MAIL THIEVES CAUGHT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5004, 23 July 1926, Page 4

MAIL THIEVES CAUGHT.

LOCATED on AMERICAN LINER.

ONE ROBBER A STOWAWAY,

When the. steamship George Washington, of the United States Lines, roaches Now York there will be a deputation of local detectives, and post office inspectors on hand to take Into custody two. criminals who are suspected of having conspired to rob the mail on board in the last ocean voyage of the vessel (says the Now York Times,). The men were taken into custody at Bremen several days ago by Thomas H. Rossboltom, general manager of the Une v . Nvory member of the crow, from the commander, Captain Harold A. Cunningham, down, had been flngor-prlnted, and thq prints compared .with criminal identification data by a. postal inspector from England ami several Scotland Yard detectives, who had boarded the ship at Plymouth.

One man, a stowaway, was recognised as, an international mail robber. The other, suspected of being his confederate’, also haxl a long criminal record. He was found working in the engine room ns a fireman. The ship had been thoroughly searched before the finger-prints were taken, and the postal inspector and the Scotland Yard detectives expressed the belief, that the mysterious thefts from the mails would 1 cense.

The stowaway was believe'd to have slipped aboard to aid his. confederate in robbing the mails and secrete, the loot until the 'return .to New York, where he would dispose of it. The' message received • by Mr Rosshottom

indicated that he .was discovered in the crew's quarters.

The amount of money and valuables obtained in the riflhig od) the mail bags on the George Washington wn.s, not revealed. The message said, however, that the trail to the contents of the looted hags was picked up when several letters addressed to persons in Europe and r,azor blades which we,ro similar to blades u»ied in slitting open the mall pouches werw found In tlu> luimk of the crlmliml member of the fireroom crow,

On the lust rehinu trip Io Aiil<H'l<t Unptin,ln (hiniiliip.hi'tn wim Informed thnt, a. mnl'l ling hml hwn rOlihrit. th’ wlroli'SHod word to Hi In tiffwH Io <|ov= eir'nmout officliiihi. mid fioiito lllco ibspoctors boarded the floorim Wiii'Ji liigton mi its nrrivitl nt Qtiiii'iinlino. No clue to the tliltiven could be pickml up, mid when (he vwuml IoH ILL* city for England, Frmieo, mid Clot'nimiy mi May i2 a, ponliil Innpoctor was on boivrd posing inn Ono df tlio crow.

The slilp war, only ,l.wo days out when a wirolijHs mesgago from Captain Cunnhiglimn was. rucoivcd by Mr Hossbottom tolling <*fl n,nothor mail robbery, two sacks tills time having been rilled. Mr Rossbottqm thereupon s.ent a request to Scotland Yard that inspectors be sent aboard to go witli the vessel to Ch®pjK>urg and Bremen to aid in running down the thieves through 'a, check-up of the entire crew by the finger-print process. All the crew were dined up on deck when the vessel reached Brejmen, and German police aided the postal Authorities and tlie Scotland Yard men

in uncovering the presence of the two crooks on board.