Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-22
; ADMIT PLANNING
.TOHOLDUPT TRUCK.
OFFICERS ASSERT

The three men held under suS-
picion of completely in the robbery
of $4,000 worth of bonds from a
United States mail truck in Atlanta
last Tuesday night all have admitted
deny that they carried out the
project, officials of the postoffice in
spection department state. Inspec-
tors and city detectives were contin-
uing their efforts Saturday to estab-
lish the identity of the two-gun high
wayman who engineered the theft
and important developments were ex-
pected at any hour,
Of the three suspects, two are one.
armed-Henry Bone, former soldier
and son of an Atlanta policeman, and
c. L. Bachelor, convicted previously
as a yeggman. The third, J. D.
Smith, held under $4,000 bond on
state charge of larceny of an auto
mobile also has figured in local po-
lice records, it is stated. Bone was
arraigned Friday afternoon before
United States Commissioner Colquitt
Carter on the charge of conspiracy to
defraud the government and was re-
leased in custody of his father, Pa
trolman William H. Bone, pending
a commitment trial. A complaint
charging the same offense was sworn
out against Bachelor Saturday and
he will be arraigned later. He and
Smith are in the Fulton county
Tower.
Examination of the three men, ac-
cording to the inspection department,
brought admissions from all that on
the Saturday night preceding the
hold-up they had sat on the curb at
the corner of Forsyth and Hunter
streets and discussed waylaying
postoffice truck The hitch came when
the one-armed men declared they
could not handle the job, while Smith
refused to be 1.-The fall guy" the In
spectors say. The robbery followed
on Tuesday night. A man with Two
corner mentioned, forced John 1;
Widener, registry transfer clerk, and
J. E. Craig, negro chauffeur, to drive
to a lonely Sroad beyond West view
cemetery, and left them bound hand
and foot after 1ooting all registered
mail in the truck.
Bone is twenty-four years ola ana
lives at 361 Capitol avenue. He lost
his left arm and suffered permanent
injuries that make him Vlrtual
cripple when he was almost electro
cuted in an accident some monIhs
ago. Bachelor is a young man a ALSO
and lives with his family at 2S1
Benwood avenue. He recently served
a tWo-year sentence in the Atlanta
federal prison for cracking" the
postoffice safe at Forsyth, Ga, &C
cording to the inspection department.
They were arrested Thursday. oHl1In
lives at 81 South Gordon street. He
was arrested Wednesday on the
charge that he had helped steal an
automobile in Atlanta, selling 1t at
Dahlonega.
The discovery of about fifty. Lib
erty bonds Friday afternoon IN an
empty barn at the rear Of PA Wood
ward avenue for time led the in
spection department to believe that
part of the loot stolen by the truck
highWayman had been recovered.
Two small boys at play accidentally
found the certificates In the lott
Of the barn, wrapped in newspaper
An inspector visited the scene and
brought back the securities which
soon were found to be part of an
other theft.
The certificates represented $500
worth of Liberty bonds which had
been lost by letter carrier on May
81. along with about $4,000 worth
of stock certificates of the Coca-Cola
company and other corporations.
They had reached Atlanta in four
teen pieces of registered mail ad.
dressed to the Trust Company of
Georgia by various banks. The ne
gro carrier reported that he had lost
them while on his route. This loss
had not been made public. None Of
the stock certificates were found
with the Liberty bonds.