The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-07-30
THE FATE OF A LETTER.
How . Robbsr of the Mail was Detected
The Importance of Remembering the Hour
of Putting a Letter into the Mail.
fphil.de.phia Record.l


ment at Washington concerning the fate Of a
registered letter." remarked Special Agent
Barrett, of the Philadelphia postoffice, yes
terday, as he sat at his desk buried in pile
of official documents. Sometimes parties
who complain having letter lost think
there is too much of that quantity known as
red tape to be disposed OF in our endeavors
to hunt a missing letter, but we must have all
the information, although sometimes we
trace out our case on very meager start
"Here is good illustration. In little
town, about II miles out of the city, will
give you my reasons for not stating any names
when am done with the story-there lives an
old gentleman who has two sons living in a
town out in Kansas. One ofthem has recently
purchased some property out there in which
the father is also interested, intending soon
to go out there himself. About two months
ago the father wanted to send $50 to his son
to pay the interest coming due on a mort
gage, and so he went to the postofice, in
closed the sum in registered letter. took his
receipt for it and went home happy, thinking
I presume, that that matter was attended to.
The letter was inclosed in what
we call "a jacket or ex-
tra..envelope supplied by the Government,
was put into pouch containing nothing
but registered letters, and having peculiar
lock, indeed so peculiar that there are but
six postofices in the United States that have
Il key that will unlock it. One of these otfic
es is at St. Louis, to which place the letter
was first sent, and from there forwarded to
its destination in Kansas. The arrival of the
mail in one of those little Western towns is
an event with them, and when it is about
time for it to arrive the good country people
congregate in the postoffice to ascertain if
ANYBODY from the East has remembered
them The son was expecting this letter.
and of course was in the Office when the
postmaster opened his mail. Here's let
ter for you Mr. Smith, and here's one for you
Mr. Jones' and another for Mr.. Brown" said
the postmaster, and finally coming in con-
tact with the registered letter, announced the
fact to the waiting son, congratulating him
on its contents. The son attempted to tear
open the letter, but could not, because the
letter and envelope were stuck together.
s.Guess the old gentleman didn't mean the
money should jump ont for want of mucil-
age remarked the son, rs he drew his knife
from his pocket ahd began to cut
off the covering. 1t was fearfully
glued together, but at last he got at enough
of it to read: Enclosed please find $50" but
he failed to find a cent. The letter had been
rifed. Who did it? Certainly not the post
master at that end of the line, for he took the
letter from the pouch and delivered it direct
" to the person to whom it was addressed.
An investigation showed that the letter had
been Immediately forwarded from st. Louis
to its destination, and the proper receipts
given for it whenever it passed from the
hands of one agent to another. 1t could not
have been between this city and st. Louis
for no one had key to the pouch, and nc
one could have picked the lock. So the mat
ter was narrowed down to the postofice here
and the one from which it-was. mailed. TIL,
date of its receipt by the postal agent from
the country Office was on the envelope, and
the time of its starting for ST. Louis.
Such was the condition of affairs wher
Special Agent Barrett received the paper
| from Washington and entered upon his in
| vestigation of the case. Not desiring to b,
| seen in the town where the letter was mailed
fearing it would arouse suspicion if the part,
was located there, Mr.. Barrett addressed
letter to the writer requesting him to come t.
! Philadelphia, and the writer came.
when did you mail that letter." was tn
first inquiry.
.On the Both of May responded tn
writer.
"And at what hour?T continued the ques
toner.
"a little before o'clock" was the re
Spouse.
"Sure of that?" asked the special agent.
Eyes; l could swear to it," was the positiv
reply. M
.What kind of a man is the postmaster on
there?"
ssOh, there never was an honester man lived
he didn't have anything to do with it."
"No, don't believe he did," was the as
surfing response of the interlocutor; "but te
me who is in the Office with him?"
"Well, he has brother-in-law there, VIII
attends to the office in his absence"
'.Yes; now can you tell me what kind of
character he bears?" aacas-
"Well, | can't say much about him, re
sponded the writer of the letter, hcsitatingly
"I've heard some things, but j don't kno'
anything myself, about his having come ther
| from the South, and that's all i can tell yoI
| except heard, now / come to think of
g that he was once in store somewhere
D jersey; l can't tell where now, but l ca
: find out and let you know" added the maj
not knowing what possible good could
gained by the information, but hoping tn,
it might be after all valuable.
The place at which the brother-in-law
the postmaster had worked in Jersey W,
ascertained and the information impaired
| MI. Barrett. Inc next step ttheu ny u
special agent was, using his own languag
:, Ito go for the postal agent by asking hi
to explain how it was that a letter receive
by him at o'clock one day did not reae
the office in Philadelphia until the ne
n evening The agent declared that no SUI
# state of fact existed. tf
e Heres registered letter, mailed befo
4 o'clock on the Both of May which W
Friday, and did not reach Philadelphia u
til Saturday night How is that" inquire
Mr.. Barrett.
.sNothing of the kind" replied the ira
agent; al received that letter on my doy
trip on Saturday morning and brought 1T !
with me on Saturday evening"" headed wi
emphasis.
r, "From whom did you receive it?'
"From the assistant postmaster at
He gave it to me himself, and receipted
him for it on Saturday morning. More tn
this, / often get letters that were put II
N the office on the day before on my doN
a trim haca,lse he saws he don't want to ia