Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-11-15
Officials
Probe Biz
Mail Theft
Postal Agents Hot on Trail of
Robbers Who Looted Regis.
tered Pouches OH Bur.
lington Train in Bluffs.
Arrests Expected Hourly

opSl ldllNCs, dSCHtS duu "spCNtcls
of the postal department were
slowly tightening the coils last night
around the gang OF men who staged
the daring robbery of Burlington
! registered mail car within the city
limits Of Council Bluffs Saturday
uight.
The value of the loo, will run
into thousands of dollars, accord
ing to official reports, although no
definite check Of the looted car has
been made public. The stolen mail
pouches, nine in number. were
transferred to the Burlington train
at the Bluffs transfer from Union
Pacific train No. 6.
The pouches were from San
Francisco. it is believed and nearly
all contained currency for New
York. On account of its being
through mail. it was placed III
storage car" or one III which no
clerks worked during the trip. The
car was reloaded at Conncil Bluffs.
and it was here that the robbers
gained entrance. .-f.
Robbery an Easy Matter.
From an unofficial source it was
learned that the car which was
robbed was not regular mail car,
designed and constructed for the
transportation of mail, but was an
ordinary baggage car, pressed into
service on account of the car short
age. This would make it simple for
robbers to force an entrance.
L. H. Worley, superintendent of
mails; c. H. Glenn, postal Inspector.
and other federal officials were ac-
tive yesterday upon clues which it
was believed will result in the ar
rest OF two or more suspects soon.
None of the operatives would dis
cuss the case, however, or state
what progress had been made in
their work of running down the
criminals.
Ten sacks of registered mail were
thrown from the car. One was
found lying alongside the track.
The rihed car had been made up
at the Union Pacific transfer sta
ton on Twenty-hrst street. The
pouches were thrown off between
Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets. only
a few blocks away.
Crime is Discovered.
The robbers had hardly jumped
from the train when their crime was
discovered.
Den {. Newberry, clerk in charge
OF the mail crew. was in dead"
car at the rear of the train. The
side door was open and ANOTHER clerk
was looking out. When the train
was only two or three hundred yards
from Union Pacific transfer. the
clerk called to Newbcrry:
Look! There's registered
pouch
Newberry hurried to the door and
looked back along the rail. He
could see a dark object but could
not tell what it was.
1T was Just about where the train
stops for the crossing near Indian
creek" said Newberry, i'll telling OF
the affair. II was not sure that the
clerk was right, but at once | ran
forward toward the registered mail
car. six or seven cars ahead. On the
way | I,icked up other clerks, who
dropped their work and followed.
Chain Holds Door.
when we reached the registered
car, we tried the door. 1t opened a
bit and then stuck. The chain OH
the inside was fastened and the door
could not be opened. Then we knew
that something was wrong"
When the train reached Council
Bluffs passenger station. Newberry
and other clerks saw the window
of the sidedoor broken. They gained
entrance and saw that the car had
been rihed. Then they called police
and postal officials.
1T was clearly apparent" said
Newberry, "how the robbery was
accomplished. Whoever entered the
car must have swung up on the
iron step outside the sidedoor. Just
as the train pulled out of the trans
fer station. BY, breaking the, VIM
dow iii the door and reaching in, he
Souiu ulildtSH lue sue QOOr ana
pull it back. Then he must have
chained the end doors to prevent i'll
reference, picked out the registered
mail and thrown out the sacks as the
train stopped for the crossing.
Alarm Is Given.
When Newherry sent the alarm
to the police, Captain Shaffer of the
Council Bluffs force responded In
a few minutes, Superintendent Wor-
ley of the transfer mail station and
Postofficc Inspector Glenn of Coun-
Gil Bluffs appeared. Later they
were Joined by Inspector Coble OF
Omaha, Sumner Knox of the De-
partment of Justice bureau of in
vestigation and other federal agents.
Investigation quickly led to the
discovery of the one sack. left bv
the robbers. and to the finding Of
evidence which made it possible 10
start the tracing OF the automobile
in which the loot was hauled away.