The Evening critic., 1881-06-28
REGISTERED LETTERS.
POstmnsters Held to he Responsible
for Their Safe Delivery.

Daniel b. Anger to recover Si3, money
had and received by the defendant for the
use of the plaintiff, and by the defend
ant misappropriatcd, being the money
incloscd in two registered letters
Zone containing $50 and the other
containing S23), addressed to the plain
tiff and received by the defendant as
City Postmaster of Washington, ID. c. and
by him delivered to one Arthur Wiser upon
forged orders.
The cause was tried before Justice Will
liam Helmick on June 10, Col, A. II. Jack
son appearing for Mr.. Alexander and AS
sstant Postmaster Parker for Mr.. Anger.
The suit is without n precedent but is of
vast interest to business men. The circum-
stances were briefly these: Arthur Wiser,
between and10 years of age was en-
ployed by Col. Alexander to do crrands
about his office. He sent the boy daily
to the Post-oflicc and entrusted him with
the key to his letter-box. On the
Goth day of last March the boy brought
from the Post-oflicc a notice that there was
a registered letter in the Post-ofiice for
Alexander. He gave the boy a written
order, over his own signature, and sent him
for 1t, and the letter was duly received.
Alexander testified that this was the only
order or authority he ever gave the boy for
, n registered letter.
This is all the testimony of any import
ancc offered by Alexander. Mr. Anger of
fered the testimony of several witnesses, in
Guiding that of the clerk who delivered the
registered letters to the boy, Wiser. This
clerk admitted that he delivered the letters,
and that his reason for doing so was because
he saw the boy have the plaintiffs mail in
his hands. The forgery was not discovered
until April IA. Justice Helmiek then con-
tinues in his decision as follows: I re.
quested the defendant to file with me the
three orders for the registered letters, which
request was complied with. The first order
is dated March 30, 1881, and is signed by
the plaintiff in q coarse, bold hand. The
second order is dated April A, and the third
order April z, 1881. All three orders were
on the backs of the respective notices. This
third notice, that there Is letter in the
post-Ofiicc addressed to G. M. Alexander, is
endorsed on the back as follows: Please
deliver this registered letter, addressed to
me, to the bearer, @. NJ Alexander signed
Arthur Wiser. 1t will be seen at Il glance
that the delivery of this letter was most
glazing oversight, for Arthur Wiser signs
the order requesting that the letter be de-
livcred to &. NJ. Alexander instead of G.
M. Alexander signing the order to deliver
the letter to Arthur Wiser. The signature
of c. NJ. Alexander to the genuine order
NOT tho eI;oLtost roso,,hlameo m -
tures IN the foroed ordars ora yorv no.,
limitations. A boy without any experience
should have discovered the forgery. The
clerk Of the defendant was guilty of gross
carelessness in delivering the two letters in
question to Arthur Wiser.
tbat tbo letters In contro,crs,, ,ro,,o rooa;,,nI
of the C;tv Post oty,ca In tho usual ,vo,, IN
which ros;stered ictto,.. ,varo rnce;voJ .,nJ
were In 10 hands of Tho dafenJont far do" dn'
i;vnr,, 70 tto rn,so, ddrossod ~. ~ h;s o ~"
thor;yoJ . ano,t oooorI;na =" low, ~ onJ nd H.
post .ofl;ce rnonlations. sccopd that tbe
Iotters wero Scl;vercJ nv tho dofamJant,s
nocnt mon for~ed order: IN Arthur Visser
~ ayrnsst;nns thorofora bnfnra r,o 70,
,n,, dac;s;n,, aro onost;ons ~ law Eirs+ 'o W
tn' tho nWnst;on4 W omnmo,- No ,,ia;n.; q,
cont Tho ho, V;ssor 70 10 post, oBtii"a ta,.
his mail o;v;ng him tho Ioy 70 liz Iocl-
hn, 10 o,,'o7i IN, 10 oot Il os,5 ~ ms , IN
cas;on ,,n,,n HIM an o,d d '' :" o ono ".
reo;StoreJ Iottor MD tbasa octS ~ th ="
nIa;ntif const;tnto yiSsor tho no,oraI aront
ar n,,or snoI, Nv, o,,nt y, sIoSId ;ust;f,' ~
Icfendant in dn,;yer;no to Visscy tbn yoa 1ho
torod Letters In ouosiion . nm, ~ fIo
n,,;,;or tI,ot ti,o, J;1 no. a,,J t,,ot ti,o
iottcrs we've dni;yercJ to v;sse,. ,v;tbomt
n,ono,. anthor;t,, SoconGl,. as 70 tha liz
h;iitv of tbe defendant to tia y,a;rt;ff for
tha ,,oIro ~ tho comtonts of t,p two roo,;s
toro5 Letters tbo Act NJ Cnn~ross Pn,,;snd
Stot,tos Soct;om No oo3e 10 ~ thosn ,,.ords.
Itn, thc oreator secu,;tyy ~ ,,oImohlo 'y,a;i
mottcr tbc Postma SER enaraJ NAV estah.
iish n nniform system of reo;stratinn pnt tho
post oa,an nnrort,,a,,t . e. $500, LII
not ho i;oble fnr tbc loss of anv ,,a;i -, to-
~, occo,,,t of Ia hov;na hoo, roa;sta,.oI ),
Th;s soct;on l. oiso n,,hi;s,odi i, t,,o "pastaI
Laws and Peamiotions ,, os' $50 coo.;"n
snG
Conorcsss bas o;vep 70 e,cb bood of n do.
nortment ,ntber;tw IN estai,,;sb r,,ios on1
rr"a,,at;nns nnt ;ncons;sfort ,r;t,, tha " "m,,
of Conoress far the oowcrnmont NJ bis d.
nartme1t - '''' Wv
Tho Iette,s q, ,uest;o,, ,voro sos,,,, -,
ce;yed nj The C;tv Post 'ntt;no Nv, ~" Iaf,,S
ant for delivery 70 the nla;nt;tf WV ''"
In pursuance of tho act Of co,oross +,,,
Hon. d. M Kov then Postmaster. Gov .m
c,ni did IN 1870 nnb,;sb .pnstoi ~ ",d
Pcoulationsw for tbe ou;donno 81 az s,r'
nlnyccs nj tbo donortment inc,ndi,n r oir.
masters and for thc ;nformot;on of a, p ror
CONS WIN MAY, IN anv n,anmnr howa pn,
business with tho Ianortment or Viii, "n
Of tbe most .oficos In the irnitod State "''
sections sea and eco of the sa;J q posto,
I.v,s amJ DoonIat;o~,, mo as rIio,, 0''''
Soct;om seS IL in these ,rnrds. !" Poo,;stood
lotto,.s ,n ,'oron,s ,,,'sr o'.aa M dei;,'o,oa
o'.u,a W la,oIn "t tI NV. DC uoiiNeLeu
=" "'y PSiSoi put 'iio oho W NHohi tiicN