Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-24
Looting Held Greatest in His
tory of Transatlantic
Service.
SCOTLAND YARD PUTS
BLAF NEW YORK
Minute Che. S Even Inner
Seals Intact-Sacks to Many
Points Affected.
BY Cable 30 The Star and the New York
Wnt1

BY Cable 90 The sta, and the New forF
World.
LONDON, June 23.-The greatest
mail robbery in the history of trans
atlantic mail service was discovered here
this morning when the mail bags from
the liner Leviathan were opened In
London and the major part of the
contents of the registered mail bags
found to be missing
The robbery, from all appearances,
seems to have occurred before the liner
left New York. An estimate of the
loss as s50O,o00. published in one of
the afternoon newspapers, was declared
by Chief Inspector Cooper Of Scot
land Yard, as nothing but wild guess
work.
"The Leviathan robbery Is unique
that much IS clear" Cooper says
There's no possible way of estimating
the value of the cash, jewelry and SEE
curities taken from the more Than 100
mail bags which were rified. There S
never been anything like it-and there
you are
Continent Mail or.
These facts are known to the British
investigators:
The Leviatinan carried 3,253 rags Of
letters and parcels which were landed
at Southampton at $3.50 last night. The
Cherbourg mail for the Continent was
put of late yesterday afternoon. Re
ports as to whether this was also tam
pered with have not been received.
AS always, the mails were placed
aboard a special train, with armed
guards at Southampton and brought TO
London, arriving here at 1880 am.
other bags, for Birmingham, Edin-
burgh, Bristol, Belfast, Glasgow ana
Dublin were sent on in normal routine,
unopened. Telegrams to Scotland Yard
already received reveal that some OF
these bags had been looted.
Just before 200 am. this morning
the Red Royal Mail vans, horse drawn,
delivered the mail to the chief sorting
once Of the Northern Postal district
OF London In Islington. There tne
robbery was discovered.
The mails were contained In Ston.
canvas bags, treble-stitched. and sealed
with small lead seals Of the united
states Post once. Neither the bags
nor the seals were tampered Win.
Inner Seals Intact.
when the seals were broken on the
outer bags, the smaller bags containing
the registered mails were found nsioe,
both seals and bags being intact.
Inside these inner mail bags were
thousands of registered letters and
parcels most carefully slit open. Only
currency and negotiable securities were
missing--nothing else was touched.
The alarm was given at once. scot
land Yard men were rushed to Isling-
ton. Meanwhile similar reports came
from three other London sorting offices
where registered mail bags were opened.
BY breakfast time word had been re-
ceiyed from Bristol that two bags OF
mail for that city had been looted. II
soon became apparent that q large
majority of all the Leviathan's mail
had been robbed, with every indica-
ton of thoroughness and lack OF haste.
All evidence, the given facts indicate. !.
points to New York as the scene OF
the crime, which, 1t is believed, must
have taken place In the post ONCE be.
fore the seals were afhxed by the postai
authorities and the mail taken TO the
Leviathan. That is Scotland YARDS
view tonight after careful examina-
ton of the New York post ONCE sea
post staff on the Leviathan ana OF tne
officials responsible for the transfer
OF the bags to the special mail train
from the liner to London.
No Time In Britain.
That the robbery could have been
committed between the time the bags
were taken from the boat and the time
of their receipt in London is pro-
nounced impossible, not only because
there was no time for it-only three
and one-half hours to be accounted for
before the sorting clerks here received
the bags--but because both the outer
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