For two years the proud White House police and Secret Service have been baffled by a form of crime they could not solve: minor robberies in the Roosevelt household. Missing were money, dresses, coats, lamps, pieces of linoleum. Secretary Marguerite Le Hand, Clerks Grace Tully and Paula Larabee, Chief Messenger Joseph Sheehan were victims. As a final result, $200 disappeared from the White House police fund.
Last week the sleuths caught a culprit redhanded. In his pocket were torn pieces of a letter and three marked $1 bills which they had mailed as bait. He was small. meek William Buckly, 57 and father of four, a $1,500-a-year file clerk in the White House mail room. Off to jail he went for six months.
But the White House mystery was not entirely solved. After Robber Buckly had been arrested, $25 of missing funds suddenly reappeared.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness
Contact us at letters@time.com