The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-01-16
III / errl q II I Z.
From Ten Years among the Mail Bags,
by J. llobrook1
Cheating the Clergy.

Onr collection Of "outsidc delin-
qucncics would be incomplete, were we
20 omit the following case, which was in
vc,tigated by the author not long ago.
and in which not a little ingenuity. Of
the bascr sort. was displayed. 1t will
serve as specimen of numerous class
Of cases. characterized by attempts to
defrand some correspondent, and to fas.
ten the blame of the fraud uron some one
connected with the Post Office. We
could give many Instances Of similar
k;rd, did our limits permit
\ person Of good standing in commu-
nifty, who laid claim not only to a moral
! but a religious character. was visiting in
large town on the Hudson river. about
midway between New York and Albany
! This person owed a clergyman. living in
| New Haven, Conn the sum of one hun.
dred dollars and one day he called at
/ the house of another clergyman Of his
acquaintance in the town first mention
ed aud fcquested to be allowed thepriv-
i,egc Of writing "a letter there to his
clerical creditor. in which the sum due
that gentleman was to be enclosed
/ Writing materials were furnished. and
he prepared the letter in the study Of
his ohieing friend. and in his presence.
/ After he had finished writing H. he
said to the CLERGYMAN. Nnw. Us tie
mails are not always safe wish to be
able To- prove that | have actnally sent
the money. shall therefore consider
/ it a great favor if YOU will accompany
me to the hauk. where | wish to obtain
a hundred dollar note for some small
trash that have. aud bear witnos, that
/ enclose the money and dcposi, III. let.
ter in the most rficrn
The reverend gentleman readily aece-
ded 10 his rcuuc.f. and went with him to
+ the bank. where bill of the required dc.
nomination was obtained and placed ia
the letter. which was then sealed with
wafer the cl.rrlm,u all the willie look.
ipo on.
Then they went TO tho nostoaicc
/ (ahich was directly opno,iie the bnnk)
and after calling the attention of his
companion to the letter and its address.
the writer thereof dropped it into the
i letter b"Xahd the two persons went their
sc'cra' ways
lHe letter arrived at Ne" hiven by
""e course 81 man. ana II - h'PpehcI
,""' 'ne c'e's ~ "iAn 10 "n"hl II was ad'
uT'Sseu was at Tue poSt'olHce' Wo'IIug
Tor me asserting o! iuc mans. lie W
'c''er thro"h INT" ms box ana called
Tor 1t as soon rs the delivery window was
opened
Upon breaking the seal and reading
tie letter, he found himself request to
f'ea>e mud one hnndrcd dollars" Ne,
wl'h which request he would ch'ortully
have comp''ed.bnt Tor one sHsht c.rcum-
stance, namely; the absence OF the bank
note
Tins Fact was apparently accounted for
by postscript. written in heavy rndc
hand entirely different from that OF the
body of the letter. and reading as fol-
lows -
+ ). | have taken the liberty to
borrow this money, but | send the let
ter, so that YOU needn't blame the man
that wrote H."
(Sigued) q" Posr-BoY.'
Tn, r;n.d locumou, was ;,,,.od;o,oI,,
shown to The post master. and in his
onirion ~ woll os th,tor tLo clerav,on
6,rino rohb,rv had bcnn cnn,9,;t,oA
The latter gentleman wa. advised Lvt tLn
rost master to ,,oconI ot onco - Nay
York and co,f.r with ,bn S,ooiL AGant
and at the same TINA - lao Oh ,h, c,o,s
before the Post Master Ge1oral Uo All
50. and It was no, LONG before thc A,cnt
had commenced the Investigation of rho
surposed robbery.
IN addition TO- the nostscrint amend.
ed. the letter bore other indications Of
Laying been tomncrcJ with which At
first sioht wonld seem ,lmost coucln.iyo
on this point. Upon the envclono wcre
two waters. different in color one nartIv
oyerlappipq the Other as if thcv hod
been pn, on bv different porsons a dif
ferent times.
Notwithstanding these apnonrarees
there were circumstances strongly con-
Hicting with the supuosition that ,Ie LET.