The interior journal., 1910-06-03
C0L0RED MAN SAW
POSTOFFTCE ROBBERS
Before Deed Was Done But Did
Not Suspect Their Intention
The Exact Loss.

No clew has been discovered to the
men who broke into the Stanford post
office last Tuesday morning and so far
as known no steps have been taken to
discover the robbers The u. s. secret
service works very quietly, however,
and its detectives may have already
been here and at work.
The men who are believed to have
broken into the postoffice we're seen by
Will Salter, a colored man, shortly af-
ter midnight, standing in front Of the
postoffice. Salter was watching to
keep dogs off the new granitoid pave
ment in front Of the First National
Bank, and as the pavement had become
sufficiently hard. was on his way home.
The men, one tall and the other rather
short, moved Off and walked rapidly up
Jockey Row. the street between the
courthouse and Christian church, so
that he could not tell whether they we're
white or colored. He went on home
and shortly afterwsrd the explosion
was heard.
Postmaster Florence has figured up
the exact loss, which was $58 "a in
cash; $3S3.70 in stamps. and S22.7O in
money belonging to the money order
department. His personal loss in the
safe. etc is about S25.
The stamps secured were in one tissue
oiled lead stamp book containing /, 2,
3, 4. 8, 8 and l0-cent special delivery
stamps to the value of about $50, and
and cent due stamps. about S25;
su all wooden box. containing the cash.
Breaking or attempting to break into
postoffice has penalty of fine of
81, 900 and Imprisonment, and the re-
ward for capture of the robbers in this
case would be considerable, Postmaster
Florence says.
Entrance to the building was effected
by breaking the glass in the windows
above the outside lock boxes. The
robber went about his work in meth
odical way. He undoubtedly was an ex-
perienced hand at the game.
A hole about half an inch in diameter
was drilled in the safe just above the
combination lock with powerful drill.
Ready for business now, the marauder
then mixed his ''soup"--as nitro-glycer-
in is called in the criminal parlance--on
a shelf in the rear of the Office. He
did not use all of the supply of explosive
he made, but left some on the shelf in
a dirty white handkerchief, mute evil
dence of the means employed in the
robbery. but affording no clew to the
robber.
The explosion. which followed and
gave access tn the Contents of Uncle
Sans strong box, was heard by many
people IN town. No one seems to have
attached any particular significance to
1t, however, most of those who heard
il passing it off as loud shot fired by
some late roisterer. George II. Farris
heard the explosion but did not get up,
thinking it was some one firing in
Balls alley. Rural Route Carrier Jesse
Manning. who had been out in the
country spending the evening with
friends. came back to town about mid.
night. He was turning the corner of
Main and Whitley avenue when he
heard the explosion, but thought moth
ing Of it more than to wonder what it
was.
1t is generally believed that two men
must have handled the job. one acting
as lookout while the other did the dirty
work. They did a clever job and got
away with but little chance Of capture.
There was some talk Of getting blood
hounds but the government will make
no allowance for such expense.
The robbers could easily have gotten
out of town on an early freight, or the
morning passenger trains.