The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1926-08-27

u MA ceive their wages on a
AE&t9a fixed day toward the end
~ ssaayssYH of each month, the payroll
amounting to many thou
sands of dollars. 1t was
Aka1EzlaD customary, some years
ago. fer the company to have a
sum of money sufficient for this pur-
pose shipped from New York by ex-
press day or two before the date
when the wages were to be paid. Fol-
lowing out this practice, On the night
Of June 20, 1883, the Marine National
bank of New York shipped by the
United States Express company a
sealed package containing forty thou
sand dollars for the Erie Railroad
company, in care of the First National
bank of Susquehanna. The package
contained United States currency and
bank notes, almost entirely in small
bills, none larger than twenty dollars
The usual precautions were observed
In shipment, trusted clerk of the
Marine bank carrying the package to
the express company'S office and TAX
ing receipt for it from the money
clerk, who examined it first to make
sure that the seals, of the bank were
Intact and that in all respects it pre-
sehted a correct appearance. Having
satisfied himself on these points, the
money clerk placed the package in
bne of the canvas pouches used by the
United States Express company, sealed
4 ELL, IL.
seal, and attached tag bearing the
address of the company's agent at
Susquehanna.
After brief delay the pouch was
delivered to Express Messenger Van
Waganen, who saw it placed in one of
the small iron safes then used by
express companies in~conveying money
from city to city. nhe messenger rode
with the safe to the train. and then
remained on guard in the express car,
where the safe was placed. as far as
Susquehanna. at which point he de-
livered the pouch to Dwight Chamber
lain, night clerk and Waterman in
The joint employ of the Erie railroad
and the United States Express COM
bany. The train left New York at 6
b. M. and reached Susquehanna about
midnight.
Waterman Chamberlain, having re-
eeived the pouch at the station. carried
it into the ticket office and locked it
inside safe belonging to the Erie
Railroad company. He remained on
duty the rest of the night, and at
seven o'clock the next morning a mes
senger from the First National Bank
of Susquehanna came to get the pack
age. Chamberlain unlocked the safe,
took out the pouch, opened it, and then
emptied its contents on the table. To
his grea; surprise the package contain
ing the forty thousand dollars was
gone. and in its place were several
bundles Of manila paper cut to the
Size of bank bills and done up in small
packages as money is done up.
The agent Of the company, Clark
Evans, was Immediately notified, and
he at once telegraphed the news Of
the robbery to the officials of the
United States Express company in
New York. who with very little delay
placed the matter in the hands of the
Pinkerton Detective Agency. The d.
rect supervision of the work was I'M
dertaken by George H. Bangs. at that
time general superintendent of the
Pinkerton agency, and force of de-
tectives at once started for Susque-
hanna.
An important discovery was made
On closer examination of the pouch. 1t
was found that this pouch was not the
one that had been sealed up in the
express office at New York. but
bogus pouch so much like the other
that the change might easily have es-
capped notice. The chief points of diff
ference were the tag and seal, the
former having been addressed in diff
ferent hand from that Of the New
York money clerk, and the latter being
an old seal not in use by the company
BIT that time. But the general ap-
pearance Of the pouch was such that
neither the messenger, Van Waganen,
nor the Waterman, Chamberlain, could
swear that it was not the one that he
had handled.
After going over the ground care
fully and cross-examining Van Waga-
men and Chamberlain, Superintendent
Bangs concluded that the robbery had
hot been committed on the train and
that the genuine money package had
reached Susquehanna and been locked I
In the railroad company's safe by the
hight clerk. He was strengthened |
In this conclusion by the statement |
Of Chamberlain. who admitted that,
after locking up the, money, he had |
only been in the ticket office at inter- |
walls during the night. For this he |
was in no way to blame, as he had !
other duties to perform about the sta |
ion, notably those Of way-bill clerk.
Thus the robbers would have had |
hull opportunity to approach the safe |
and exercise their skill |
1pon it. could they have secured en-
rance to the ticket Office. Nor was
his a difficult matter, since the door
eading into it was known to nave
hree keys, in the hands Of various en-
lloyees Of the road, from whom they |
might have been procured or stolen.
More important still was the fact, as
rertained by Mr.. Bangs, that the safe