The New York herald., 1876-02-07
LETTER RoBBER CAUGHT.

THOUSAND LETTERS MuT1LATED-THE DE-
TECTIvEs AT WORK.
About six weeks ago Postmaster James was Informed
that letters deposited in station dates were
missing He Immediately placed the matter IN the
hands Of Special Agent Sharrett of the Post Once De-
partment, and detectives were put at work one Of
the carriers at station suspected. He was
lieved by Special Agent Sharrett and transferred the
upper portion Of that district Immediately after his
transfer the complaints ceased the lower part of the
district and complaints poured in station
L from the new route to which Morris p Bssinsky had
been assigned.
Postmaster James and Special Agent Sharrctt de-
voted their time and energy to the solution OF thd
problem. Officer Blackwood, of the First Police pre-
cinct who is detailed the Post Office directed
to work up the matter Late on Saturday night the
carrier, whose given above, arrested and
brought before Mr. Sharrett. The story he told was
ths;-hy name Is MOTIFS T. bisslnskyi u was nay duty
TO collect the mail from the amppost boxes in the
district covered by station was suspended by the
Post ONCE Department lor not collecting letters from
one of the lamppost boxes in my route.
The prisoner was then transferred on a complaint
made against him to the upper part OF the district as
shown above. That transfer made for the purpose
OF testing him. For several days the mails de-
lvered without fault Then the Postmaster commenced
receive complaints that letters missing from
the upper district and the covered by Bissn-
sky but there was evidence against that person.
On Saturday February a registered letter was missed
station f. and Bissnsky at the registered
letter desk few moments before the then took place.
detective was placed on his track immediately The
letter not delivered Mr.. Arthur Shook then
ordered to watch the carrier He did and the
quest OF Special Agent Sharrett brought the be-
fore him
In Mr.. Sharretts room Bssinsky confessed that he
had been robbng the United States mails during the
past two MONTHS that he had stolen registered letters;
had torn open the envelopes of letters deposited the
street lamppost boxes, and had made OF the money
contained in such letters II was found also by the de-
tectves that wne the prisoner under arrest and
In custody OF Mr. Anderson Assistant superintendent
of the Post Office Department. he tore up and threw
from the window of Sixth avenue several letters
which he had stolen. That work was accomplished by
slipping the stolen letters into valentines and destroy
ing all. What amount OF money has been stolen the
Postmaster nor Mr. Sharrett cannot now tell but about
THOUSAND LETTERS
have been recovered and will be to their destna-
ton by Postmaster James The letters were recov-
He said "Don't tell my family of this; II would break
the hearts Of my father and mother" appears that
his family, and been supplying girls with
money, kid gloves, scarfs and necktes with
the money stolen from letters placed in his
charge There seems be no doubt that he pur.
loined registered letters from the counter in station
T. He begged Mr. sharrett not to search his house,
saying that he would go there and give Mr. Sharrett
everything. A detective sent there, aud the
fragments OF over thousand letters were found
great many of these letters had contained money;
some had money orders enclosed, others had valuable
matter The prisoner was sent TO the First precinct
station house TO await the action Of the United States
Commissioners The robber has given list of sl25 in
money that he has stolen and Mr. Sharrett has found
cneck, drawn by Nancy A. Harte, IN aVOr OF a. Il.
Stewart Co., for $27 u; certificate OF deposit by
Anna A Watson, in favor OF A. X. Ober, for 500;
money order issued by station for $25, payable at
Philadelphia and another for $40 payable at Toledo,
Ohio The prisoner has confessed TO having destroyed
many checks and money orders and great many let
tors that came into his possession tnat were simply
personal in character and which OF TO him.
Many OF those letters now being put together by
Mr.. Sharrett, that they be forwarded TO their
owners returned TO the writer's Each letter Is kept
inviolate.
Among the debris are the fragments of hundreds
letters whose writers never be known The letter
tend destroyed alike the appeals from and
daughters TO their parents for money to assist them
up the letters of coincidence of friends frends
destroyed the mssives intended to give sympathy TO
breaking hearts, and he has wrought more misery and
desoation in American and foreign households than
remedied the Postmaster and his earnest
Agent Sharret relieve the misery this letter thei
has caused but many letters are so badly mutaied
that the Of writer's and addresses forever
destroyed
superintendent Youmans, Of the New York Post
Office and his assistant, Mr. John Brady, we're
gagged all day yesterday and last night in matching and
piecing tho letters and envelopes order forward
tographs- Some OF them have been ruthessly tc
pieces
The prisoner was appointed about two years ago,
and, having good reputation, advanced from one
position 10 another until about two months he had
chance TO begin his neiarious work Some OF the
stolen letters are dated last December Postmaster
James has expressed Mr. Sharrett and his stan
eradication upon the success OF their work, which
has occupied their attention during the last month,
and he glad that OF the 500 employees Of tho
Post ONCE New York only one has been found
WORTHY.