The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-05-20
.UNEAR1H GIGANTIC
IAA|L THEFT PLOT
Planned HOId,Up in New York
CITY Hall PostoiIice.
CO1SpIRlTOAS IN CUSTODY
Outcome of Clever Detective Work on
Part of Unidentified Postal Inspect.
or-Ciears Up Previous Jobs.

New York. May 20.A gigantic post
office hold-up, Surprising in spectacu-
larity and daring any Of the recent
registered mail theft> Of The million
doilar-and-up class. would have been
perpetfated at the ciry hall pOStofiice
but for the keen work of pOSroffice
Inspector who grew bad mans beard,
conSorted with the plortpr> and unc0v-
cred their scheme.
This was the statement of Posloffice
Inspector DOran. in making public the
details Of The arrest Of seven men
six of them preSenG or pa>t post flee
employees He assert ed that their cap
Iure would clear up the registered
mail theft of July IS. when Slit 900
in Liberty bonds bound for Washing
ton We're tilched from rhe mails wnH.d
aid in solving a heretofore uHdiSclo>cd
theft of $4,000 in securities address
ed 10 Watertown. y. u. and might 60
far toward clearin% up the S2.o0o,A
mail truck I,,.,,.-,li' IN Lower Bread
way las ,brIn!,rr.
Plans had been lad and were 10
have Lt~n carried "ilt in broad day
light for rhr .oid-up and robbery ot
TIL. entire registered mail section Of
fine city hall Station. through which
millions in securities flow daily from
tie Wall street financial zone. Inspect
or Ibnran said. Orders had been i>>u-
o.: 10 S!ioot amy emni0ye who resisted.
Tic name of the Inspector VIII" IN
covered The plot. with his had-man
beard and his plausible manner, was
withheld. He was hiII one nf sixteen
INSPECTORS. If Was said. who have been
working lieir way for weeks into The
confidence Of The accused men. posing
rs boaslfnI feIlow-mail bandits
So completely were the mail robbers
taken in 10y their newfound pal thar
Inspector Dnran said he could recount
almost every sep raken in The Jul.
is Liberty bond theft.
The chief actor in This theft, he
said. vas Morris Sleinberg. i l3-year-
I'D clerk IN The registry department.
Ste!nberg, according 10 the Inspector.
had some mean>-aS yer undiscovered
of ascer,aiEing when valuable PACK
ages were Ia come 10 the postottice
from The Federal Reserve Bank
He knew in advance Of the Big ship
menT Of Liberty bonds which WAS TO
be made on July IS, and laid rhe pouch
aside when it WAS delivered.
\ few minutes later. it is alleged,
he took the pouch TO 4 small closet
on the third floor. where Edward Fee
gel, confederate. had been hiding
for several hours. Tossing the pouch
INTO the closet, he strolled noncha-
lantly hack 10 his post, leaving Fogel
TO rip it open, extract the package of
bonds and slip quietly out OF the
building.
Steinberg was suspected at tie t..s.-
bur care was taken to make him think
he was not, and a short time later oc-
casion was found to drop him from
the service for minor infraction OF
the rules.
The inspectors continued TO watch
him. and four months ago The beard.
ed gem mana ged 10 scrap an ae-
quaintance at the confectionery Srore
he and Fogel had opened
Taking room in the over East
Side as his 'hangout," The inspector
installed photograph and invited
them 10 visit him. II was not long
until he had met the other five men
alleged 10 be members OF the gang
and was swapping stories with them
about their mail robbing exploits
while fellow inspectors recorded the
conversations in an adjoining room.
Finally the gangsters let the beard
ed gent in on the city hall station
plot-and the swoop came
Arraigned before United States
Commissioner Hitchcock. the seven
prisoners were held in bail ranging
from $4,000 TO $4,000 each.
Steinberg. Fogel. Abraham Gold.
smith and Gustav Gales were held
in $4,000: Irving WeinsIein in S1j..
600, and Gustav Feldman and Harry
Shapiro in $1,000 each.