Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 September 1894 — A THRILLING DETECTIVE STORY. [ARTICLE]

A THRILLING DETECTIVE STORY.

The Exploits of Two Government Sleuths Told in a Public Document. Washington Evening Star. The Government publishes a great variety of matter in the course of a year, from Presidential messagesto a history of diseases of the gadfly, and the variety of reading matter has been increased within the past few days by the publication of a real detective story, with diagrams according to Gaboriau. This is a history of the sandbagging and robbbery of a stamp clerk in the Chicago Post Office one dark night last winter, when tlie*”wTn(lwas whistling round the corner and the sleet dashing against the windows. The story of the crime and the vain search of two government sleuths for the criminal are given at great?* length and in the minutest detail. All of this is contained in a pamphlet of eleven page.s, accompanying a claim of the late Postmaster for the amoitntof the robbery, which he was compelled to make good. There are a number of diagrams to illustrate story. One of them shows “where the body of the clerk was found,” “the door where Miss Jones came in,” “the window where the robber escaped” "the door where the robber entered.” and other minute details. Another diagram shows the postal clerk as he stood at his desk, but fails to represent the robber and the sandbag,- although everything else, even to Miss Jones's desk, is portrayed vividly. ■? Many pages of closely printed type are filled with the history of the effort of the Government sleuths. “There were two theories to work upon.” writes one of them: “First, that Robinson had robbed himself and inflicted upon Kirnself the in~ juries to cover up his crime,or that some one familiar with the officer and with the" habits of Mr. Robinson had planned and successfully put into execution the robbery. I called to my asistance the superintendent of the Pinkerton agency of this city, who rendered me every assistance in his power, without cost,, to get some clue to the perpetrators of this bold robbery. We have worked upon every plausible theory, but have failed to get any clue to lead us on a successful trail.” The outcome of the work on these two theories is reported as follows: “The result of the investigation in this case has convinced me of two things: First, that it was a bona fide robbery: second, that if was conceived and planned, if not perpetrated, by some one perfectly familiar with the workings of that branch of the Postal Department in this city; but the plan was so well executed that up to the present moment we have been unable to get a single clue that would fasten the guilty party.” So the robbery remains a mystery, and the thrilling story of the two Governmentsleuths goes on file in the annals of Congress.