The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-29
RobbersTook Post-O Office
Booty to Nearby Ho-
tel, and After Re-
Packing Shipped
1t Away.
RED-HAIRED MAN
RENTED STORAGE
ROOM ON FRIDAY

Sio ~ III AoaSli w liza
Entire Country, Endeayor to
Cut Off Every Avenue OF Es-
cape; but Bold Cracksnen
Avoid Capture, and the Mys-
terry of Their Location Is Still
Unsolved.
Within an honr after their arrival
la itichpond for tho purpose of solving,
II possible, the greatest post-office rob
berry mystery that hnx ever occurred
In this city, Chief John Il. Harrison, OF
the Washington division of post-ofiics
inspectors, secured the Information that
the ycEgmcn who cracked the snfc In
the Office of Cashier William 1IcIxim
Marriott, In the Temporary post-ofiico
building, removed SS5,0O0 In stamps
TO room In the basement of nearby
hotel, aud there packed their hoOty
into two huge trunks, aud on an carly
morning train, perhaps mt 4,50 o'clock,
shipped them to nshinEton. 1t n
even snid that the inspectors have in
their posscssion the numbers of the
railroad checks, but in Washiurton,
have succeeded in transferring the
baggage, the clue was lost, aud until
late hour last night nothing definite
had been learned which may lead to
capture.
Hnd Room at Nearby Hotel
All TINT Is known OF the Identity of
the man who secured the storage room
in the basement of the --- Hotel
Is that he rented 1t from }. s. Con-
nelly Il Co, rental agents, presumably
for the purpose OF displaying an nssort-
iucnt of toys, on last Friday, and that
he gave the name of -------.
purportinE to he travelling salesman
| for New York novels. +. company. When
tssf Jtptcs-D Dispnt tch reporter entered the
4 room Mt the hotel nj $50 O'Clock ycs-
tcrdny afternoon two fnsEcctors ncre
buslly searching III: nut the thieves
7 had been careful TO leave nothing he-
| hind by which they might have been
| traced.
The names of the suspect. and the
J name OF the hotel arc known TO The
! iTimeS-Dispntch, bur arc withheld mt
| the request of Postn,astcr edgar Allan,
Jr., in order not to embnrrass the gov
crnment detectives at work IN The ease.
: Description of Leader.
The empty trunks arc said to have
heen removed to the storage room
shortly after o'clock Saturday after
noon, and a man, described hy Henry
Lauterback, clerk at the --- Hotel,
as having been stoutly built and about
five feet six inches tall. and with a
red face, at once ordered that tho
room be thoroughly cleaned. He gave
I.auterback % cents for the job, \
little later this stranger pulled down
the shades over all the windows and
over the glass door Leading into tile
lobby he pasted brown paper. There
was no way by which the thieves could
have been seen while at work packing
the stamps into the trunks
Ernest Waller. the night clerk, SAYS
he heard wagon drive up to the side
entrance of the hotel yesterday morn
ing between 3 and 4 o'clock. but he
had no reason TO suspect anything, and
did not make any report until the in
spectors wen, to the hotel yesterday
afternoon and questioned him about
the actions OF the men. From the ho-
tel the inspectors Went to the Office
of Connolly & Co, and there they
learned that secured
the room last Friday and paid for it.
for eleven days. The description
given by Mr.. Rohleder, who carried
out the contract for the rental agents,
leads the inspectors TO believe that
this stranger and the man who super
intended the work OF leaning are ono
and the same,
Deliberately piauucd
The cracksmen were too shrewd TO
board at a room in the same hotel at
which they proposed 10 carry out an
! important detail of the gigantic rob
| berry. and II is understood, the inspec-
I tors have been unable 70 locate them at
I any other hostelry, although they are
/ believed to have been in Richmond GER
! tainly since last Friday. That tho
4 room was rented for eleven days Is +
| taken TO indicate that unless the op-
! portunity had presented itself yestes-
J day morning the exports would have
tehosen some other future time tocom-
NIT the deed. Lauterbaek says the
| trunks were brought to the hotel By
negro driver who runs a team on the
street on his own account, and IL ia
not believed he had any knowledge OF
the purpose of his employers,
| The room TO which the thieves car
red their lll-gotteu riches Is but =
short distance from the door throucfh
which thoy are believed TO have en-
| tered the post-oitice, and a missing link
lis as 10 how they carried the handles
of stamps through the streets without
being seen on the doorSill are evil
dences that the trunks were taken our
hurriedlS, as the facing Is scratched
off Several persons claim 10 haze
seen-a wagon standing in the street
about the time OF the alleged removal,
and the inspectors were informed yes,
terday that the tWo-hcrse team wsa
hired from the Richmond Transfer
Company,
There arc theories that the trunka
containing the booty are still In Rich
mona but the hcst evidence that thu
inspectors have dropped this#lino es
work is that all YESTERDAY afternoon
IChief Harrison, with three OF his meli.'
! were closeted With Chief LII, srheFcrs
! OF the Chesapeake and Ohio heteetilye
department, in the lattef's ofilee on fhel
| third noor Of the Chesapeaks and Ohip
/ pui,dins, al Eighth and Main Ssrests,