The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-23
SEES HIM STEAL
How 1t Feels to Watch Your
Friend Caught.
Clerk Did Not Know Money
Was DecOy.
HIS GUILT Is PROVEN
Assistant Postmaster Prays for
Man He Watches.
Mail Pouch Found Not to Con-
tain Letter.

Leavenworth. Kan. Oct. 23.-Seth
Brainard. the Atchison postoff1ce clerk
who was bound over to the United
States district court by United States
Commissioner Lee Bond on a charge
of robbing the mails, is still in the
county jail here. His bond was fixed
at $1,000 and, on account of his high
standing, it was thought he would have
no trouble in furnishing it, but no or
der has vet come for his release.
An account of the way in which the
crime was fixed upon Brainard, as
given out in AtchiSOn, follows:
1t develops, however, that the deputy
postmaster was stationed in the secret
lookout when Brainard was tempted ,tt,l 70
take the decoy- Because OF the utmost
confidence Dave Baker had in Seth Brain
ards honesty, the task assigned to him
BY Inspector Brauer TO watch Bralnard
was not pleasant one. At quarter be
fore 8 O'Clock the deputy postmaster
climbed the dingy stairway in the tower,
there to watch. Through the peephole IN
the little room he could see every en-
pioyee in the office, but no one could see
him
Decoy Is Arranged.
The inspector told Baker that exacIly
at five minutes to , the decoy Woulq pc
dropped into the receiving basket by him
The inspector set his watch with Bakers
before the latter went to the LOOKOUT, 70
be sure that at that time the qeplu NY
postmaster would be looking for the let
Ter and he could watch Bra1nard When
he removed it from the basket.
letters to make uD the dispatch Tor MIS-
souri, Pacific train No 1O!. BAKER saw
him feel of the envelope IN a pecu ~ a,
way but the suspected clerk placed II N
a pigeonhole along with other letters ne
had sorted. When he made up the dis
patch the decoy was left IN the poN-
Hoped He Was Mistaken.
MA he make. a mistake, and miss the
letter when he made up the dispatch O.
mail for 1912
These were some OF the thoughts Dave
Baker tried to make himself believe, as
he sat there in the secret place Watching
every movement his fellow employee
made. Il prayed that Seth Bral mara
would not take that, letter" said Dave
Baker. land for fully ten minutes my
eyes did not leave him or the letter. II
sill remained in the box, but presently
~ I him take y legs tre sn 50 could
hardly walk, because I knew it was all
up with Seth
Money Is Gone.
Tho NAV, who set the trap was looking
after his end Of the game at the unIoH
depot He had opened the man poucH
and discovered the loss OF the te.ee1 1 9or,.
taing marked money. and Wheh DdNe
Baker met Inspector Brauef AT e i
Byram hotel, few minutes later, INC irle
man who has spent twenty years Settns
trons Of this kind to catch dishonest
csn~ht him at last But as much as he
e.,s - ,1iaased 10 have the mystery cleared
up Dave Baker did not smile
While the duty of a postoffiee lnspSgSS
biooded proposition, yet Inspector Brauef
gave the defaultins clerk wide LATITUDE
after it was known that he had taken tf1s
letter. The next mail Brainard would
oispatch was at $40, and to make Ger
tain that he took the letter, the inspector
gave him a chance to send it out on that
train An examination of pouch was
made at the depot transfer station but
the decoy was not there.
Then He Was Arrested
Then the hour of the clerks arrest was
set for O'Clock. his time to go off duty
Stationed at the north entrance of the
building, where clerks and carriers come
and 90. the inspector kept his eyes on
Brainard until he rang out on the time
clock picked up his dinner bucket and
left the office. His arrest followed i'm
-mediately.
Two months ago, following several
complaints of missing letters containing
money Postmaster Casey and his deputy
agreed that Brainard was probably the
guilty clerk and Joe p. Johnston, inspec-
tor in charge of the Kansas City office,
was notified of the suspicion R. )
Brauer was detailed to handle the case
Complaints continued to come in, but
several decoys dropped into the office
were not bothered Eix-Postnaste CHS
ham called at the postoffice this mornins
and comp1imented the postmaster and his
deputy on their success in clearing up Il
mystery that was a continued annoyance
to Mr. Chisham and Frank Cloves while
they were in the office, although he very
much deplored that Seth Braina-d was
-1l