Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1888 — MAIL ROBBERS CAUGHT [ARTICLE]

MAIL ROBBERS CAUGHT

Over i Million Dollara in Sjcuritiei Found in the Possession of Ohicajo Thieves. The Railroad Millionaire of the Pacific Coast Passes Away at Monterey. Amelie Elves’ Tragedy—Anthor of the “Quick or the Dead” Ventures Deeper. [Chicago special dispatch.] Two of the most Important arrests mads In Chicago in a long time were those of Fred Oberkampf and Thomas F. Mack. The former is an unmarried man, aged about 29. well educated, speaking several languages, and dresses well. He represented himself to bethe assistant superintendent of an insurance company to the lady where'be roomed. Running behind on his rent, he gave his landlady a forged check, which was the direct cause of his arrest and the examination of his effects. His two “grips" were found to contain a large amount of letters, packages, etc., evidently stolen from the maile, as the stamps had all been torn off and there were no postmarks. Several, letters were found on the prisoner and also two checks, one for *I,OOO and one for *B3. At first the prisoner denied everything, but finally confided to an officer the identity of his partner, whi gives the name of Thomas F. Mack. The latter was arrested when about starting on a fishing jaunt with his wife aud another lady. Mock submitted quietly, and accompanied the officer back to his home and turned over to him a bundle of papers. These papers proved to be checks, Insurance policies, trust deeds, title deeds, etc. The prisoner declared that he knew nothing about tnem and that he was only taking care of them for Oberkampf. He admitted, finally, that Oberkampf had a key with which he opened the postal boxes on the streets, and also that he had shared with him the money obtained on the forged check. i Oberkampf has admitted having robbed the Chicago mail boxes, and says he has only kept a few of the letters and securities—that he was In. ihe habit of destroying them. The property in checks, drafts, deeds, stock, etc., recovered, represents about *1,000,000, the checks and drafts alone amounting to over *IOO,OOO. Below are given the names of some of the makers of the checks recovered by the officers, together with the amounts:

Leopold Mayer & Son, *5,000; Merchants’ L. & T. Co. Bank, *2,000; Holiis & Duncan, *53.10; Merchants’ L. & D. Co. Bank, *1,500; Chicago National Bank, *784.18; Chicago First National Bank, *1,500; Chicago First National Bank, *4,000; State Savings Association, *896.74; First National Bank, *700; First National, *SOO. Letters of credit on the Union Bank of London, £450; F. G. Jungbert, *505; Wagner Palace Car Co., *547.86; Otis S. Favor, *3,481.57; Merchants' Loon and Trust Co., *10,000; Ellinger & Sons, *1,986.55; Marshall & Illsley, *9,465.53; First National Bank, Chicago, *450; First National Bank, Chicago, *527 ; Union Trust Co , *437.96; Park National Bank, *500; S. D. Kimbark, *I,OOO. Postmaster Judd says the public will observe “that these letters never reached the Chicago office at all—never came into the Postmaster’s hands—and In spite of the immense number of letters recovered there Is no means of telling how many thousand more these fellows have destroyed. ” Both were held in *5,C00, and being unable to secure ball were remanded to jail. About Mack’s career nothing is yet known, but Oberkampf belongs to a good family in Berlin, Germany. He hat been in this country nearly three years and has never worked a day here. He has made a good living by pilfering the mails, using the money he found in the letters and selling the postage-stamps. The stamps which he soaked off the envelopes he remucilaged and sold at a prominent drug store. There yet remain a trunkfui A>f letters and securities which the authorities have not examined, and which will make the total amount of the robbery much greater. All the property is now in possession of the Government and cannot be returned to the rightful owners until after the trial of the prisoners. A number of letters found by the officers were mailed in 1886, showiifg that the thefts had been going on for about two years. *