The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-12-22
A GAME THAT WAS TOO THIN.
THE STORY OF A REGISTERED LETTER.

For the past month the officials Of
the Post Office in this city have been
unusually troubled by the reported
loss of FIVE 800 bills from register.
ed letter. BY prompt action the
matter has been cleared up, and there
vas discovered an attempted fraud On
q creditor, using the Department as
q means-a fraud not punishable un,
der any existing law of the United
States. It does come within the ju
risdiction ofthe State laws, however.
The facts in the case are as follows
On the 9th of October last, one Will
liam Stott, thirty-eight years of age,
doing business as a mason and con-
tractor at Andes, Delaware County,
N. Y, registered letter at that
place, directed to DR.. II. Jordan, No.
10 Bond street, New York, purport-
ing to contain five 500 bills, which
lie stated was to pay a note Of his
due In New York. DR.. Jordan re-
ceived the letter October 18th from
q carrier from Station A. He omen
ed it in the presence of the carrier,
and found it empty. The day fol-
lowing DIR. Jordan called on Post
master' James, and reported the cir
cumstance. and the matter was placed
in the hands of Special Agent Shar-
ret for thorough investigation. He
ascertained that there had been no
irregularity in the receipt or delive-
nv Of the letter. Word was received
from the Postmaster at Andes that
the registered letter had been regu-
larly sent to that Office. Further in
quiries at this place developed the
fact that Stott lived at Brushlands,
some distance from Andes, and that
he had remarked that he had received
4 few days before, registered letter
from the West containing 81, 900 and
that of this amount he inclosed the
$500 ia the registered letter to New
York. Mr.. Sharret started on this
clue first, and soon found that Stott
had not received any such registered
letter. Last Tuesday Stott came to
this city and called upon Mr.. Shar.
ret in relation to the matter and then
stated, without questioning in rela-
ton to it, that he received the 81 900
from the West by express. After he
had gone Mr.. Sharret ascertained by
from the Express Compa-
ny that Stott had not received any
package of the kind mentioned. This
still further excited suspicion, and
then ascertaineI from
Mr. Ballantine, President of the An
des National Bank, that none of the
alleged $1,000 had passed through
his hands for Stott. Later in the
same day Stott again called upon Mr..
and in the conversation that
followed he said he believed that Mr.,
Hawkes., in whose store the Post Of
fioe was located, had manipulated the
letters, but that he had no suspicion
az regarded Mr.. Clinton, who had
been Postmaster for number of
years, and who was an old and much
llonored resident. In accordance
with the rules of the department Mr..
Sharret then requested Stott to Gil
up the blank giving all facts in re-
gard to the registered letter and con-
tents, which he did, swearing that he
inclosed the FIVE $l0O bills in the
letter himself, and that they were in
1t the time of depositing. The let
Ter was addressed, as before stated to
DR., H. Jordan, No. 40 Bond St., New
York. This concluded, converse
lion followed between the two in
which Mr.. Sharret told him of the
Investigation he had made, and open
y charged Stott with attempting
this fraud. So convincing was the
that Mr.. Stott, without hes
tation, acknowledged his crime, and
litter detailing all the circumstances
n writing swore to them. Mr.. Shar-
'ett states that instances of this kind
have been quite frequent~ They al
most always conclude with similar
exposures Of fraud. Nothing can be
lone by the Post Office officials to
punish the crime, the government