New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-29
A CURIOSITY or THE POSTOFFICE.

CURIOSITY or THE POSI-OFFICE.
WHY Mr.. HEWITT THOUGHT HIS LETTERS WERE
oPHNED-CARELEss SEALING OF LErTRRs-RE-
PORT OF TIE SCI ECT COMMITTEE.
lGENERAL PRESS DIsfATCul
WASHINGTON. Jan, 2S.-The Select Commit
tee appointed 20 investigate the charge Of Mr. Hewitt
against the New-York Post Oice has presented its re-
port The report states that the committee wch' 10 new
York and took the evidence of Mr. Hewitt. OF Parko G"o
win, Mr. Dickinson clerk of the Democratic t'atohai
Committee; Col Peton. Edward Cooper, superintendent
Gayer the POstOice, and Others t appears ihdt MI
Hewitt disclained, before the committee making any
charge mail being tnpered WITH OF Of having any
knowledge OF it; but said that he had strong hHes
sion" that his letters opened, an impression
which WIS deepened by showing the letters to frens-
Mr. Goodwin. Mr. Cooper Mr.. Hale or Maine ana others
and by an anonymous letter which he received some OF
bis letters appeared to have excess of muciase around
the edges ana flaps of the envelopes were corrugated
and yrnklcd,as they had been exposed to steam OF
heat and opened and rec!oscd The committee report
that they proceeded 10 inquire "a to the impression i
by Mr. King Col Peton, Mr.. Dickinson Mr. Cooper MI
Cole General Richard Taylor, Parke Godwin' ana MI
Hale of Maine and all these gentlemen except MI
King who was away, and found that their impression
was no stronger than Mr. Hewitts. After reviewing
what the witnesses said the committee say;
The committee proceeded TO clear up any doubts
which these suspicious have aroused by apersona
examination of the Post-OIice and It's mode Of opoia
ing Alter assembling AT the PosOhice large humber
of letters taken prOmiscuOusY ont of tie boxes were
submitted TO our inspection 30 show the cOnuTco what
large proportion OF letters were SO eareicsly sealed Is
10 present cIunped or c"ffuga'ed alpoaI Hu'. uu
as led Mr. Hewitt 10 suppose his letters hiu be I'h
percd with. In the course Of the examination mas, oi
letters lust gathered from the lamrrOS ctiti-b"Xts
by some half dozen lctercarrlcr> we're cIplc4 on
table These the committee critically cXaplnet The
examination showed that from onehiid To oLcal Of
them presented the same uDled appearance as thoNe
aroy sworn and tcsied rs To the boxes from which
lie letters had collected within the previous tor
They were taken nom different paris "i he cl' ny the
most worthy and experienced lcttci-caTicrS Inis eN
animation also showed that many letters were lntoNh
into the dTogbOx usealed. Sach letters when dscov
cred were stamped having been received u'scsiea
The same stamp placed on letters when the envelopes
iorny or wet Sethas generally worse hau those col
lccted in good weather. This examination revealed
many letters worse condition than inc TWO submit
' IT. Urwrt' ang recalled was questioned the
,1rancc of letters fresh from the United States lamp!
posj boxes looked 10 him suspic0us some dId
moi ook so 10 him which did look 10 others. The ar
rarance those letters sucn as 10 arouse douoi but
ID" committee well knew that they We're liCshll d'-
posted. and had never been tanPelcd with. lhelF
wrlnked corfu .acd snutcLod. dirty and careless alr
pcr,ncc the condition OF the mucae ana the evidence
ina; many u them had ben opened ny sone one l'I
sealing, Was clear. But all those cases were accounted
for by the acs Of the WI teS themselves lI ,e,'il!
DIR. Gdilcr and oilers tEoroNFhl tNptTiNccu nn's
coucu.sivey that letters ike these Whcn haLulThE
aroused the attention and Suspicion oi M, hGMi'.' "'v
never opened unless by thc writers .Sei' "a
not opened at all then sealed 80 hnSngiy ~ 10 arouse
suspicion IA an XpeIcnecd mind 4 large h!niht. 81
letters coming through tie man, q. S'' 80. "a,
commit tee saw and Hr Gayier states. have Ad APP
over the edge OF envelope and has stuck t. the neN
envelope apparently Ia the process OF manufacture 50
that the gum SHOWS OH the outside Oi the Hap.
The committee then state that they examined ar d.
NJ Boyd manufactured Of ony clopcs, as 70 some letters
shown him by Mr.. Hewitt which had been th0dshi to
have been opened From lis knowledge OF the business
hc testified that the enye pes produced by MI lieWit
were never opened; the wrinEling came rom the
weather or the amoun Of dampness used IN making hein
stick At request of the committee, MI Boy looked
oyer good many lrtte!s ID the Post hce III the presence
Of the committee and found that majority OF them had
the corrugated appearance lie said thai certain httie
rim in the envelope sometimes sticks up when II dtirs
too quickly and. when wet VIII make cfilTlhtd
appearance Outsde if the gum applied on very dfy
day it dries very quickly; if applied on wet damp day
il takes a long tmc 20 dry; consequently the rim falls
down.
lhe committee say that 10 make themselves sure, they
naced every clerk IN the Office under oath, some of
whom have spent their lives there, and they examined
personally the process OF handling the mails Ihcy say
THE commodlousness of the buildng' and rooms
the ODcnness Of the divisions, and the constant move
ment the very dspat required all combine 10 prevent
any possible COLLISION between the clerks 10 well rs any
opportunity for individual clerks 10 seerete letters on
their persons" The following extracts give the sub
stance Of the residue Of the report:
Your committee have therefore unanimously concluded
that there just grounds for any suspicion OF the
Ncw-York PosOicc any Of its snboitiinates IT. IL
NM within their province under hercSoutiOn to inquire
INTO Inc conduct of any other pOstOcc OF any OF the
AGENTS who have charge Of the mails IN transit
The committee particularly inquired whether any
tbinS in Mr. UeiyIit's letters had TRANSFERRED.
Neither himself Col Pclon nor any one else Ld over
O the contents OF secrets OF inc ~ cls NAV
Ing been published used Tho committee have also
ascertaiucd thai had noticed any discrepancy DE-
tween lie dates the letters and the receipt OF them
a would have been very important IN HING on
The Post Office the charge OF tainpcrinS. ,
II is difficult for the public to understand tbe VShhce
and eiciency OF the NewYork PostOhc any mora than
the numbcrlcss cases OI Cdfcitssits = on
the part OF those who send letters. All tat me foht
Office can do when letter comes TO IL III ba Qrdl or
uusealed the customary stamp upon H. ludlct
condition at tho time or l.S reception lnIs HS
been scrupul ousy done the New IoTk Eb5tOiLct ~
surprising fact that tho mos Carsts persons !" no u"
the POSt-Ohce III Now YORK arc lho DIhl
men, bankers, and the most Valuable packages
OF letters Otentinee the most caree:ly prepared o
ssiOn. The committee saw many IeIcrs "bIoh
registered, with valuable contents cNpOStsl
Mr. Forester superintendent OF tho registered clltr
division, after giving account or tho peculiar way III
which packages scaled, oftcnmtS sinearcd ana
after stating that the very OYefcauuOusbe Oh soiho PV
ple gave SUSPICIOUS appearance 10 tho letter, stated
that lie bad packages OF bank bills irOn tho Bank or
Nevada san Francisco, addressed TO the Bank OF New
brown paper. Each package was about eight inches
thick in solid bank bills Tho seals were broken IN COM
ing through the mails and TIE ends Of the packages eN
posed, There was more Than Tl5O,OOO IN them When
The committee III New-1Grk "A box containing
SD 900 in $40 gold pieces was received IN 1873 GOA
coin to the amount of i,JOOOOo passed through tho
New-York PostOficc; IN ls7I, Sl,sO0VOO passed
these Mr.. Forester calls small Items or the
through. short time go AZ
narkages OF bonds, valued at between S6OO.OOO and
$500 900 passed through. Large amounts OF Uhitei
bonds not registered, are sent 10 Europe through
mails and returned 10 TINS country IN he
same way and yet he says thoc Is about the same care
pssness as 10 those valuable letters as 10 ordinary
letters.
PostOnice and Postmaster James, which has already
n.