The New York herald., 1922-05-20
PLOT TO ROB MAILS TO-DAY
BALKED BY SEVEN ARRESTS
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Continued from First Page.
and you must admit he is clever
one."
He pointed to our little friend Mutt.
The prisoners gulped. Severally and
collectively they remarked that they
would be damned. and then they began
racing back through their memory 10
recall the things they had told this guy
Mutt. and not long afterward the major
ity OF them were. according to the in
spcctors and Moses Polakoff, Assistant
United States Attorney. confcssing to the
truth OF the charges laid by the Gov
crnment against them,
BY nine months OF work, with In
spector Mutt and an informer on the
inside. and swarm Of inspectors on
the outside. the Government believes
that 1t has now caught the entire band
Of those who stole tho $1.477.oo0 of
Liberties and who tried to dispose of
tnem. Except for the trials Of the ac-
cused- 1T regards the robbery Of last
July as a closed case,
Following the seven arrests. Govern
ment officers said that as a result OF
cleansing of the postal service begun
by Postmaster General Hays, after the
theft OF $2,00o.000 worth OF bonds from
a mail truck In Leonard street in Oc-
tober. last. between 400 and 500 postal
employees have been dismissed In the
New York district.
Some of these were discovered by
comparison Of finger prints to have
prison records or to have been under
arrest for serious offenses.
Another Holdup Planned.
The arrests, It was found. nfpped a
plot foF hold up in the registry division
OF the City Hall Post Office, whose OBJ.
Jective was to have been a pouch con-
tanning 100000 In cash. According "a
Federal Officers. tho holdup was ar
ranged for Saturday or Sunday, a fort
night ago. but was postponed because
the lookout OF the gang. recognized a
Federal inspector near the Post Office
and rightfuily suspected that the build
ing was being guarded against attack.
AS there had been some talk Of maxi
ing another try to-day, the Postal in
spectors. having gathered all tho In
formation they wanted. thought 1t best
to- put the gang in Jail before they
could carry out their further program.
Tho N.40.o0o robbery of last July
mover yielded tho thieves 70 much as
one cent. They burned $1.3o0.000 worth
Of tho bonds Immediately because they
were Of the $4,000 denomination-too
pose Of the rest. ran into a. brokerage
office where the brokers were Post or
flee Inspectors. lost some of their con-
federates In the arrests resulting from
this episode, and were SO scared that
they burned the rest of the bonds.
The nearest anybody got to raising 6
real money on any Of the loot was last
December. when the convent bred for
mer wife OF Abe Atteli. pugilist, tried
to sell q $500 Liberty bond through a
Seventh avenue delicatessen man. Sho
and two men were arrested at that time.
All Of tho seven prisoners are gradu-
ates Of New York grammar schools.
Two attended high school-one the
High School Of Commerce, tho other
Stuyvesant High School. All except
one are former employees Of the New
York Post Office.
Morris Steinberg, who lives at 1876 Clin-
ton street. 10 only 1s Tho oldest of
the prisoners Ii "a.
All OF Bond Loot Cancelled.
The bag Of Liberty bonds was being
sent by the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York to the Treasury Department
in Washington. Steinberg. a clerk In
the registry division. Is alleged to have
sneaked the bag from the registry of
flee on the second floor OF the General
Post Office. Seventh avenue and Thirty
third street. to a cleaners closet on the
third floor. where Fogel was In hiding.
waiting to receive 1t.
Steinberg slit the bag. removed the
bundles and Fogel slipped out Of the
building with them. To the dismay OF
the thieves most OF the bonds were
stamped Paid" proving that they had
been redeemed and were worthless un-
less the mark could be erased. This was
done later with some OF them.
Fogel-so tho Governments mon tell
the story-took the loot to his home.
Is Suffolk street. He At once destroyed
the thirteen 100000 bonds. vainly tried
to sell some OF the others at store
In Third avenue, and then, avoiding safe
deposit boxes. calmly checked the bag
with the remaining $i47,0o0 Of bonds at
the Grand Central Terminal.
Got Advice OF Convict.
Fogel needed advice. Himself just
out of the Essex county Jail In New
Jersey, where he had served three
months for robbing a registered letter.
he wrote 10 his friend. Abraham Gold
smith, Of 361 Third street. Goldsmith.
who like Fogel had been a postal reg
istry clerk, was In the Essex County
Jail finishing a four months sentence
for robbery. Goldmfth's answer was.
It is alleged. Take the bonds to Harry
Shapiro, 1914 Avenue d. Harry Will
know what to do with them" So Sha-
piro, 1t is alleged. tried to make q sale
and failed.
The constirators needed money and
were not getting 1t. AT this 3unctnre
Goldsmith finished his Jail sentence and
bent his intellect TO the problem He
decided that the thing to DO was to
seek out a broker who would be willing
to buy the bonds cheap and ask few
questions.
The Federal inspectors had had reason
to suspect the registry clerk. steinbers.
from the first. They trailed him. ana
suspicion increased when they discovered
that his partner in a candy store man
aged ION the side" at f12 East Houston
street was Fogel, the ex-cierk. who had
tust served a jail term for mail theft
The sedue. was the appearance or
Mutt. the affable, g1Inman. In the candy
store. and his admittance to the coun-
ellis and revelries Of Steinbers. Fogei and
their friends
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