CALIFORNIA.

West Coast Times, Issue 244, 4 July 1866, Page 3

CALIFORNIA.

THE GREAT STEAMER ROBBERY. (*BOM THE DAILY ALTA, APKIL 15.)

The readers of the " Alta" will remem- j ber the somewhat singular statement made by Collector Adams, of Oregon, on his arrival from Astoria, in the steamship Oregon, on the morning of the 10th of February last, to the effect that he had been robbed of 20,000 dols. in the United States gold coin, belonging to the Government, which was taken from his trunk in his room, while he was absent for a few minutes only, 6n the evening previous to the steamer entering our port. His statement was, that he had some 50,000 dols. in gold coin, and a quantity of greenbacks, how many he did not know, in the trunk, and nofdaring to trust the money with the purser, who was, as he represented,* a sympathiser with the rebellion, he kept them in his trunk in his state-room, intending to deliver them to the Assistant United States Treasurer in this city on his arrival. The trunk, a common, black, leather-covered affair, was bound with a cord, and on the arrival of the steamer at her wharf he took it to the Russ House before discovering anything wrong. He then opened it, and found that a bag containing 12,500 dols. and one of 8000 dols. had beeff stolen, while the uncoveted greenbacks were untouched. There were several facts connected with the affair which led the public to the conviction that Adams was either so nearly an,imbecile as to be unfit to handle such sums of money, and lost the money through criminal carelessness, or that the loss did not take place under such circumstances as had been de-_ tailed. This impression will be in part only dissipated by the facts we are about to relate. On the statement of the robbery being made to Chief Burke and Capt. Lees, of the detective police, the detective force took hold of the matter with their accustomed energy, and, as the sequel will show, worked it up to a successful issue, with a degree of professional skill and perseverance that reflects unbounded credit upon the department. The first parties on whom suspicion fell, in connexion with the robbery, were John Lambert, alias J. L. Ensor, a waiter on the steamer, and Andrew M'Elroy, alias William Andrew, the porter, both young Englishmen. Lambert was arrested on suspicion, and made a statement concerning the case which was reduced to writing. He admitted seeing Adams on the steamer, and noticing his trunk, but denied ever having heard of any money being in Adams' possession, and he declared that he had only heard of the alleged robbery after his arrest. He was discharged, as was M'Elroy, no proof of their complicity being attainable, but both were closely watched day and night. Lambert soon fell in with an acquaintance in the person of William Fox, a negro minstrel, and, shortly after, with the young girl Hattie (or Addie) Hall, the circumstances of whose arrival from Gloucester, Massachusetts, in company with a young girl of similar character, and subsequent arrest by the police, some months since, are already familiar to our readers. Fox had no means of his own, and the girl Hall was equally unprovided for, but both went on board the steamer America, on her trip to San Juan del Sur, on the 15th of March, and the detectives came to the conclusion that Lambert waa in their company, and furnishing the funds for the trip to New York. When the 'steamer was ready to leave her wharf, they searched her from end to end for Lambert, but he had been securely hidden by his brother waiters on board, and not a trace of him could be found. Soon after the vessel had gone, the detectives became satisfied that he had really left in her, and that he carried at least a portion of the plunder with him. Captain Lees thereupon sent a full account of the affair by overland mail to Superintendent Kennedy, of the metropolitan police, New York, and at the same time forwarded the following despatch by telegraph :— " San Francisco, March 26, 1866.

"John A. Kennedy, Superintendent Metropolitan Police, New York.— Arrest John Lambert Ensor, stole 20,000 dols. coin from Collector Adams, of Government funds. Left on steamer America, March 15, via Nicaragua. Description — English ; age, twenty-four ; height, sft. 7in. ; hair, brown : thin light moustache. Lost one upper front tooth ; oval face, tapers to chin ; light complexion ; occupation, waiter on steamers. Hattie Hall and Billy Fox, negro "minstrel, are in company. Search them and baggage. New York address of Ensor, 972 Sixth avenue. Letter by mail March 19. Answer if arrested.

" I. W. Lees, Capt. Detective Police." The answer to this despatch came in the following form . —

"New York, April 13, 1866. "CaptainlßaiahW.Lees,DetectivePolice — I have arrested John Lambert Ensor, Addle Hall, and William Fox, and found in their possession 4400 dols. in gold, 15,700 dols. in mining companies' stock, and 300 dols. in bills. I will try and hold them until you send for them. I will retain possession of the funds and stock against replevin, if resorted to. " John A. Kennedy.''

On the receipt of this, Captain Lee?, acting as before under direction of Chief Burke, despatched the following mesSagC '"Sam Francisco, April 13, 1866." " Superintendent Kennedy, N.Y. Police. —Hold Lambert { discharge Hall and Fox. Hold all money they had ; none of their own. Further particulars soon. "Meantime, the detectives here had been on the look-out, and had shadowed M'Elroy, the porter, so closely that they were convinced he was a. party to the robbery He had been discharged from the steamer, and lived in lodgings in town after the robbery, associating mth nobody, and evidently n secret terror. On the receipt of the despatch from New York announcing the capture of Lambert, Capt. Lees and officer Ellis went straight to the rooms of M'Elroy, on Market-street, and told him what had been done, and that they had been on his track all the time. The poor wretch broke down at once, and made apparently a clean breast of it. He said that the robbery was committed by Lambert, who was the waiter who had charge of room No 12, which was occupied by Adams. On the day previous to the robbery, Lambert brought a slop-bucket into the porter's room, and set it down. M'Elroy, having no idea of a robbery at the time asked him what he wanted with the bucket there, to which Lambert replied. 'It may be useful,' and went to work. At the time the robbery was accomplished M'Elroy *aw com . c out of the room of Adams with this bucket, apparently full of filthy slops, but really so heavy that he staggered under the weight of it. The two bags of gold were under the scum that covered the slops. Lambert had turned the trunk on end, aud with a hammer-claw prised off the bottom sufficiently to remove the bags of gold without untying the cord, and then nailed it back in its place. This was on the evening previous to the arrival of the steamer at San Francisco. Thfc bucket was left standing in the porter's room until the steamer arrived at her wharf, when Lambert and M'Elroy took the money at once on shore, and carried it to the Golden Age Hotel, on Pacific- street, where they made a partial division of the spoils, M'Elroy receiving 5600 dols. only for his accessaryship after the fact. M'Elroy declared that be was cursed from the moment he took the money, and that it had been a burden on his mind which seemed insupportable. He had not spent a dime of it, and had been on the point of giving himself up over and over again. He seemed to feel rather relieved than otherwise at the discovery of the robber and recovery of the money, and voluntarily revealed : the hiding-place of his portion of the plun- { der. He had placed the coin in a tin box, and buried it in the old Yerba Buena Cemetery. The detectives repaired to the spot, and recovered it at once from his description. The long story is told, and the secret of a robbery committed by mere bunglers in the art after all, through the gross carelessness of the custodian of the funds, is at last before the public."