The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-02

| The arrest of young Doyle was made
at the Union Pacific depot. He was
| taken into custody and this morning
| he admitted that he had allowed Bat
| ties to drive the wagon at odd times.
1t was during the time that Battles
drove the wagon that the registered
packages were opened and robbed. 1t
| had been customary for Doyle to allow
Battles to drive the wagon between the
depot and the postoffice. 1t was gen.
orally driven UP side street and the
contents of pouches robbed during the
drive.
This arrest also practically solves
another mystery. Last winter a mail
pouch filed with valuable packages
was stolen at the Rock Island depot.
! Battles was driver at this time and
robbery. 1t is the opinion of the in
spectors that Battles and another
young man who was also suspected
We're in the gang that robbed the
When searched last night the key
to the mail pouches was found wrap
ped carefully in the bandages around
the stump leg Of Battles. He is
cripple and uses a wooden leg. This
key he claimed to have found between
Denver and Junction City some time
ago. The tale is false. The postof-
fee department has never lost any
such key and they are kept in very
close watch by the employees. 1t is
pouch at the Rock Island depot last
winter Battles took the lock and had
a key made from this lock. The key
is counterfeit and never belonged to
the postoffice.
The value of the packages stolen
from the Topeka wagons during the
last few weeks cannot be determined.
Over seventy pieces haYe been miss
ing and the mystery was more than
doubled when it was found that ev-
OF &c
consignment. This is what has been
causing the inspectors so much trou-
BILE. The packages have been sent to
firms all over the city.
The postoffice inspectors have
searched the Battles place. He lives
with his mother and a. few friends in
a little two room shack on Central
avenue Just across the Soldier creek.
In searching the place the inspectors
found charred remains of wrappers
and also some of the red receipt
cards These were found from the
ashes and discovered through the aid
of a microscope. 1t is the belief of
the inspectors that this little shack
is a regular den Of mail thieves. A
number of roaming men have been
around the place continually. 1t is
also developing that friends of young
Battles have been extremely liberal
lately with presents to girl friends
Many articles of jewelry have been
transferred through this source. Bat
ties has also taken number OF trips
over the country. He is known to
have been in poor circumstances and
these trips excited suspicion. Mrs.
Battles, the mother of the boy, has
also made a number of elaborate ex-
penditures contrary to the former
customs of the family.
Beforethe inspectors are through
with the case several people will be
implicated in the affair The mys-
terry of the Rock Island mail pouch
robbery will be cleared up and the
cause of all of the missing packages
in the city will be known at once.
Young Doyle admitted everything
this morning-that is he said he
knew that Battles was in some mis-
chief when he was asked to drive the
wagon.
Lost Leg in Mail Accident.
Otho Battles has been connected with
the o ostoffice for some time. Several
years ago while driving to a Rock
island train as fast as the horse would
go he came into collision with the po-
lice patrol going the other way The
accident happened at Fourth and jack
son and the two wagons were wrecked.
Battles lost his leg in the accident and
was forced to give up his work. Post
master Guthrie started a sund for the
help of the boy at that time and he
was sent to Washburn college TO re-
ceive an education He was in Wash
burn a little over year but soon
dropped out He failed in all of his
studies and took little interest in the
work. His favorite resort was to hang
around the postofhce, the railroad
depots and the fire stations. A second
fund was raised to procure a cork limb
for the boy. He wore it a few days
and threw it away, preferring to have
a stick, stump and crutches. He is
fcon+;ruad ~ pooa Eioa+N