
In Theft of Rural Route
Mail Box.
TRACKS MADE BY
HIS RIVALS SHOES
These Led to Home OF Man
Who Was Arrested But Lat
er Released Theory on
Which Officers Work.

hlSnL III IHe HedIL Vi Stdlu' Clih
old Wayne county, federal officers be-
lieve they have unearthed romance
from the pen of the most romantic
writer. The plot hinges around the
theft of just a common ordinary rural
mail box belonging to Albert Harme-
son of the Cedar Lane stock farm
near Middleboro.
The theft of the mail box, it is
thought by the federal officers. was
actuated by the love of the thief for
his cousins pretty wife-for of course
all good romances have woman in
the case To add picturesque color
to the plot there is included in the
cast, just like the best selling yellow
backs, rowing band of gypsies and
ferret-eyed secret service men.
The box and it's contents was stol-
en- last Saturday. Since then the sec
ret service men have been steadily
working on the case. Monday an ar
rest was made-the husband of the
woman in the case-but he was re-
leased after examination. Everything
pointed to his guilt, but the very fact
that the evidence against him was so
elaborately perfect proved his saliva
ton. 1t made the crafty secret ser
vice men believe this evidence against
the suspect had been cunningly plan
ned and executed by an enemy who
desired to put him out of the way
by having him sent to federal pri-
son. There will be another chapter to
the case shortly and when the next
arrest is made it is thought light will
be thrown on the mystery.
Here is what the secret service men
believe to be the true story of the pc
culiar case: Last Saturday the Har-
meson mail box was torn from it's fast
enings and carried Off On the road
about where the box was located were
the footprints of man, evidently
pigeon-toed. These tracks were so dis
tinct that it looked as though the
thief had taken particular pains to
make them we'll defined to attract the
attention of the secret service men.
These tracks, clear and distinct, led
from the mail box site along the road
to the home of the man who was ar
rested Monday. They then skirted
around back of the barn, through a
cornfield and thence into woods.
At the time of the theft there was a
band of gypsies in these woods. Their
camp was thoroughly searched, but
no mail box was found. After the
gypsies had broken camp they were
halted on .the road by the secret SER
vice men, and their wagons were
searched again, without success. The
officers were then convinced the row.
ers were not implicated in the theft
exit gypsies.)
Further investigation led to the ar
rest referred to. This man emphatic
ally denied any knowledge of the
crime, even when the officers told him
they had taken a pair of his old shoes
from a buggy in his barn and that the
shoes tailed exactly with the foot
prints. The suspect was also pigeon
toed. Then the suspect told the Off
GERS that not long ago he left home
and returned unexpectedly. In his
home he found his cousin making VIC
lent love to his wife. He created nc
| trouble, but left the couple to con
tinue their love making.
This statement caused the secre,
service men to form the theory tha
the man whom they had arrested was
| the victim of his cousin, who had plot
ted to send him to prison so that ht
could steal from him his wife. Oh
this theory the officers are now work
ing and the arrest of the man who il
now believed to be guilty will proba
bly, soon follow. 1T would be easy
for the man now under suspicion tc
steal his victims shoes and make
| tracks with them. The artistic fea
ture of this cunning plot, Is it's yer,
simplicity remarked an officer.