West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1909-04-08
Carrier Arrested Last Week by Post
- once Inspector.
Y0UIG NAN HAD UNIQUE RECORD
Only Star Route Man Who Ever Stole
from Registered letter-CIever
Ruse Led TO Arrest.

In the fastncss OF Laurel mountain.
along a lonely road that winds over the
hills and along the chasIns from Bruceton
Mills, in Preston county, TO Fairchance,
Pa, William G. Lieb, U. :. star route
carrier, accomplished feats of lawlessness
that have not been equalcd since the in
stitution of the star route system 10y the
government. With the cunning of the
shrewdest crook this mountaineer Of less
than 2l has been systematically robbing
the U. :. mail given 10 his keeping 10 the
extent that the people whom he serves
have abandoned the use of the mails alto
gether. Lieb is now confined i'm the Union
town, Pa, Jail, having been placed there
"Wednesday evening Of last week by Post
office Inspector Ed /. Allen, 10 whom
credit for remarkable work must be given.
The road between Bruceton Mills and
Fairchance is an unusual one, there being
but few houses along its narrow windings.
But one-fourth Of the distance is in West
Virginia, the rest drifting from the Penn
sylvania state line down the mountain TO
Fairchanoe where the postoflicc is the
feeder for the route. For months after
the appointment OF Lieb TO the route let
ters and other mail disappeared, but no
blame was laid 10 the door of the uncouth
looking mountaineer. Time went on and
the disappearance Of important letters be-
came more prevalent. Soon registered
mail, locked securely in the pouch carried
by l.cb, began To disappear, and this
kept M with such regularity that the
patrons alongthe route became suspicious.
No simple minded country folks were so
wellcd versed with the proper procedure
to carry the matter before the department
ut Washington. Instead, they began TO
look for the thief in their own way. In
the meantime suspicious began to fasten
on i.ieb, and finally those who had been
victimized 10y him followed him over the
mountains
In this trail fragments of letters, scraps
Of newspapers, and other pieces of mail
were discovered in his wake, showing lac
did not care TO carry unnecessary weight,
and mail that looked unimportant 10 him
lie tore to pieces and threw by the road
side.
AT a secluded place in the mountains
he placed in hiding his outfit for robbing
the pouches. This consisted Of kew
which fitted the pouches, scissors, and
mucilagc similar to that used on en-
vclopes.
His plan was TO get his pouch at Fair
chance, carry it to his tools, and then use
his key. II the contents looked inviting
he would open the letters, extract por-
tion Of the money, and then reseal the
envelopes and send them on their way.
Inspector Allen is Of the belief that hun
drcds of dollars were taken by him i'm
this manner. Lieb demonstrated his
smoothncss by the fact that he never took
all the money from letter.
News in the mountains, although there
are no telephones, carries fast and il was
about January ! that the people served
by the route gave up its use. II was not
until after women, purchasing from mail
order houses, had their letters rined and
their money taken. II is the custom
along such routes for those who have let
ters 10 mail 10 wait for the carrier and
hand the mail 10 him
One of the best known residents i'm the
section is George Record. For some time
Mr.. Record suspicioncd something wrong
with the service and began TO investigate
One day lac met George Rankin, who lives
few miles distant, and Rankin handed
sthim the fragments of two letters which
had been mailed by ono of Records daugh.
ters ~ mail order house. There had
been money in the letter when mailed,
but no trace of il was found by Rankin.
Rankin made affidavit to finding the frap-
ments and the postmaster at Worsing.
Pa, W. 7. Hastings, swore that the let
tcrs had been mailed.
This evidence was sent into the depart
ment at Washington and Inspector Allen.
whose district is West Virginia, was sent
out TO investigate. lie went 10 Brandon
vile aud Bruceton Mills, heard the COM
plants Of the people, and later sought out
Record. Just 10 show that the people were
not wrong in their impressions Record
went over the route after the carrier and
brought back TO the inspector fragments
OF dozen pieces Of sccond-class mail
which Lieb had cast aside during the trip.
Then Allen set his trap Going 10 Rec.
ord's home he wrote letter 10 a mail
order house in Chicago and signed Mrs.
Rankin's name. The letter contained
$3.50 and some wearing apparel was or.
dered. The letter was given to Record
with instructions to hand il to I.icb as hs
passed by. Inspector Allen, hidden be
bind the window OF q mountain cabin.
saw the letter delivered TO the carrier.
An inspection Of the envelope after /
had arrived at the Fairchance postofic,
disclosed that II had been opened, but
strange to say, nothing had been taker
from t. II is thought that the action o.
the postmaster at Fairchance put G.icb or
his guard.
Inspector Allen had, in the meantime
secured sufficient evidence 10 Justify hi
putting the carrier under arrest and wher
Licb arrived at Fairchance he was takeI
into custody and landed in the Uniontow,
jail. lie was given hearing before Z
>. Commissioner sturgiss at Uniontowl