Arizona republican., 1922-05-20
NETWORK |NSPECTORWORKs
WITH PL0TTERS To UNCOVER
POSTAL THEFT
Six Postoffice Employees Arrested in Plot to
Steal Entire Registered Mail At City Hall
Station in Daylight Robbery Set for Today
May Clear Other Big Mail Thefts
IRepublican A. p. Leased wire1

NEW YORK, May ia gigantic
postoffice hold up, surprising in spec
tacularlty and daring any of the
recent registered mail thefts of the
million dollar and up class, would
have been perpetrated at the city hall
postoffice tomorrow but for the keen
work of a postoffice inspector who
grew bad mans beard. consorted
with the plotters and uncovered their
scheme.
This was the statement today Of
Postoffice Inspector Doran in making
public the details of the arrest OF
seven men-six' of them present OF
past postoffice employees. He assert
ed that their capture would clear up
the registered mail theft of July IS.
twhen S1,447 900 in liberty bonds bound
for Washington were stoles from the
mails. would aid in solving a hitherto
undisciosed theft of $40 900 in Sc
curities addressed to Watertown. n.
Y, and might go far toward clearing
up the $4,000, 900 mail truck hold up in
Broadway last October.
Would Shoot To Kill
Plans had been laid-and were to
have been carried out in broad day
light-for the hold UP and robbery
Of the entire registered mail at the
city hall station through which mil
lions in securities flow daily from the
Wall street financial zone Inspector
Doran said. Orders had been issued
10 shoot any employe who resisted.
The plotters had visited the city
llall station several times and made
a careful survey OF the layout" and
planned their raid in great detail.
Indeed, Inspector Doran said they
| had gone to the station several weeks
ago, ready to pull the hold up, but
had been deferred by the accidental
presence of several inspectors. which
had led them to fear their plot had
been discovered.
1t was the imminence of the new
date set for the hold UP that sent
police and postoffice inspectors on a
round up campaign last night. The
inspector who uncovered the plot with
his bad man beard and his plausible
manner. was one of 16 inspectors. it
was said. who have been working
their way for weeks into the confi-
dence of the accused men--posing as
boastful fellow mail bandits.
The bearded man, it was said. sue
ceeded in getting himself counted i'm
on the proposed city hall station hold
up. and talked 1t over in detail with
the others in the supposed den
which he had wired with telephone
devices
Have Distaphone Records
The seven captives taken last night
were confronted with transcripts OF
the telephonic record carly today in
the presence of the bearded inspector
and some are alleged TO have con-
fessed.
Much data on their earlier opera
1.aadx ba laopt1 flnpred and
recorded by the telephone device-at
boasting tests set in motion by the
thrilling stories of mail banditry told
by the bearded gentleman as his
robber friends called him.
So completely were the mail rob-
bers taken in by their new found pal
that Inspector Doran said today he
could recount almost every step taken
in the July IS Liberty bond theft.
The chief actor in this theft. he said,
was Morris Steinberg, 19-year-old
clerk in the registry department..
Steinberg, according to the inspec-
tor, had some means-as yet undis-
covered--of ascertaining when VAL
liable packages were to come to the
postoffice from the Federal Reserve
bank.
He knew in advance of the big
shipment of Liberty bonds which was
mailed on July IS and laid the pouch
aside when it was delivered.
A few minutes later, it is alleged,
he took the pouch to a small closet
on the third floor where Edward
Fogel, a confederate had been hiding
for several hours. Tossing the pouch
into the closet, he strolled nonchalt
antly back to his post. leaving Fogel
to rip it open, extract the package of
bonds and slip quietly out or the
building.
Suspect Is Discharged
Steinberg was suspected at the
time, but care was taken TO make him
think he was not. and short TINS
CONTINUED on Page TWo)