Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-12-28
MAN HELD FOR RoeBlNG SIOUX
CITY PosToFFlcE BOXES
SENT 70 JAIL.
INSPECTOR SECURES
STRONG EVIDENCE
Britton Believed to Have Found Key
to Box Belonging to Bank-chsoks
and Drafts Stolen and Converted In
to cash---Britton Preparing TO Leave
City.

Sioux City, Dec. IS Following thefts
Of hundreds of dollars in checks from
the postoffice boxes of the Security
National Bank, the Tolerton & War
field Company and the Knapp Spen-
Ger Company, Postoffice Inspector w.
II. Jones arrested J. Il. Britton. al
Douglas street, in the lobby of the
posto,f.ee and charged him with steal
ing from the mails and unlawful pos
session Of key
Inspector Jones hid himself in the
postonice. He declared he saw Britton
come in and open one Of the boxes,
and that after the arrest Britton told
conflicting stories of his possession or
Key to the Knapp & Spencer box.
Britton was lodged i'm the county jail.
The bank and thettwo wholesale con-
Germs had been missing hundreds OF
dollars worth of>checks from their
mails for a week. The bank box was
robbed first about q week ago. All OIL
the incoming mail which arrived dur
Ing the late afternoon and evening had
been stolen Among the mail was a
large number of checks from country
banks which are correspondents of the
Security National Bank Several days
ago employees of the Day Coal Company
found a check on the banks of the Mis-
souri, river and notified the bank. An
investigation was started by Inspector
Jones assisted by Clyde G. Cummins.
assistant cashier OF the bank In the
investigation more than 100 checks
were found scattered along the river
front
Inspector Jones believes that Britton
obtained a key and used it as a pat
tern in making other keys.
A check for Sc, 900 is missing from the
mails Of the Tolerton & Warfield Com
pany. Since banks have been notified
to stop payment on all OF the missing
checks. IL is not believed that there VIII
be any loss rs a result Of the rifiing
of the mails
After lodging him in jail. Inspector
Jones searched Britton's rooms, at q !
Dougles street, but found nothing that
could be used as evidence. Britton is
married and has four small children
He came TO Sioux City from kansas
City about a year ago. He is painter
by trade. He told Inspector Jones that
he had been working for George W.
vanderburg. a contracting painter.
( Deposit of o draft for S216.S0 was
made by j. +. Britton. arrested for
rifiing lock boxes in the Sioux City
postoffice. according to Postal Inspector
W. II Jones. Jones said today the
draft was drawn on Sioux City
wholesale house and made payable to
Mrs. ]. C. Mills, Of Pierson, Iowa. How
the endorsement OF Mrs. Pierson, on the
back of the paper was secured, vas
mystery. Jones declared.
The draft was deposited with the
Iowa State Savings Bank and check
ing account started from IT, but only
$3.50 had been drawn upon 1t, at the
time of Britton's arrest.
"Britton used the money to pay bills
around town" said Jones. when
searched after arrest We found $122 In
currency on his person. 1t looked as
tho he was getting ready to leave the
city. His wife told us that they We're
going TO move. but her husband, she
said. had not told her where they in
tended TO 60"
II developed that recently messen-
ger hoy of the Tolerton & Wartield
Company lost his keysto the company' s
mall drawer. Not wishing to inform his
superiors of the loss he borrowed a
key from, another employe of the COM
payy. This key he took to the Lyons
Gun store to be used as a pattern for
a duplicate ks4