Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-05-14
~

ne FSuSldl government mas no
bitterer foe than that class of crimi-
nal known as "yeggmen.'. The
"yegg," as he is more familiarly
styled, embodies all the craftiness.
skill, desperation and viciousness Of
a dozen class Of criminals. and the
sacrifice of human life where a rich
haul is in sight rarely, If ever, acts
as a deterrent in his calculations.
The 'yeggS' are past masters in the
art of drilling and blowing safes, and
they specialize on the safes Of post
Offices in smaller cities and towns
because 1t is easier to enter and flee
undetected from those communities
where police conditions are primitive
and inadequate.
The United States Post Office de-
partment long since established a
bureau Of police known as post Office
inspectors. The various Sub-bureaus
are scattered all over the country
and divided into districts with an in
spector in charge directing the ener
gleS or the corps Of inspectors work.
ing under his guidance. Each inSpec-
tor in charge is directly ~answerable
to the thief inspector at Washington
and to him all their reports are sub
mitted. The post office inspectors
are in reality the secret service OF
this department and their work COW
ers even a wider field than that Of
the Secret Service proper. for very
often thel operations enable them
to run down and convict the very
men the Secret Service operatives are
supposed to specialize on. Any Fede-
raj offender is fair game for those
inspectors and as apprehenderS of
VlOlatOrS OF the postal laws they are
the most relentless and indefatiga-
bic t~railers in the world.
Not long & a series OF post Of
flee rObberieS was reported that COW
cred such a wide field Of operations
as to strike terror to the heart of the
chief inspector. AS he received each
succeeding day reports of a dozen or
more robberies in various parts of
the country he knew at once that a
well organized band was at work and
that their ~depredations were the re-
suit of a carefully arranged cam
paign. - He also knew that while the
itbt'NleS "tN" U"GlHn''i.' :. 'rn'v
separated lDrHijtip. ih,r. .a- mas.
ter Uiuo directing the wNtg Of the
s.ra"N$men. r,.e OF the hn> tnspyc-
tors IN the dargr'uunut na.r. detailed
10 % tG,rb aLG round g, rr,s.
yegSmen, ana " gam AT the same
time every scrap or information OBJ
tainable that had to do with ''yeggs,"
thelr operations, past, present and in
contemplation; their haunts, the
fences where their loot was disposod
of, and, in fact, all who fraternized
with that class Of criminal. They
were told that they must produce re-
suits. but that they were free agents
TO work in their own way and to
take as much time as was necessary
to obtain the much desired informa-
ton.
1t is from the confidential reDort
three OF these inspectors submitted
TO the chief inspector that the facts
herein are cleaned. Many thousands
or words are employed to convey to
the chlef Inspector just what they as
certalned and there are many pages
or the reports hat read like the most
hair-raising dime novel. Had NOT
his report fallen into the hands of
the writer Of this article the chances
are the episodes it chronicles would
nave Deen forever buried in the de-
files, for post office in
spectors are always loathe to talk of
their exploits. Their ~reticence is
Il as much to discretion as 20 mod
esty, for they are a body Of men who
tax their lives in their hands when
ever they set out to apprehend vio-
lators OF the postal laws, and fire.
quently their captures are effected
When disguised as "yeggmen," and
after fraternizing with the comrades
ol lhe men they are seeking.
This report was prefaced by these
remarks: w set forth the infor-
nation obtained regarding individual
post once burglaries, their
aliases, descriptions, prison records
resorts, ED of operation and rob-
berries committed by them.
'First-Fugitive post Office bur-
SIarS whose arrest is desired.
"Second-Post office burglars WIN
are at present serving sentences or
are in jail awaiting trial.
"Third-Persons who aid and abet
post office burglars in various wavs
we submit a special report relat-
ing to the disposal of stolen stamps
IN New York City and elsewhere"
At about the time the insDectors
started forth there was a newcomer
10 the clan Of "yeggs." who While
young IN crime proved himself an ant
pupil or the most hardened Of the
thleVes ne consOrted with and who
ere long was recognized as a leader
OF the men who elected to cast their
iots with MIN. 1t was this young
man who ultimately gave the in
spectors more information pertaining
70 geGgs and their activities than
1hey a ever dreamed Of and who
proved TO have n OF the most active
mlnds they had ever come in contact
with. OThand he gave minute de-
talls pertaining to hundreds Of rob.
berries, rafting off names, places and