New-York tribune., 1909-07-20
ADMITS $4,000 THEFT
YOUNG EXPRESS CLERK
Handled MILLIONS.
Salary Uas only so a Month and
Way to Quick Wealth
Looked Easy.
LBr reIes-nph to III. TrLhun. J

tB} iFleSrhph "a me iFipNnf
Chicago July Ie-Clayton T. Zimmerman.
twenty years old. a clerk on a salary ~ S55
month in the 'outmoney" Office of the Adams
Express Company. was arrested to-day for the
theft Of package Of 10000 In currency which
disappeared mysteriously last Tuesday. bafiiing
q score of detectives. Zimmerman admitted TAX
ing the money
Working eleven hours day 2e5 DAYS in the
year on n small salary. and handling nearly
;I0O00 600 a day IN the office ~ the express com
raHy. the young mans head was turned ani
when he saw opportunity 10 hold out"
small fortune he admits he srcretcd the $4,000
package and went about his work
When he was left alone Iu the express com
pany's ofrce. at No. los West Monroe street
last Monday night Zimmerman tore open the
bundle which he had concealed earlier in the
evening and nlled his pockets with tho hun
dreds Of new g. and $40 bills which II CON
tained. In one pocket he also placed the string
and wrappiugs
Leaving the office a few minutes later-it was
just midnight. he says--hc boarded Il Madison
street car and started for his home 40. 1884
West Monroe street When few blocks from
his home he took tine wrappings and rolling
them into a wad threw them into vacant loy.
Upon his arrival homo he extracted the new
bills from his pockets and placing them in
package in the bathroom in hole concealed by
a Dashboard directly behind the bathtub There
the money was found by the detectives today
after Zimmerman had led them 10 the hiding
place. With the exception OF one $40 bill the
money was all there. The number OF this bill.
which the clerk refuses 10 account for Is
l21lI.6O
The detectives had the number Of every bill
In the package. and declare they would have
traced the theft by this means IL they had not
apprehended Zimmerman.
Detectives Of the Plnkcrton agency were
placed on the case but after six days Of work
were. unable to trace the money after it was de-
llvered to the company's Office in West Monroe
street Thereupon 1t greed that the money
had not left the city There are four clerks in
the "outmoney" department Of the express COM
pany and ali Of them were shadowed b. detec-
tives Three Of these men are employees of long
neutrality-suspicious. i'll the "outmoney" Office.
The fourth was Zimmerman. young man.
who had been in the employ or the express
company only two years and in the "out
money office only six weeks. BY the process
Of elimination and deduction it was figured that
Zimmerman guilty Then, by a dramatic
visit to the mans home. taking him with them
before much pressure had been brought 20
bear upon him to confess the detectives con-
fronted him solidlv and broke down hls denials
with the logic Of their assertions
''IIi tell all finally said Zimmerman. The
light of a cigar he was smoking had gone out.
and after lighting it, Zimmerman In an easy
manner told the story of his theft in every de-
tail At the Harrison street police station, to
which he was taken later, he repeated bis
fession.
In part he said: Il made a mistake in the
first place by making up my mind 20 steal it.
but I made & second mistake moment later In
abstracting q the waybill which followed the
10000 ! absentmindedy abstracted it for the
hunk at Monmouth. Ill ] not excited in the
least II was simply careesSness.
"At 3 o'clock to-day, after had been sweated
a number of times but without telling anything
knew the detectives took me to my home.
They talked to me some time, and when /
that the Jig was UP l simply told them all
have told you 1 told them where the money
was and they got II.
This was the third big mistake / made
reaIizc now that was d fool to tel where
the money was. 1 should have stood pat"