Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1855-06-21
Government. spIes.

-aFFesled for robbery ofleilers-has brough
10 nghls system Of postal espionage, which
certainly is something new in lbe annals Of
free government. When the reader is told
there is sci Of men. in the employ Of The gov
eminent, WbO are privileged 70 rife post bsgs.
70 Opan and read the most private correspond
suce, the face may well become elongated into
an exclamation point.
But the fseIs. One ofIhs witnesses brought
before the examining committee. in Mr.. Ken
dall's case, testified as follows;
CrOss.sxamined-Was mail agent for some
Time, and was dismissed about the 2eth March
last. Is not now engaged in the service Of the
mail department. When shown the Marshal
Hanson letter, says the first time be saw il was
four or Eve m Onths ago; the second Hanson
letter he saw about the let Of March, shortly
after it was written. On the lIlh March he
directed one OF the post Office clerks to bring
him letter from Cincinnati, directed 10 Marsh
al Hanson. He took the letter to the kitchen Of
the City Hotel. there openedit took copy Of
IT, then rs-sealed it and placed il in the post Of
fee. "a copy of the letter was produced and
identified by the wtness:) It was addressed
to L. and B., Of Cincinnati, aud was PROPOSE
tion to publish bogus newspaper, and con.
tanned on the reverse side the answer Of the
publisher After destroying the envelope,
witness caused it to be le-sealed and newly en-
veloped, and had Cincinnati POst-mark fab
ricated for it. and the letter placed in the post
Office.
In the course of the examination, Whitman
was recalled. and the following report Of what
be said is given:
Witness (Wh:man) Eever opened letter
before, had no special instructions as to OPEN
ing this or any other letter. The letter was
enveloPed in self.sealng enclosure; has
heard frequently of mail agents opening let
ters. Has consulted the department in regard
to the opening of letters; they do not approve
it, but they want it. ......
Isaiah Green, who bad been Mr.. Kendal's
chief clerk, and had acted as mail clerk in the
post Office, said, in the course CT the examiua.
ton I.... t
Mail agents carry keys to open mail bags;
they have, he believes, access to them at all
times; they open letters, and employ decOy
letters.
Crossexamined.- Memphis mail comes
10 bag direct, it is not opened between here
and Memphis. except by mail agents
In a report of Whitman's testimony, which
appeared in the New Orleans True Delta. his
narrative ofthe circumstances is thus more par
ticularly reported
Ithad the Cincinnati post-mark. Itook the
letter in company with Yerger, the clerk in the
post Office; who received the valuable letters
We took it to the kitchen of the City Hotel
and steamed it, in order to open it, but by so
doing we destroyed the envelope. We then
got the letters copied by clerk of Mcdowell,
Mills 4 Co., and put it in new envelope. =
The post-mark we had to initiate, and this We
go. done at the Bulletin Office, the circumstan-
ces having been first explained to Col. Sey-
mour. The letters was then put in the Office,
and we watched it all day.
Mr.. G Whitman recalled: The letter being
shown him, he said, that is the letter l opened
and enclosed it in new envelope. When ask
ed if he would open it again and read it, be
said: lam jackson man, and will take the
responsibility l have no authority from the
Department to open letters: post Office agents
generally consider that they have a right to
open letters however, when they are surroun-
ded by suspicious circumstances, and for the
discovery of offenders. The Post Office De.
lpartment does not authorize the opening fet-
ters but -
Mr.. Benjamin suggested, Winks at it?
Witness; Yes. suppose that's the word.
Here, then, we have confessions which prove
to us that men in the employ Of the Depart
ment actually regard it as part of their duty to
open suspicious letters; and that any letter,
containing money or even love message, may
come under the implication is 80 probable that
inference is inevita6le-Our mails are not nvi
olate, our letters are liable to the surveillance
of any Agent Of the Post Office Department.
A fine system for the privacy of our own-a
safe medium through which to venture the tell
tale word we so carefully seall
1t is enough to say the practice, testified as
above, is in direct contravention of the laws,
and without warrant Of any kind, except in
the custom of the agents. which, it is said
the Department 'winks at 1t is too great a
stretch Of power to be quietly tolerated in a
free republic, placing, as it must, the workings
and secrets Of all the important affairs of the
country at the mercy of the government In
the hand of corrupt and wicked men, such
/ practice is fraught with mischief to everybody,
: for what is used for political purposes to-day