Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-05-13
CONFESSES TO
CRIME, 3-YEAR
TERM IMPOSED
SAM F0ROYCE MAN ADMITS THEFT
OF REGISTERED LETTERS At
POST OFFICE THERE.
u. S. POST OFFICE INSPECTORS %
EXCELLENT WORK, AND SECURE
RETURN OF MONEY.

Urbano Reyna. the Sam fordyce man
who Wednesday plaeded guilty to a charge
of theft Of rifling registered letters, was
sentenced to serve three years in the fed
eral prison at Fort ~Leayenworth, Kan, by
Federal Judge Waller I. Burns.
This was the first federal prison sn-
tence imposed in the BROWNSVILLE courts
in many years. This ease was worked mp
by the United States post office mspec'
tors. WHO deserve much credit for keh
success which they have achieved, for not
only did they secure the plea Of guilty OF
a man who was apparently systematical-
" proving upon the government but they
also succeeded in recovering the money
which had been stolen from Uncle Sam.
Reyna was arrested nj Rio Grande
City, Dec. Is. 1914. Che charge being theft
and rifing Of registered letters. He con
fessed his guilt before the United States
commissioner az Rio Grande Cky the
same night of his arrest. Prior To his
arrest numerous complaints had been
made by various persons OF shortages OF
money contents Of registered lotters re
ceiyed bv them. which had been mailed
at star route Offices supplying the post
Office at Sam FOrdyce. All Of these let.
tiers were carried over the several star
routes beyond and west Of Sam Fordyce.
Among the letters which were rifled were
many containing rcmiktances of surplus
money order funds. sent by the postmas-
tiers ut Grulla. Rio Grande City and Ro-
ma. respectively. which were addressed
to the postmaster at San Antonio. Some
|of these were stolen outright. Others
vert rified of part Of their cOHtents.
For some time the ease surrounded by
mystery. for the reason that registers
passed through the hands of several pos
tai employees. About Dee. 1. last year.
Charles q. kinzell. post Office inspector
at Austin, was detailed by the inspector
in charge 30 investigate these depreda.
tons. After considerable work on the
case il was determined that the losses
occurred in the post Office at Sam For.
|dyce.
The pos master at Sam Fordycc. who
"a n woman, admitted 10 the inspector
tat she was in the habit of permitting
her BIRD her, Urbano Reyna. TO open all
the mail pouches i'm her absence and dis
tribute the mail when alone in the Office.
Inspector kinzell found that some of
the currency bills that had been mailed
w Ftbf III NIulld dUu lAOfnd.
had passed from the hands of Crbano
Rcyna TO a woinan residing at Los EbI
nos and also To Hcyna's father. and had
come into the hands oi the postmaster
Id J D Ebanos, through money orders
purchased ut that Office by these persons
Examination Of money order renit,an,es
made by the Los Ebanos postmaster -
vcaled the fact tina, three of the bills
handled by UrbanO Rcyna ana received
by the Los Ebanos Office from Reyna's ia.
her had been stolen from the rcmittan.
ces made ~ the postmaster at Grulla and
Roma, as shown by comparison OF the
numbers 81 the bills which had been re-
mitted 10y these postmasters, The numbers
having been recorded by them before re-
ting with the numbers If THE bills re.
hitting with the numbers Of the bills re-
recorded on the duplicate Of the la.ter's
remittance on file in the Los Ebanos nj.
flee
Upon his arrest, Reyna was confronted
with these facts. together with other in.
formation obtained by the inspectors.
inspector kinzell questioned the man
thoroughly, and detained from him a
full confession, covering all the losses
and thefts Of registered matter bearing
on the Sam Fordyce Office. Reyna Z
Grated completely his siS.er. the post.
master. and all others. His thefts accre.
gated 500. This sum was repaid 10 the
government by the @her Of Reyna. The
thefts had been going on for several
months prior to his arrest.
Inspector Kinzell was assisted in run.
ming down n ferreting out this case by
Inspector VIM. Renkin Of Corpus Chris.
ii. who rs inspector in charge OF this dis.
tri,
Reyna. who is thirty years old has been
sentenced TO serve three wears in the fed.
eral penitentiary at TT. Leayenworth.
kans.
Another conviction for tamperinc with
Uncle Sans mails obtained at this courf
was that Of Arturo Uresti, who as CLERK
in the post Office at Hidalgo. succeeded in
acquiring a sum Of $1,000 bv falsifyine
money order returns. The defendant in
this case also confessed, but N first at.
tempted to evade the penalty for his
Icrme by CLEANING to be under the age of
sixteen. He appeared I'm court In knee
trousers. but finally admitted that he
was eighteen wears old. Judge Burns has
not vet passed sentence in this ease. Post
Once Inpsector A. r. Butler. formerly
OF this district. now Of TT Paso surceed.
Ell IN working mn This ease