Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-05-17

CG$ for him-this being a
" q standing offer which the
1SG9 postofIce dep a m e mt
G&J makes tor the capture Of
anybody who ventures 10 plliage
train that is carrying the mails.
Train robbng is the most distiuc-
lively American of all professions; 1t
is likewise the most perilous. bar
none One of the most recent exam
pies was the holding up of the over
land limited, bound from san Francis
co TO Chicago and points east. II was
halted at midnight by red lantern
placed in the middle Of the track three
miles west of Omaha. and the mail
car was pluudered. seven pouches Of
registered letters and packages being
thrown out and rihed.
The flying squadron" of postoflce
/ detectives, with headquarters at Oma-
/ ha. got after the robbers so quick that
/ the latter were actually unable TO
make their escape from the city. AS
sisted by the corps of professional
bandit hunters. under Chief W. 7.
Canada. they captured every one
the holdup men. to the number OF
five, within week. illustrating the
fact that the days of train robbing as
safe and easy method of acquiring
wealth are past The government will
spend unlimited money to catch such
outlaws, and the railroads offer addi-
tional rewards for their seizure. alive
or dead Pursuit of them nearly al
ways winds up with a desperate fight.
and the shooting is to kill.
Chief Canada has under him eight
men, all of them dead shots with rifle
or pistol They travel in a special
car of extra length, half of which is
occupied by stalls for nine horses.
Arrangements are such that they can
be on their way to the scene of
train robbery within thirty minutes
after news OF il has been received.
Arriving there with fresh horses. they
can telegraph for relay mounts as
they are needed-two of the men be
ing expert operators, who can easily
climb pole with portable instru-
ment They know how to follow a
trail that no ordinary person could
distinguish. and final escape for the
1 bandits is almost out of the question.
Train robbers have grown much
holder within recent years. Formerly
, they piled their highly stimulating
vocation in remote and isolated parts
of the country: nowadays they do not
hesitate to operate in densely populat-
p ! cd CT nj nd tho largest cities
not long ago a train was held up near
Benicia, Cal, and the mail rified. A
gang of nine men conducted the affair
and all of them were captured and
sent to prison, five of them for life
and the others for terms of fifteen
years to forty-fve years.
Thus, the adoption of measures
:, sternly repressive. the postoflice de
" partment is enabled to prevent the
robbing of mail trains from becoming
more popular as form of industry
though on an average. half dozeT
. instances of such outlawry occur
: every year. But there is another kline
. of criminal enterprise which has
shown a tendency to increase alarm
= find it difficult to deal. This is thu
. pillaging of pOstoffices by professional
= thieves-the extent of the business
;. being indicated by the fact that dur
ing last year nearly 1000 postoffice
were 'burgled."
- This seems to be- under present cor
n dtions,l fairly profitable species o
naCilV cutprp
at night, and there is usually SAT
on the premises which. containing O
it does the stock of stamps and
sum of money representing posts
|, funds. may be expected to yield an!
IN where from few hundred to severe
nj thousand dollars. Not long ago tn
n. postoffice at South Bend. Ind, wa
ef burglarized. and $1S,653 in stamps an
Of cash was taken. During the sam
al twelvemonth the postoliice at Dayton
ed Fla. yielded loot to the extent
ri. s5.436: and s5,240 was stolen from ii
postofIice at Santa Cruz. Cal
n. The robbing of postoffices is toda
IS a well-organized industry. conducte
al by tramp-thieves of desperate chara
IN ter who call themselves ''yeggmen
lie These yeggmen have practically supe
m seeded the old-time safe blowers. Fo
90 merly the blowing of safes was dol
de BY few skillful, expert mechanic
he VINO carried high-class tools and kne
er Just where to drill into the lock
as order to break it, or where to inse
>~~~-~~~.~
re-
tn Found Body in Fragments.
mt Blown to pieces. a travelling arti!