New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-27
"FR1UDS."
THE OFFICIAL LIST OF TIL M-PLANs AND PURPOSES
OF THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT TO ERADI-
CATE THEM.


| THE OFFICIAL LIST OF TIL M-PLANs AND PURPOSES
OF THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT TO ERADI-
CATE THEM.
| At intervals of a few days the telegraph makes
announcement from Washington of additions TO
the list OF frauds" officially declared by the Post
Office Department. These announcements are usu-
ally published in the daily papers for the benefit of
the general public who thus warned against re-
hitting money 20 the persons thus denounced as
frauds" but they also intended for the lnfOr-
nation of postmasters throughout the country who
theTeupon detin all letters registered or otherwise
addressed 10 such persons. Of course an Official
formal order follows the telegrapic announcement,
but usually pOsimasers act promptly Oh the latter
publication. and thus save many dollar for the
dupes of the " frauds"
For several years the Department has been engaged
in tins work. aud Mt the present time il has list of
! III frauds" TO whom il denies the privilege Of
| swndling by mail. II is adding TO this list daily,
and doubtless If it had tine assistance of the dupcd
Ones could swell the list TO thousands But 1t mas
had TO depend in the past and depends now, almost
entirely on the gacous observation and detective
instincts of its pOstmastcrs and their subordinate
carriers. Almost all those who are now the list
of frauds have been detected such by carriers
| who have grown suspicious when called upon to
deliver day after day hundreds Of letters to OBJ
scure person in dark room without visible furniture
in some dilapidated building which shows signs Of
business activity The list down TO November last
may be found in The United states C1fcdl Postal
Gaide and the curious in such things Will lind ITS
peruSal OF considerable interest.
OF course the largest number of frauds" is in
New-York CITY. There are II of them, and many
of these have each half doz n aliases There is
nos a single franc" in the Stae outside of New
York City except J. C. Henrg d Co.. alias Clarence
w. Miller. al Glen's Falls, and the Long Island
Shirt Company which has had the good sense since
its exposure in THE Tribune TO abandon Brook
lyn. Philadelphia was represented by six frauds
until few DAYS ago, when one OF them, D.. JOHN
Buchanan. with five aliases in the names of medica
colleges was sent to State Prison Boston has only
four. but one of Them i. 4. Kendall ged in no
less than fifteen aliases, each selected with
view to entrap the most cultured Of
Boston's citizens. He called himself the Bay State
Organ Company" and cold music Instruments the
Eastern Gun Works" and dealt III arms; the
Enterprise Publishing Company" the Parislan
Photograph COMPANY" the " Peoples Paper Pub
fishing Company" and the Welcome Guest" and
ha wked art and literature, and a the " Hub Watch
Company" was vender OF bogus watches and
doubtless other like jewelry l.. Ellsworth Slo-
cumb, also OF Boston, appears TO have been prolific
figures as the Agents UnIon" American Book
Company" Eastern Manufacturing Company
" Paris Novelty Company" Royal Piano Company"
"Solagraph Watch Company star Manufacturing
Company" aud SIX other names. There was evidently
affinity Of soul, If no other connection between Ken
dali and Socumh and both were clearly sly custom
ers There 10 less than four III the small city of
New-BedfOrd, Mass, all engaged in literature and
music; and there are hall a score OF other
one frauds" The class seems
to have been very widely difused, for
the list locates them IN such small ontof ihe-way
hamets as Bristol Tenn, ElHhart, Ind. Holstcn.
Va, aud such remote places rs Cheyenne. wyoming
Prescott, Arizona, and Rosita. C9iorado. Chicago
has q population OF only nlno frauds officially
speaking but quick and speedy divorce lawyers
are enumerated Ia this class Most of the Chi
cago FRAUDS" are agents or aliases Of the Boston
seamps.
The articles dealt III by these frauds" are almost
innunerabie. Lotteries, of c0uTst OF which tnere
are hall Dozen ana 1.-THE greatest Of these" the
Louisiana state, is not mentioned at all; counter
felt money; pianos and organs firearms Of various
kinds these seem to be fayOrJe articles OF fraudu
lent traffic.; sewing machines bogus medical dit
plOmas; stamping machines; literary publications
Of all sorts; photographs and art works; japanese
curoslties; mining stocks; stock rokerage aud
shirts. There scores OF MINOR swindles winch IL
is difficult to describe In which the lesser frauds"
INDUCED.
The laws under which the Postmaster General
acts IN excluding the mails OF these persons are
lions 3 500 and 40f1 of the United States Revised
Statutes. Que prohibits the delivery to them of
reglste ed letters ana the other OF money orders
They read as follows; and those OF he ] RIB
INK readers who this article greatly facIll-
tate the WORK OF the department by sending to the
postmaster Of their respective places OF residence
the names of those they know or suspect to be
guilty Of a violation of either.
Section 3 92J. The POstmas ler- General may, upon
evidence satisfactory 10 him that person engaged
III conducting any fraudulent lottery, gitenterpisc
for The distribution OF money OF any real
personal properly by lot chance, drawing OF any
kind, in conducting any other scheme or
device for obtaining money through the mails
by OF false frauducnt pTetences
representations promises. instruct
Offices when registered letters arrive directed
such person. return all such letters to the post
masters al he post Onlccs ut which they Orig-
nally mailed with THE word 4" fraudulent" plainly
written stamped npOn the outside II such letter.
and all such letters returned TO such poStmasters
shall be by them returned 10 the writer's thereof under
such regulations rs the Postmaster-Gcner may pre-
scribe. But nothing cOntaned III tails title shall be
construed 10 autnorzs any postmaster other per
to open any letter not addressed 10 himself
Section 4,O4l is precisely the same the
a until the words representations
promises " reached and then it adds
follows: Forbid the payment by any postmaster 10
any such person OF any postal moneyOrder drawn 10
his order in his favor and may provide by regUa-
tons for the return 10 the reItler OF the named
such money orders. But this shall any
person To open any letter mol addressed 10 himself"
The care taken in the last sentence OF each 10
guard the sanctity of the mail III the of the
dupe prevents often the obtaining Of evidence 10
prosecute the fraud" 1t is believed that If the
system now employed were supplemented by the
and Of the duped persons, the " frauds" could be
checked If not punished.