Year: 1865

From the Detroit Free Press. lith.l


Circumstantial evidence has convicted
more than half the criminals who are now
justly suffering the penalties Of the law.


A more remarkable case of tracing out the
criiainal by circumstances than that which
led to the arrest of young Sullivan, the post
office robber. whose capture was announced
in the Free liSss of Yesterday morning, we
have never met with 1t seems almost provi-
Dental, but vet there was nothing out of the
usual course of events, only the several links
in the chain were exposed TO view, connected
palpably with each other, and leading
straight from the crime to the criminal.


On the 9Th or 9th Of July last an old
Frenchman, while walking along the beach
OF Lake Erie, near the mouth of the Raisin
river, picked up little package which had
been washed ashore by the waves. He
opened it, ard found il to contain documents
of whose nature he was wholly ignorant, be-
ing unable to read word of English. He
dried it carefully and took it home. His
wife and children were equally unable Is
himself to divine the contents. He then be-
came possessed Of the idea that the package
contained documents of great value, perhaps
deeds of houses and lands, which would make
him at once 4 millionaire. Being somewhat
superstitious, he believed that he was provi-
dentially led to the discovery of this mystic
rious treasure, and that he must keep il a
secret until Providence should disclose to
him how he was to come into full possession
of his riches. For long time he Kept the
package concealed in his house, but finally
becoming tired Of waiting for mysterious DIS
closures, he took it to an attorney at Mon
roe, having first enioined secrecy. The at
torney discovered at once that the supposed
package of deeds and mortgages was nothing
but package of letters that had been thrown
into the lake by some person who probably
wished to destroy them. A further examin-
alton disclosed TO him that it was regular
post Office package sent from New York to
Detroit, and containing only registered let
tiers, all of which had been opened and de-
prived oftheir contents, except one $50 check
which the thief evidently dared not take, lest
it might lead to his detection. Satisfying the
covetOus finder that the contents of the pack
age were not what he supposed them, but old
letters of no value to him, the lawyer
brought it at once to the Detroit post-oiice


This was the first and not least mysterious
link in the chain of evidences which finally
bound the guilty man tight. Then com
raenced the cropping for other links. 1t was
taken for granted that the package was
thrown overheard from some passing steam
er. As the regular lake steamers do not
pass in that vicinity, it must have been an
excursion steamer 1t was found on the 5th
or 9th of July; evidently, then, the person
who threw it into the lake must have been
passenger on a Fourth of July excursion.
This settled, the next point was to find out
which of the post-office clerks participated
in the excursion down the lake BY refer
ence to the list of passengers, it was discov-
cred that only two of them were on board.
Here was the whole thing narrowed down
almost to a point But which of the two
men was the criminal? The most difficult
part of the whole case was reached. Which
should be arrested, and on what evidence
could he be convicted? ? The two men were
narrowly watched, until finally suspicion
vas aroused against Sullivan. He was ar
rested. with what result is already known.
The contents Of the rilled letters were found
in his possession to the amount of nearly
s.. 500. Other valuables were also found.
One gold watch, which was mailed at New
York, to a gentleman in Milwaukee, and
could be traced to the Detroit POst-otfce,
but no further, was found in the same trunk.
A quantity Of gold pens which had been de-
posted here, found their destination in the
same trunk He had carried on 4 syste-
matte course of thieving for long time, and
with singular economy had carefully pre-
served his treasures to answer as witness
against him. So conclusive was the evi-
dence that he made clean breast of the
whole thing, pleaded guilty on his examiua-
ton, and was remanded for sentence. Under
the law the lightest sentence which can be
passed upon him is ten years in the State
Prison.