The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1913-05-23

| an explosive. But the yeggmen pFac'
tice much simpler methods Provided
with no apparatus except a bottle OF
nitroglycerine, a coil of fuse and caps,
they enter the postofIice through a
door or window, with the help of tools
stolen perhaps from a nearby black
/ smiths shop
Meanwhile, two or three men are
stationed outside as pickets, to give
an alarm in case anybody approaches
or to shoot if there is occasion. Com
mon bar soap is used to fill the joints
Of the safe door and enough nitro
glycerine is allowed to percolate in
behind this "tamping' to furnish the
requisite explosion. Then the fuse is
lighted, and, at a safe distance, results
are awaited. When the safe has been
torn open, its contents are hastily
thrown into a sack. All registered
and ordinary mail that happens to
be on the premises is rifed and the
thieves make Off Should they be in
terrupted, they are always ready to
kill, and usually they escape. Now
and then they have pitched battles
with citizens, and the latter, being
unprepared, are apt TO get the worst
of it,
Such a job is easy, nearly always
successful, and attended by compara-
lively little risk. Even if postodice
robber is captured and convicted, the
maximum penalty under the law is
only five years in prison. A reward
of 500 to 5000 is offered ir cases OF
the kind by the government, and dur
ing the last year 329 thieves of this
class were arrested; but the business |
offers special attractions to criminals
of the sort here described, and so goes |
merrily on.
Recently there has been a new and /.
rather startling development Of this .
kind OF industry. The postoffice rob .
bers have taken to practicing their .
profession in automobiles. Upstate in .
New York they are going from town
to town in motor cars (stolen, Of .
course), and pillaging postofiice after
postoflice, in some instances several
Of them in a night In this way
gang of yeggmen can easily rifle the
postal safes in half dozen or more
towns between midnight and day
break, speeding away thereupon to
distance of 100 miles or more from
The scene of operations and scatter
ng. The car is left behind; it is
easy to steal another one when they
want it,
The stamps stolen by the robbers
ire easily disposed Of through a
fence in some city, who converts
hem into money by selling them at a
discount. 1t is astonishing (say the
detectives Of the postal service) how
ew questions are asked, and how lit
lie it takes to satisfy business people
If the highest standing that it is prop
II to buy stamps which are at least
lnder suspicion Of having been stolen. !
All stamps look alike, and are current
'veryWhere at face value. They can
lot be identified as stolen goods in
he hands of either thief or receiver.
One Of the most remarkable rob ]
,eries occurred not long ago at Rich
nond, Va, where the postonice was s
ntered some time between Saturday !
vening and the following Monday 8
morning the vault blown open, and |
S6,295 in stamps and money stolen. !
'wo suspicious strangers left the city /
With several trunks soon after the 8
and by clever work the gov
rDmeDt detectives traced these (
runks through several cities to New /
'ork There they arrested Eddie Fay {
nd Richard Harris, notorious yegg /