The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-10-22
CAN'T Find Thief
THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLAR HUNT
FAILS TO Nab ROBBER
Who Stole HUGE sum

Southern Express Mystery Still I'm
solved After Scores Seek Clues for
Month-Companies Grieve Over
Failure of 'Infalible System" to
Guard Faluables.
There are all the makings Of as
pretty mystery down Savannah way
sever popped from the pages Of
Conan Doyle or Poe. To-day, more
than month since the theft of s71,-
900 was discovered by the Southern
Express Company, through which it
had been consigned to Georgia banks
not the slightest breath of clew has
been found to fix any guilt.
Yet every special agent and detec-
tive in the employ of the Southern
and the Adams Express companies
has entered the hunt, executive off,
GERS are racking their brains and
sighting other duties, Pinkertons
and Savannah detectives everywhere
between New York and Savannah
have been commissioned to find the
money or the thieves, and thousands
of dollars are being spent in the in
vestigation.
Every foot of right of way Of the
Southern and the Adams companies
between New York and Savannah
has been secured. Every employee
who might be in any way connected
with handling or even viewing the
money has been investigated, his past
and present life, his habits, his tastes,
even his thoughts, so far as possible,
have been studied. Still there is no
clew.
1t is not the loss Of the money that
stings the two great express compa-
MES. Their officials have announced
that they are prepared to spend much
more than that amount to find the
robber. Their grief arises from the
fact that their infallible System" has
gone awry. This system has protect
ed valuables before this. It was
though impossible to disturb the con-
tents Of any consignment without
sign Of some sort being left that
would point to the robber.
Two express messengers are nam
ed in connection with the shipment
Of the money. W. L. Schindell, OF
New York, came with the strong box
from New York as far as Florence, S.
c., where it was transferred to L. c.
Bryan, who took 1t into Savannah.
The officials and detectives are
frank in admitting they have investi-
gated the two young men. Schindell
Is said to move in the second-class
| vaudeville set in New York, but he
has never been known to drink to ex-
cess or to play the white lights. Bry-
an. country boy, lives at Florence,
and runs only as. far as Savannah.
His habits are said to be good.
The $1,000 was sent by New York
banks; $4,000 was going to the Saw
annah Bank and Trust Company and
$1,000 each to banks in Savannah,
Albany, Brunswick and Valdosta.
The remaining 5000 was being sent
to a private commercial house. The
money was sent in bills of small de-
nominations, none being larger than
SEQ. They weighed rs pounds, and
were very bulky, proving that it
would have been impossible to con-
ceal it about the person Of any man.
Messenger SchindeH received the
money at Jersey City, from the agent
of the Adams Express Company. 1t
vas in a steel strong box with bills
of lading on the inside. The top Of
the box was worked by a combination
known only to the agents at each
end Of the line There was an inner
door, locked by a key, which was
placed in a sealed envelope between
the inner and the outer door.
When Schindell received the box at
Jersey City he complained Of the
seals "looking bad". Bryan made NO
complaint concerning the seals when
the shipment was placed in his hands
at Florence.
The box was delivered in Savannah
September 10. The express agent
placed it in the hands Of the super
intendent, who opened it.
There was no irregularity. The
bills Of lading called for s255 and
no more, but when the banks called
for their money the agent discovered
that the bills Of lading for the big
amount had been stolen too. A tele-
cram corroborated the announcement
BY the bank that the money should
have been in the box.
The alarm was given. In a few
hours every special agent Of the two
express companies between New York
and Savannah was at work. ]. B.
Eockaday, general manage" Of the
Southern Express Company, went
from Atlanta to Savannah with Su-
perintendent Harry Scott, OF the,
Pinkertons. The detectives are still
working, although every resource at
command CT their ingenuity has been
exhausted.
The search has even included
travel along every foot of the right
Of way, a look into every bush and
over every embankment. Nothing
has been left untried, and the theft
has cost the express companies, in
cluding the payment Of tie maount
to the banks, more than 100000.