The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-12-08
And Two Alleged Thieves
Arrested in Manchester, N. H.
BANKS MAIL BOX ROBBED
Boys Did Not Realize Value of Cheeks,
Drafts, Etc, and Had Carelessly
Thrown the Large Amount
About Room.

Manchester, n. IT., Dec. g. Arthur
Gagnon and Ernest Harnois were to-day
held for hearing on December l3,
charged with looting the mail box Of
the Merchants National bank. When
arrested they had checks and drafts
amounting to $4,000. The money was
thrown carelessly under bed and be.
hind commode in a Manchester street
tenement. It was the largest mail box
robbery in New Hampshire for years.
Gagnon is Is years old and Harnois is
only l6.
It is probable that the mail box was
looted on Sunday That morning 7.
Lawrence Davis, clerk in the Mer-
chants bank, went to the post Office TO
get his personal mail He opened the
box and found it full OF letters He
says that he sorted out his own mail,
put the banks mail back in the box
and closed it, Then he went home,
| This was about 1870 o'clock.
The next morning being Monday, a
day Of business, a bank messenger went
to the post Office to get the mail He
found only eight letters in the box,
which is usually full Of Sundays ac-
cumulated mail These eight had come
in on early Monday morning mails.
The bank officials then realized that the
box had been robbed and they noti-
fled the postmaster and the police
Monday Postmaster Edward H. Chad
bourne noticed boy loafng suspicuous
ly about the corridors If the federal
building. He communicated this sus-
picion to the police and a police in
speetor went to the federal building
When he arrived the boy, who was Ar
thur Gagnon Of the West side. stood
on the gallery outside the building be-
tween the tiers of steps. The inspector
was Hildreth.
It Is said the boy noticed the in
spector. The postmaster met the in
spector and they planned to capture the
boy One went in one way and the
other another but Gagnon was smart
enough to give them both the slip. The
inspector, however learned Gagnon's
identity and address, and not long after
two police officials, Capt. Thomas y.
Steele and Sergt. John J. Lynch, ar
rested the boy on suspicion at his Front
street home.
Gagnon was quizzed at the police sta
tion and he implicated Harnois The
police went to Harnois room and ar
rested him. They found the yaluables
in his room, they said The money was
turned over to the bank and the bank
loses nothing except possibly one small
check by the robbery.
The supposition is that the boys
sought real cash They did not realize
the value Of the drafts. notes and checks
and consequently threw them away. 1t
was evidently their intention to use
the bills if any could be found.
Harry w. Robinson, the post Office in
spector for this district investigated the
case and made out complaint before
the federal commissioners. The com
missioners issued warrant summoning
the boys before him and they appeared
brought by the United States marshal
for this district, A. P. Mute OF Farming
ton. A hearing took place Tuesday
in the federal building. The commits
sioner conducted the hearing and it was
attended by the post office Inspector, the
postmaster, several police officials and
several bank officials as witnesses.
The boys were poorly clad and ILL.,
kempt. The complaint Of Inspector Rob
nson was read to them, but they un-
derstood little Of its nature They had
no counsel One of the newspaper men,
Wilfred J. Lessard, city editor Of the
local French paper. interpreted to them
the charge brought against them, and
upon his advice the boys pleaded not
guilty and waived examination.
They stated that they could furnish no
security for an appearance before the
circuit court when It meets Tuesday in
Concord, so they were left in custody Of
the federal marshal Commissioner CrHw-
ford fixed bail at $500 apiece