Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-11-13

A DETECTIVES MAP.
HOW A PoSroFFIcE INSPECTOR
STICKS PINS THROUGH THIEVES
Catching Railway RsstAl Clsrks Whe
stsA, Letters Containine Mopsy-Lo-
eating the Mischief - Detection
Made Csrtain-Caught At Last

Washington Cor. New York SUM-
Chief Inspector Sharps, the bad q ths
detective service in thu postof1cs depart
Hent, resigned his Office several weeks ago
t. engage in private business His resigns
ton was accepted. to take effect Sept I.
His recorl is that Of . capable ofilcsr He
Is Al east Tennessee man, tall and spare in
stature, aud in appearance and manner tie
typical detective. During the war be va.
Union man. and did good ssrvica A. Dc.
partm.nt officer he has been . terror to
rascals, and has hunted many OF thsm cut
o. thu service, even whsn shsltsrsi by streax
political influence.
One OF the most impostant duties OF the
chief inspector is TO detect railway postal
Clerks who steal letters containing money.
10 accomplish this Col Sharpe follows Q
simple but ingenious system. which he sx.
plainei the other day to the writer
TO catch these thieves" b. said, Il had
constructed largo railroad map 0; tbs
United States, which hangs in my of1,a
Now, supposins man mails letter In Bos-
ton for Kansas City containing e50-a very
bad practice, but people will do it The let
ter never reaches its destination, and pretty
soon we get complaining letter stating
the circum stances
Now, if the supposed case vera an isolated
one, We probably could do nothing. The
.ettsr, in going from Boston to Kansas City,
would pass through thirty or forty hands,
and 1t would be useless t. try and fx the
blame. But the Boston mans case 10 not
isolated. Every day We get from one to
fifty similar complaints from all over the
country, and this fact. as you will SEQ, en-
ables Us to locate the mischief
"tIrst wa ascerfain aYacfIv ~hAn
where the missing letter was mailed and its
address Then We are ready for the map
spoke Of l take the Boston mans letter
and bunch Of similar complaints, and
then / begin to stick pins into my
map. know just tie route which letter
would take to go from Boston to Kan
sas City, and ! stick pins along TO sketch out
this course Then l take the next COM
paint. Perhaps this Is from Q man who lost
money transmitting it from Mobile to Chi |
cage. YER. well. trace out the Inns such |
a letter would take. Ths third, perhap.
was sent from New York to San Franchises, |
the fourth from New Orlean, to Buffalo, tie |
fifth from Saginaw City to Philaisphia, and |
50 on Now, before very long the map be- |
gins 20 look quite interesting The pins are
.trewn all over the country, brt W. notes |
ons track-say, for instance, between Chi
cago and CSveland-whsrs all the LINES
Unite. That's where the taisf H.
Knowing now where the stealing L. going 4
OF, We ad viss our most trusted man IN tlst
havs to tru,. somsbody, you
kuow-that there is trouble in this section,
md tell him to Keep a sharp look out We
inquire into the habits and associations Of |
he clerks. and we are. perhaps. a0ls ~
spot the man at once. At other tim,s il y
more difficult But We always fetch him.
Detection Is certain
But don't the clerks know OF this sys.
tsm!'
Perfectly WELL replied Col. Sharps.
Then why do they stealf' was asksi.
"Ah, there you ask me too hard Quss-
ion" said the inspector. "rm sure l can't
ell. I only know thsy do. and the history
Il almost all case, /, the same A postal
Jerk will be tempted AMI will steal letter
hat LIE feels has money in it. For the next
ew days he is scared to death. He thinks
verybody reads his guilt in his face, and
lie is certain he Will be caught and put in
rison. He resolves never to steal another
sitter, and possibly he does not. But gem
rally in about a month or two months his
ear and remorse have worn Off. Evidently
% has not been caught and is not suspected.
l |
,tter. This tinlo he does not wait a month
ssore he tries it again. And before long he
stealing all tho letters hs gets hold Of
rhich contain money. About that time I
m sticking pins into my map 1t Il surs
cath Sometimes We get moro than one.
: fi-h hers will now and thsn Land two or
hree fish at once when the biting 10 very
lively. We caught three in two weeks oacs
4 different parts Of the country whom We
urpo.ed we were after only one
"Dut why do men keep on stealing when
Icy zoe others caught. and understand that
he machinery Of detection 10 so psrfsoti'
gain asked the reporter.
As l said befors." replied the inspector,
hat can't answer, except in this way:
very rogue thinks himself Q little smarter
ian anybody else. He sees that Others are
,uyht. but he thinks that hs IL too cunning
nd can cover his tracks"