Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1909-03-25
er some moments Of thought, b,

has become 4 uxeu CO0vlCtlOn Win me
that no crime is ever committed
where the criminal fails to leave be-
hind some clew that. II 1t is only found
and its worth appreciated. will In
vlriably lead to the detection OF the
cnlprit
Il have case in mind. post-office
robbery. Ii happened when was con-
nected with that department. before
was transferred to the broader field Of
The secret service. will never forget
the village where 1t occurred. 1t was
a town of some 300 or 400 souls in the
Green mountains. 1t had only one
hotel, and in the three weeks that
was detained there. almost de.
stroyed my digestion endeavoring to
support life on its ab0minable fare.
believe that felt keener satisfac.
ton in the royal meal secured at
Boston. on my return to Washington,
than did in capturing the author Of
the robbery.
THE postofice safe had been
capped for large quantity of stamps,
about $500 in money and brand new
money order book. This last item
gave Importance to the case. because
book of money-order blanks in the
hands of a clever crook can cause the
government more trouble than q SEES
sion OF congress.
The safe was . crude iron affair
which was fastened by means OF a
clumsy brass key. The key was too
large and too heavy to be lugged about,
and after the safe was locked 1t was
hid away In corner of the cash.
drawer. A peculiar circumstance of
the robbery was that the safe had
been found locked and the key was in
Its place of concealment The cul-
prits had possessed an intimate
knowledge Of the habits of the post.
master and his assistant, Miss Lundy.
young lady of fine appearance and
charming personality.
Mason. the postmaster, had a
theory that two tramps had committed
the theft. He said that two suspicious
characters had come into the Office the
afternoon before the robbery and had
bought Ave tw0-cent stamps. He con.
sidered this q suspicious circumstance.
as he said that persons of their type
always bought stamped envelopes-no
more than they needed at the time
and that they always mailed their let
tiers before leaving the office, address
ing them with the dilapidated pen
maintained by the postmaster at all
country offices for victims who have
no alternative than to use it. At the
back OF the building. q window-glass
had been broken out, and Mason espe-
cially directed my attention to it, as
he said 1t must have been by this
means that the robbers gained en-.
trance to the building. All of the
doors had been securely locked.
made a minute examination Of the
premises. and the only thing 1 found
was small steel pin with a green
glass head. 1t was in crack of the
i'oor Immediately in front of the rined
safe. Without attracting attention, i
secured the pin and stuck it beneath
the lapel of my coat. l thought 1t
might prove of value. It did 1t was
the key to the situation.
My examination showed that the
robbers had entered the post-office
through the front door, and that the
broken window was merely blind or
else 1t had been broken by accident.
dldnt take much stock in this last
theory, but put the window down as a
deliberate effort to muddy the water.
There we're two doors. a front and a
osck one. The rear one was kept
locked and the key to 1t hung on a
nan IN the Office. Only Mason and
Miss Lundy had keys to the front
door.
1T was not SO easy to trace Mason
ana the young lady on that evening.
After some considerable work /
learned that neither Of them had been
~ nome the early part of that par
ucular evening. No one knew where
they had been nor what they had done
curing this period. Mason had left his
nome and Miss Lundy her boarding
mousse early after supper on that
night on the pretext of taking walk.
MASON mad returned sometime after
midnight The hour of Miss Lundy's
return was uncertain.
Already sorely puzzled over the evil
dence which IVES accommodating. one
morning. upon arising. was more
man ever mystified by finding slip
N paper under the door Of my room
IN a sprawling, unnatural hand, four
words we're written upon 1t
Mason robbed the safe
When | visited the postoffice, no.
tced that Mason was pale and bag
gard and he was as nervous as a
Gagged leopard.
When went to the hotel at noon.
found tiny note on the table in my
room IT was dainty. perfumed bit
OF paper. just the kind that refined
Young ladies' employ In their polite
correspondence. jumped to the con-
e'uslon that 1t must be q further mes
sage OF the same character as the
mornings note. 1t was. but there was
decided conflict In the news it con
.4ihed. In a cramped, disguised writ
ing evidently woman's. were five
words.
MISS Lundy Is the robber.
Frankly. didn't know what to
'i'hk Suspicion and these mysteri-
Gus notes pointed to the postmaster
ana his handsome assistant. The let
sers were written by different persons,
ana II was easy to imagine that Ma
son and the young lady had robbed
''e safe and that each OF them had
oeen seen by different person ~