Year: 1860

One of the most singular trials for mail rob
berry within our recollection, was that OF james
S. Williams, which recently took place before
the U S. Court The whole trouble, uvol
wing the loss OF $4,000 to the Norwak Bank,
under the decision of the U. S. Circuit Court,
before which tribunal a suit was recently
brought by the Bank, against Adams Express
Company, for the recovery of that amount
the arrest and Imprisonment of an innocent
party-the just sentence of the guilty one TO
eight years Imprisonment at hard labor, and
the great expense involved in the criminal suit
and in the civil action already alluded to, can
be traced directly to the failure on the part Of
the Clter of the letter to add the street and number
to its address


A gentleman of New York wished to get
note discounted at the Norwalk Conn., Bank
He drew the note payable three months from
date, for the sum of S3,000,-placed it in a
letter and deposited it in the New York Post
Office. The letter and note were received at
the bank in due course of mail. The cashier,
however returned the note to the drawer, off
ering to "do it, if he would make it payable
in two months instead of three directing his
letter to Of. A. Williams, Esq, New York"
In justice to the Cashier, however, it must be
stated that on the trial he testified that he kept
the letter over one mail hoping to find among
previous correspondence, information of the
street and number of MIR. WIS place of buSin-
ess. But failing to discover this he sent the
letter off as at first prepared. Had the full
address been given the letter would have been
promptly delivered to the righful owner by
the penny post, Mr.. Will ans having no box
at the post office. As it was however, the
letter remained i'll the post office week and
was advertised. One james 5. Williams, as
was proved OH the trial. calling for and obtain
IIy oit lin. TN,
"Two," so that it read Two months after date
instead of three, and went to the Office OF
Adams & Cos. Express, and employed that
firm to take the note to NOrwalk and bring
back the proceeds. The Bank, receiving the
note through responsible channel, and sup
posing new note had been executed, in ac
cordance with the request made by the Cash
ieI, at once aud without the slightest suspicion
counted out the $1,000, (minus the discount
in small bills for "WesteIn circulation" and
sent by the same express, addressing the pack
aye to f. A. Williams Esq, New York. Our
bold operator was ON handat the express office
soon after the package arrived, receipted for
il in the name OF +. A. Williams, and coolly
went his way.


Strange to say the report in the papers of
the arrest OF party as the author OF this
crime, whose entire innocence was subse.
quenily shown, led to the discovery, arrest and
conviction OF the right man the leading cir
cumslances which brought him To light being
movement on the part of has Vite, who was
not. however, living with him at the time.
Taking up one OF the daily newspapers, she
observed the arrest OF one Williams Tor fraud
ulantly obtaining a letter from the post Office
and securing thereby the sum OF $1,000


H"r husband had previously written to her,
saying he had been lucky enough TO draw
about $1,000 in lottery, and offered to fur
nish her with $500 to purchase furniture, etc.
if she would consent TO live with him again
This, together with the fact that he often had
spoken OF calling at the post office Tor letters
not belonging to him, satisfied hcras to whose
handiwors this job might have been. AS
soon as she had read the account of the affair,
with a woman's instinct, she said to a friend
sitting by, "that is jim, they've got the wrong
man, and I'll 90 and charge Jim with it, and
expose him too, rather than have an innocent
man suffer for his rascality' She was soon
at the boarding house of her husband ir
Twelfth street, and it was mainly the conver
sation between them, overheard by a thrC
party, which eventually led to the dscharg,
of the innocent and the conviction Of the real
ly guilty party.


This is only one Of the many cases wherC
similar serious and costly results have fol
lowed such acts of carelessness or sight omis
siors,-to use no stronger term on the part o
correspOndents