The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-20
INSPECTOR BALKS
 MILLION DOLLAR
 POSTAL ROBBERY
Gigantic Plot Is Rolled When Officer Consorts With Plot ters and Uncovers Dar-
 ing Scheme
By Associated Press


 New York, May 19.-A gigantic postoffice holdup, surpassing in spectacularity 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 a bad mans beard, consorted with the plotters and uncovered their scheme
 This was the statement today by Post Office Inspector Doran in mak- ing public the details of the arrest of seven men--six of them present or past post office employees He as- serted their capture would clear up the registered mail theft of July IS, when s1.477.000 In Liberty bonds. bound for Washington. were stolen from the mails; would aid In solving a heretofore undisclosed theft of s4o,0oo in securities addressed to Watertown, N T., and might go far toward clearing up the S2,o00.o00 mail truck hold-up in Lower Broad way last October.
 Planned Daylight Holdup
 Plans had been falkland were to have been carried out in broad day light for the holdup and robbery of the entire registered mail section of the city hall station. through which millions fin securities flow daily from the Wall street financial zone, 1n- spector Doran said. Orders had been issued to shoot any employe who re- sisted.
 The plotters had visited the city hall station several times, made 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 "pulf' the holdup. but had been deterred by the acci- dental presence of several inspec- tors which had led them to fear their plot had been discovered. It was the imminenee of the date set of the holdup that sent police and post of flee inspectors on roundup cam paign last night.
 The name of the inspector who un- covered the plot with his bad man beard and his plausible manner was withheld. He was one of IS inspec- tors who have been working their way for weeks into the confidence of the accused men--posing as boastful fet- low mail bandits.
 Got "Counted Inv The bearded man, it was said. suc- tceeded in getting himself "counted 1 in" on the proposed city hall station holdup. and talked over in detail with the others in his supposed "den," which he had wired with telephonic devices The seven captives taken last night were confronted with transcripts of the telephonic record
 early today in the presence of the bearded inspector, and some of them arc alleged to have confessed.
 So completely were the mail rob- bers taken in by their new found "pal" that Inspector Doran said to- day he could recount almost every step taken in the July 8 Liberty theft. he said was Morris Steinberg 1s-year-o1d clerk in the registry department. Steinberg. according to the inspector, had some means, as yet undiscovered, of ascertaining when valuable packages were to come to the post office from the federal reserve bank. He knew in advance of the big shipment of Lib erty bonds which was made on July IS, and laid the pouch aside when 1t was delivered.
 A few minutes later, it Is alleged he took the pouch to a small closet on the third floor, where Edward Fo- gel, confederate, had been hiding for several hours. Tossing the pouch into the closet. he strolied noncha- lantly back to his post, leaving Fogel to rip 1t open. extract the package of bonds and slip quietly out of the building.
 Suspected at Time Steinberg was suspected at the time. but care was taken to make him think he was not and short time later occasion was found to drop him from the service for mi nor infraction of the rules The inspectors continued to watch him and the 'bearded gent" managed to scrape an acquaintance at the confectionery store he and Fogel had opened.
 Arraigned before United States Commis ssioner Hitchcock this after noon the seven prisoners were held in bail ranging from 5000 to s25,ooo each.
 Steinberg. Fogel, Abraham Gold smith and Gustave Gales. were held in s25.o0o; Irving Weinstein in s15.00o, and Gustav Feldman and Harry Shapiro in 5000 each.