Evening star., 1921-11-26
Department Has Details of
Concerted Raids Planned
for Coming Winter.
HOPE TO FOIL THIEVES
is PINNED ON GUARDS
Assigned in Nick of Time Is Belief
OF Oficials-Five Attempts Made
at New York Robbery.

INIoeuCS u Il HdtlOn- "lue plOt 10
rob the United States mails this win
ter is in the hands of the Post Of
! flee Department.. and il was largely
! 10 thwart these designs that the ma
rfnes were called TO guard mail
trains and post Offices, it was learned
; today.
knowledge that determined efforts
would be made this winter to rob the
| mails in various parts of the coun-
| try, following the recent successful
| mail theft in New York city. was
| responsible for the determination to
! use the marines.
Edward H. Shaughnessy, second
| assistant postmaster general. in
charge of the railway mail service.
/ let it be known today for the first
| time that the 1000 marines were not
put on trains and at post offices to
| fight few sporadic men Of vicious
| character who might take it into
| their heads to rob the mails.
The marines only went on duty in
| the nick of time, according to the
! belief of officials, and their vigilance
\ will be the one great factor in stop
| ping the mail robberies.
Hold Suspect In Custody.
Inspectors of the department have
information as TO the concerted ac-
ton planned to rob mail trains and
| trucks throughout the country, and
| believe that they have in custody in
New York one of the members of the
possible mail robber band.
| Five attempts We're made in New
York to pull off, the mail robbery
which resulted finally in a haul OF
more than n million dollars. The man
now in custody was arrested for an
other crime, it is understood, but
later is said to have confessed that
| he had attempted to rob the truck
| before, and had been thwarted on
each occasion, and finally the job
| was pulled" by others.
| One night a rain made the robbers
gathered at corner near the spot
where the actual robbery took place
later, hesitate to attempt the crime.
the asphalt, it being feared that if
| suddenly halted the mail truck would
skid, thereby giving the mail clerk
| time to resist.
On another occasion. according to
! information in the hands OF the Post
! Office Department, this man and his
confederateS were lying in wait for
| the truck, when policeman and sew
eral pedestrians happened to go by.
| This is but a sample of the de-
| termined character OF the mail rob-
| bers with whom the department has
had to deal, officials say.
Protests Wisconsin Shooting.
| Postmaster General Hays has re-
ceived letter of protest from Gov.
Blaine of Wisconsin against the ac-
| tion of marine in shooting at men
| who attempted to ride on mail cars
in that state. But ii is understood
| that for the present it is not likely
| that the department will take any
action in the matter.
| The position of the Post Office De-
| partEent. II was learned from high
| officials today. is simply that the
| marines are working under orders of
/ the Navy Department and the COM
mandant of the Marine Corps. and
/ that the Post Office department, with
/ the information ii has as to plans
for concerted and determined efforts
! to rob the mails this winter. can do
! little in the matter but mark time
| 1t is felt here that neither Gov
Blaine, perhaps, nor anybody in the
country. except postal officials.
realizes fully the seriousness of the
threatened them until the marines
took charge.
| THE right of the marines to shoot
| buns riding on mail cars may be a
question of law declared Capt David
! S. Barry, liaison officer of the Marine
| Corps at the Post Office Department
/ But it is not question of powder
Warned Against Interference.
The marines guarding the mails re-
ceive their orders directly from the
marine officers and commandant, and
! from the Secretary of the Navy, who
has ordered them to shoot to Kill,
| and postmasters throughout the coun-
| try have been warned by the depart
| ment not to interfere in any way
with the marines, their methods OF
handling the situation. nor how the
men shall be armed. These are mat
/ ters entirely in the hands of the ma
| rine officers.
] The marines. it is held, have no
time to attempt to discriminate be-
| tween men attempting to rob mail
| cars and men only attempting to steal
rides. At Union station here recently
| truck loaded with valuable securi-
| ties divided a party of three young
men and three young women, and
! when one of the men placed hand
| on the truck to regain his position by
the side Of one of the young women
| the marine on the truck leveied his
! gun at him. While the young man
i became angry. it is thought by postal
| officials that the marine acted prop
erly. 1t is believed that the plotted
robberies might have been operated
| in some such fashion, and that wom-
/ en-. as well as men. would likely have
| taken part in them.
Criminals Ride on Engines.
| Just what the postal service faces
at this time in protecting the peo-
pies mail was demonstrated on a
| mail train steaming into Evansville.
1 Ind, not far from Sullivan. the home
| of Postmaster General Hays. The
| marine observed white man and a
| colored man riding on the engine and
| ordered them off. They refused. but
when he emphasized his command
with a gun. the men left the train.
At Evansville a telegram was re-
! ceived from another city asking the
/ police to arrest a white man and a
| colored man who were understood to
! be on the train. They were wanted
| for crime. Thus, it is seen, accord
| ing to postal officials. that the ma
rines never know who the men are
they order off trains or shoot at, and
that they can do little else under
| their orders.
The question of whether the ma
rines on mail trains constitute mar
| tial law, in a sense, is one with
which the postal service is not con-
| cerned, it is declared, this being
| matter for settlement between those