Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-07-11
BOLD ROBBERS RUN DOWN
Dtt Gives Pose as Safe Crackers
= and Get Information.
MUCH POsroFFICE LOOT RECOVERED
Long and Patient Search Rewarded at
Last With success-Three Men Ar
rested and Held in $125Ooo Bail


Through a woman, the detectives
of the American Express Company
and the Pinkerton Agency and in
spectors of the Post Office Department
were led TO the trail of the s1,454,l2s
loot in cash, bonds and stock certi-
ficates stolen from a mail truck loaded
with registered mail pouches in Leon
ard Street on the night Of Oct. "a last:
Confession of one Of the robbers and
commitment of the three under ar
rest to Jail in $125,000 bail each ended
the investigation yesterday and reveal
ed the details of the remarkable, pa
tient pursuit of the robbers for many
months.
Gordon T. Mccarthy, special agent
of the American Express company
at Buffalo, who will share largely in
the big rewards the Post Office De-
partnent offered for arrest and con-
viction of the robbers, lived for
months in the guise of professional
safe blower. He had to talk, eat, rest
and move about as safe blower in
every action for on slip in his i'm
personation would Lave disclosed his
deceit to his CRAFTY crime taught
quarry.
The plumber from the. mail truck
had been gone two months when Nc
Carthy came by, accident into the
ranks Of those seeking its trail.
Found Looted Safes.
On duty in Buffalo in December he
conducted the express company's in
vestigation when two small safes con-
tanning $4,000 in money orders were
taken from the truck by four bandits
on the way from the express company
office in Niagara Fails to the railroad
station for shipment to Buffalo. The
safes were found empty fifty miles
from Niagara Falls. Notice of the
theft, with the number of the stolen
orders, were sent broadcast.
Mrs. Martha Fuller of No. 524 West
145th Street early last March offered
an American Express Company money
order in payment for purchases at Alt
mans When this order was turned in
to the express company it was recog-
nized as one of those stolen at Nlaga-
RI Falls. Mccarthy went to see Mrs.
Fuller. who was traced to her home
through delivery of her purchases.
Mrs. Fuller informed the detective
that she had received the order from
one of the men to whom she rented
rooms. He in turn reported that he
had taken 1t in transaction from a
George Brown" helped the detective
to locate Brown and kept his agree
ment to make no mention Of the mat
ter to Brown"
"Brown" Trailed.
The roomer realized that he was in
no position to violate instructions.
Was Brown" arrested? Absolutely
not He was the only live wire that
might be used to illuminate the trail
to the stolen money orders. He was
watched for weeks, inspected by all
the Photographic eye" experts of
crime investigation who could be used,
and one of them, at first sight, iden-
titled him as an expert forger and an
eX-convict.
His criminal record did not show
him as of the ranks of hold-up men.
Through him, however, lay the trail
TO them, and Mccarthy set about
winning his confidence and his secrets
Mccarthy, then and there, became a
safe blower. A safe blower often
needs a clever penlnan to forge in
dorsements or other names on what
he finds in the safes. Mccarthy man
aged plausible introduction to
Brown" kept in touch with him for
months, and at last was accepted for
what he pretended to be- a safe blower
who needed forger for pal.
Brown" told from whom he had re-
ceived the stolen money order cashed
by Mrs. Fuller, and he told more.
"Brown" Names Aids.
The money order robbery, he said,
had been conducted in order to get
a large sum in easily negotiable pa
per to capitalize the opening of pseudo
brokerage offices for getting rid of the
rich swag Of big mail robbery.
Right then, Mccarthy and the Fed
eral detective and their aids came to-
gether. for Brown" had named Ger
aid Chapman, alias George Chatres. -
The Pinkertons had been on the trail
of Chapman in connection with q day
light robbery of the Randolph Saw
ings Bank. Randolph. Mass, Nov, IT.
1919.
The story of the postal loot brought
in the Federal detectives. and the three
organizations worked together unit
the arrest on Monday of Chapman
the two other men and the woman
found in the uxuriant apartment oi
Chapman, alias Broce, on Gramercy
Park.
Charles Lambert, alias "Loeser,
one Of the prisoners. has made com.
plete confession and his share of th'
loot. about 100000. has been nearl!
all recovered. The confession wa!