Mailman Outwits Gunman – 1935
At about 7 a.m. on the morning of February 4, 1935, a U. S. mail truck left the Esmond Post Office and began heading north on Farnum Pike. The lone driver was carrying packages, letters, and an undisclosed amount of cash. As the truck made its way along Farnum Pike, a black sedan with three men inside fell in behind it and began to follow. As the mail truck neared the North Smithfield town line one of the men, wearing a mask, climbed out of the sedan and stood on the running board. As the automobile drew alongside the truck, the masked man pointed a gun at the mailman and ordered him to pull over. Instead, the mailman swerved his truck into the side of the sedan knocking the would-be robber off the running board and sending him tumbling onto the highway. The mailman then sped away as the sedan came to a stop. As he looked in the rearview mirror he saw one man get out of the car and assist his companion.
Within a short time the State Police at the Lincoln barracks were notified, and all nearby police agencies were notified to be on the lookout for the sedan.
It was reported that two weeks earlier armed men had kidnapped a mailman in Fall River, Massachusetts, and escaped with $129,000 in cash. The money had been sent to Fall River via registered mail from Boston. It is unknown if the two incidents were connected.
Source: The Nashua Telegraph, (N.H.), “Plan To Hold Up Mail Truck Fails”, February 5, 1935, page 1