New-York tribune., 1921-05-10
Gang. Members, Working
as Clerks or Porters,
Rob Drug Store Stations
of Money Order Blanks
Cash Forged Paper
On Gay White Way
Dapper Youths Lead Fast
Life in Five Cities; u. S.
Now Staging Roundup

AhTee arrests, made last niphk hr
agents OF The Department of .Tust;ca
revealed that hundreds of United Stat +,
postal money orders, stolen from sinh.
seations in this ci3y, Albany, Syracuse.
huffalo and Cleveland, have either been
cashed or are still in the hands Of tho
men who stole them.
In this city alone, Tribune rsnor+o
learned last night, more than four bun-
dred postal money orders have beer
stolen within the last three weeks bv .
oand of thieves whose operations indi-
caee the existence Of a plot that NAV
prove as involved and widespread as
the Wall Street bond theft consniracr
of year ago.
The postal thefts. according to A.
sistant United State, District A+tou,,...
Louis d. Schwartz and the Department
Oh justice agents who made yesterdays
arrests, were planned by a man who
controls the movements of confederates
IN several large cities in this state and
N Cleveland, Ohio, where Yesterday
Mr. schwartz said, man and women
plot. "'-' VIC
While the Federal authorities de-
cilhea 60 give out the names of those
arrested, declaring that to do so might
make it impossible to apprehend rere
tain leaders about whom thew have
thrown net, it was said that the
stolen money orders cashed in the last
two weeks by Broadway and Fifth Ave
nue. merchants would reach a total fav
in excess of $4,000
Thieves Led Fast Life
The worthless money orders stolen
here were circulated for the most mart
in the White Light district, where. the
Federal authorities say, the thieves
have been leading n fast life for two
months.
Hotels, restaurants, lobster palaces.
theaters, ticket agencies, florists, the
promoters of big sporting events in
Madison Square Garden, haberdashers
and even the Westchester Racing Asso-
clation We're selected by the thieves tc
be victimized.
Post Office Inspector Guernie Smith
has worked for two months on the
money order plot and the arrests were
described as prelude to general
cleanup" scheduled for to-day, which
is expected to result in the capture of
the alleged master mind" and his
agents in this state and in Cleveland.
The plot leader is described by Mr..
Schwartz ss hashy young chap, hand
some and sufficiently we'll educated to
make an impression in society. He has
been cutting wide swath in the vicin-
lty OF forty-second Street and Broad
way.
Many of the money orders stolen
from sub-postoffices here were sent
to other cities to be cashed, Mr..
Schwartz said, while the confederates
to whom they were sent reciprocated
with orders which they had stolen.
The cleverness of the methods en-
ployed lay in their extreme simplicity,
the Federal authorities said.
Robberies in Drug Stores
Virtually all the sub-stations robbed
were situated in drug stores. In most
instances member Of the gang was
selected to go to the druggist and get
position as soda clerk or porter.
This was the favorite method of the
gang because it did away with the ne
cessity of blowing the safe in which
money order blanks are required by
the postoffice law to be locked at night.
The clerk or porter was supposed to
remain in the employ of the druggist
until he had familarized himself with
the premises. His job then was to
steal all the money order blanks he
could lay his hands on, together with
the government money order impress
sion stamp-without which the blanks
would be useless.
In one substation uptown the thief
stole the stamp and nearly 200 blanks.
More than 1876 Of these were disposed
of, being later identified by the num-
Der Of the station, which is stamped
on each blank. Nearly all were made
out for S100, which is the largest
amount that can be drawn on a postal
money order.
At least two women are said to have
been in league with the thieves here
and more are alleged to have cooper
ated in the other cities. Their work
was to aid in cashing the orders after
they had been made out.
Florists Favored Victims
Florists appear to have been the
victims most favored by the crooks,
according to Mr.. Schwartz. the,r method
being to select a dealer whose shop
was near &heater in which some IA
NOUS actress was playing. The fior-
lists are said to have been the particu-
tcoutlnued on page fIys)