The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-02-18
SOLVE MYSTERY Of
BIG MAIL ROBBERY
French Police Find Bandit 10
Be Former Employee of
Service.
BRINGS SMALL PROFIT
Thief Unable to Sell Securi-
ties, Gets Nothing for His
Daring Feat.
BRINGS SMALL PROFIT
Special Cable 20 The Tribune

Special Cable 20 The Tribune
PARIS, Feb. 17,-Only little more
than two months ago the Indian mail
bags were stolen On the p. J.. M. ex-
press train between Paris and Lyous.
The robbery caused a. great sensation
at the time. More than thirty mail
bags had been ripped open. Some of
line and all the valuables and securis
ties in the bags carried off. The rob
Der had climbed into the van while
the express was going at terrific
rate and had escaped before it
| reached Lyons.
The police believed that two or
three men must have done this work,
but IT now turns out that it was all
done by one man. Vincent Bazoncourt,
who has been arrested IN Brussels.
He was formerly In the postal serv-'
ice and is the son of 8; man whose
whole life was spent In the postal ad
ministTation. %,
Familiar With Methods.
Bazoncourt. after some years OF
service. asked TO leave the postal de-
partment on October 4, On the plea that
he was applying for a position In the
colonies. He had, during the time eff
his stay IN the administration been
employed frequently as extra in the
mail trains to Lyons He thus knew
about the arrangements and how some
of the mail vans travelled without
guard. !
After the robbery the police asked
for the names of all the postal en-
ployees who had left the service some
time before, as they only could know
the secrets. and the robber was sus-
pected to be among them They re.
ceived scores of names, but that Of
BaZoucourt was not at first among
them 1t was only after n. new list
was drawn up that inquiries were
made about him It was then learned
that he had moved TO another lodging
house. called the Hotel du Rhone, and
that his movements were mysterious
Confesses His Crime.
Ten days ago he suddenly LETT foF
Brussels. He was traced and arrested
there few days ago, and is alleged
20 have confessed at once that he did
it all alone. He had not been able to
derive much profit from the robbery
Before he was able to negotiate any
SSCuTlLlSS- tUS UdmCS huu uuuioCie
these were known and published. He
tried, it is alleged to wash out the
numbers and change them, but the Sc
curities were refused as suspicious,
and this betrayed him. The police
searched his room. and found about
10000 worth OF securities in q bag,
and nearly all the missing shares have
been recovered
Tho robbery brought no profit to
Bazonconrt, who lived in. wretched
way for the last two mouths, and could
hardly pay for bis room He is de-
scribed as weak and in bad health.
but his former colleagues say that he
was a tall, athletic man when they
knew him. and used to be little ec-
centric Some days he was very mel
anchoIy, and others he was exuberant
and used to turn somersaults. This az
plains how he could have executed the
robbery all alone, as it required very
athletic man to climb from che roof
of one van to another and smash i'll
window while the express was going
at the rate Of more than sixty miles
~, hoYv