The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance

It transpired in the course of inquiries that in his early days--before the period of the robbery--this man had been employed as a servant or assistant by the postmaster at X----. He left that situation, however, and became coachman to one of the neighbouring gentry. While in this service it was very frequently his duty to drive the family into town, where they would rest some portion of the day in their town house, and return to the country seat in the evening. In these intervals it sometimes happened that the coachman would go to the post-office, and there chat and gossip with his old fellow-servants. He visited the post-office on the day when the stolen letter was posted; he and his former comrades smoked and drank together; and in the end he volunteered to assist with the letters. He did so; and while thus engaged he managed to abstract the banker's letter, which, owing to its bulky nature and the address which it bore, he suspected to contain value. His visit on that particular day was verified by circumstances in the recollection of the persons at the post-office, and other evidence of his guilt accumulated against him; but this testimony was not really necessary, for the farmer-publican himself confessed to the theft of the letter, and explained how he had obtained possession of it. The course usual in such circumstances followed. The offence was visited with the severity which characterised the period--the man suffered the extreme penalty of the law.