The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-26
MORE ROMANCE IN SAVING SOULS THAN IN R0bb|NG MAIL
Reformed Bandit Tells First Inside Story of His
 Life
CHICAGO March 25-The romance

CHICAGO March 25.-The romance of robbing the United States is noth- ing to the romance of saving souls.
 The lure of the mail robber cannot ra fellow human being out Gf the gut ter and setting him on the path called straight" Ralph Teeter, one of the gang who staged the daring $360. 900 Dearborn street mail rob bery, declared. He was the mail clerk who planned the hold-up.
 Teeter, known to Chicago's "back of the yards district, as "the man who squealed" and sent Big Tim" Murphy to Jail for four years, is missionary and Jail worker on the staff of the Jim Hicks Bible society here.
 Teeter declared, in telling for the first time the inside story of the rob- bery. that he was through with the bright lights forever"
 q was all bad when I helped stage the Dearborn street robbery" he said "I was like most young men. I liked a good time better than any thing else A good time costs money, and that's how I happened to plan the great mail robbery.
 But I learned my lesson during the IS months I laid in jail waiting to find out whether I would have to spend 20 years in prison for my part in the plot.
 Given n Chance.
 "I got a chance behind the bars to see how low human being could sink-and how, given the chance, he could pull himself out Of the depths.
 q decided that about the most im-' portant job a man could take was to give those fellows a chance.
 My faith in God came to me sud- denly one night as I sat on my prison cot under the dim rays of the light that never goes out which swings in every jail corridor. I swore then I would give my life to the other fel- low if I got free-and I will" mitted as evidence at the trial. which resulted in the conviction of Mur- phy, Vinzenso Cosmano and others who took part in the daring hold-up, authorities declared.
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 Story a Warming.
 Teeter said, as he told the story. that he did so as warning ito young men who might go wrong"
 "The government didn't have any thing on the gang" he said. "They could never have convicted them 1T had. not confessed"
 He declared after he made his con- fession he waited months. fearing that Judge Kennesaw Mountain Lam dis would give him the maximum sentence. Landis, however, resigned and Tceter was given his freedom by another judge. ',
 At the time the mail robbery oc- cured" Teeter said, "I didn't hest- tate to plan it. although ' knew it might result in murder. ..i
 "Tim Murphy needed money at the time and so did I. So l got in touch in Indianapolis and agreed that should get all the information, and Murphy was to do the rest
 Later we met in Chicago. Three others were there. Murphy told me who the men were and said he was shielding them from police. The rop- bery wasn't arranged at that time.
 i've met in Murphy's office few days later and worked out the de- tails. Cosmano and the others who actually pulled the robbery were there.
 Used stolen Car.
 These men had just held up ga- rage and stolen the Cadillac auto mobile owned by Harold R. Wakem, Chicago millionaire. It was this car which was used in the hold-up. give a signal for the hold-up. When the truck which carried the money for the Chicago federal reserve bank ! drew up to the station platform, was to raise my bat.
 we planned to mako tho raid the following Wednesday,. 1T was in my place and I saw the car circle the block. The truck drove up and I lifted my hat. To my sur prise. the bandit car dashed away. l thought | had sbeen double e-crossed. fled. Later. however, l got my nerve back and went to see Murphy. He didn't tell me what happened, but we made our plans all over again., "rhs timessthey went through on schedule, z.
 sE@ oso o
 Only Took . Minute.
 The truck with the money came slowly up to the 3platform. I lifted been standing across the street