Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1909-11-27
MAIL TRAIN ROBBER
Believed To BE UNDER AR
RESTED AT SEATTLE.
G. D. Howell, Believed to Be the Man
Who Turned Trick on G. N, Was
Held Under Charge of Robbing Elk
press Office at Seattle-Has Been
Identified as Being in Both Jobs.

After having baffed scores of de-
tectives for nearly two years, the dar-
ing train robber who, ON March Is,
1908, held up the mail car on the Great
Northern Oriental Limited at Boomers.
Ferry, Idaho, now is locked up safely
in the King county Jail in the person
of c. d. Howell, until recently night
yard Waterman of the c., M. & p. s.
railway at Seattle, provided the identi-
fcation by two witnesses made in
Seattle is correct.
Howell has been held in the King
county Jail several days on a charge
of holding up the Great Northern ex-
press Office in Seattle on the night Of
October 10, 1909, when lone thug
carried away loot amounting to about
$4,000. The Identification of him as
the Boomers Ferry highwayman was
brought about through the work Of
Detective John S. Delaney of the Great
Northern secret service department.
Leave to Identity of Prisoner.
Detective Delaney left Spokane for
Seattle in company with J. II. Hoag-
land, who in March, 1908, was properi-
etor of the West hotel at Boomers
/. Ferry, and one of the mail clerks who
: was on the car at the time it was
held up.
Case Hinges on identification.
1.-The whole case hinges on whether
Mr.. Hoagland and the mail clerk can
identify Howell say Detective De
laney just before leaving for Seattle.
Il have considerable collateral evil
dence which, if the Identification is
made, can be welded into links suffi-
GENTLY strong, in my opinion, to prove
beyond a reasonable doubt that Howell
: is the man who pulled off the Boomers
Ferry mail car robbery.
What my collateral evidence is j
do not think it wise to divulge at this
! time. 1t will come out later"
Howell formerly was for two years
postmaster at Havre, Mont. Prior to
! going to Seattle about two months ago
he was for three years a bartender at
Occur 'Alene, Idaho.
Howell has been identified by the
Great Northern agent and his assist
ant at Seattle as the lone hOldup who
= robbed the express office on the night
= Of October 10. The agent, Eugene
Simonson, and his assistant, J.. Il.
! White, were alone in the Office when
1 the thug entered.
IS Smoked Pipe, Rihing Mail
D. The following is the account of the
d Boomers Ferry holdup, March l0, 1908;
D. la the guise OF a pOstotlice inspec.
3 tor q bandit obtained admittance 10
* the postal car on the Great Northern
D. Oriental Limited at Boomers Ferry
T. Idaho, al an early hour ia the morning
y oyerp0Wered the two clerks al the point
D. Of a gun, locked one in q closet, bound
- the other and put him under the table
e. and then, coolly smoking pipe all tAs
~ while calmly rined the through regis
tered mail pouches while the train WA
~ proceeding ~ Spokane. During Tia
70 fun a. spokane of 100 miles, which az
~ quired over 90 Aourf, tAe rohbeT le
Al celfed the mail af three stations Nher'
- Che uaip stopped and threw on th'
y paper mail.
~ jufi before fhf Train entered 80
yards of spokane, ihe bandit leape'
y, ilom tle car and VIII hlf booty in Z
- small taiche'i Hlicn pa carried nhei