Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-10-02
POSTOFFICE REGULATORS.
THE EXPERIENCES OF A VETERAN
INSPECTOR.
Thrilling and Sensational CaSos-A
Truthful Thief whose Sentence
yVaS nOt Carried eluf,

most experienced men on the lo!Ce,
where he has been employed many years.
There are sixty mail inspectors in all,
whose duty it is to ''eheck up the ac-
counts of postmasters where negligence
or crookedness is suspected, and to fer
ret out embezzlemeut and thicving. The
inspecting of postmasters' accounts is
comparatively easy, and young men are
assigned to it, as the main qualification
necessary is an accurate knowledge of
bookkeeping. The old hands are en-
fployed as detectives, and all the quail
ties necessary to the spying out of the
most intricate cases are required.
Inspector Adsit's many years. expert
ence, if recorded in the plainest, most
unimaginatve way, would make volume
much more thrilling and sensational than
the fanciful detective stories published,
while at the same time it would give
touches of human nature in its most
varied passes. Mr.. Adsit, though natur-
ally uncommunicative, is an old news
paper man, and he told one or two of
his experiences while enjoying a cigar
and waiting for the II 30 train to his
next base of operations in Northern New
York.
"About two years ago." he said, ~
had job given me in Michigan which
had troubled the department good
deal. They had been losing money from
registered letters which must have been
taken out by postoffioe clerks at Port
Huron or just over the line at Sarnia, and
finally traced it to the former place.
There was boy sixteen years Cd who
worked through the night at the Office,
and hadTeason to believe that he took
the money: l sent four decoy letters
from separate stations, mailed so that
they would be sure to pass through his
hands on certain night. In a memo
fandum book took record of the date
and number of the bank bills put in
each one, and made the hand.
writing in no two letters alike. | de-
3ided then to watch the postohice all
night to see that no one else went there.
| The time selected was q bright, moon.
light night in September, and, as luck
would have it, there had been a series of
/ burglarics there just before, including
Tie blowing up of couple of safes, so
that the police were wide awake. be-
gan on my beat up and down the alley,
and soon saw that a country policeman
was Watching me. 1t was not very long
before he walked up to me and in very
knowing as well as pompous way said:
we |, where are the rest of your gang?
You might as we'll own up now | as
surred him that | was not a burglar but
was on to watch the postoflice. Come,
that's too thin, he said; Il saw the post
master himself to night, and he told me
70 watch the Office myself. Come now,
& long with me, and he started for the
station house. If there is anybody in
;he world don't give a secret to it's
policeman, for they are sure to tell
everything they know. So tried to evade
Wis attempt to discover why was there.
[ argued, threatened, showed him my
commission and did everything else, and
after working for nearly two hours freed
myself by consenting to having man
put on to watch me. And he
actually hired man to watch me
IN the corner all night In the morn
.ng went into the postofiice and, find
ny the suspected clerk, asked him to
show his registered letters. looked
them over and picked out the four had
written.
Paul said l, now give me the
money He got mad and said he had
lone. I then made him take off his coat
and vest, which l. searched without sue
cess, but. found q roll of bills in his
trousers. | picked out several, and
showing him my memorandum book,
made him read and compare the marks
IN the bills aud then on the book for
himself. You've got me, and that is all
ne said. l opened my letters and found
hat he had taken the money from three,
and had put back the bills in the fourth.
lie did not know that | wrote it. and |
tsked him why he did not take the $25
n that letter. Read it, he said, push
ing it over to me.
1T read as if from poor boy about
jhe clerks age, who was returning $50
lie had borrowed from a neighbor to help
aim to town over the line. 1t was
written tn his mother and told in pitt:
full way how hard he had worked to save
t and how he was saving money for her.
The letter had touched him, and he left
he money. | could not tell him that the
etter was a fancy of mine 10 test his
conscience. And he is the only one |
9ver arrested whose sentence was not car
fied out. He had so many manly quail
lies that the Judge held the sentence over
aim on his good behavior, and the money
ne didn't steal helped to free him.
"The most of the criminals we find are
lnder thirty years of age, and although
here are a great many women in the de
oartment, / never knew of but two who
we're dishonest Ycu see they are not
sempted to spend money as boys and
men are. Extravaganza has been the
cause of the ruin of almost every one |
have arrested. believe it was the same
hing that led young Pierce to steal, al
,hough this instance is by no means
marked one. He went with the boys
who had rich parents and could not af.
'ord to keep up with them in style.
81 met with sad case at Ypsilanti,
Mich, few years ago." continued Mr..
Adsit. "The postmaster, who was one
Of the leading men of the city in social
and religious life, was found So, 800 short
IN his accounts, and | had to fight him
for nearly tw> days to prevent his com
mitting suicide. 1t was singular case.
He had gone into stock speculation
with the cashier of bank across the
| street, and turned over nearly all the
large money orders he received for the
bank to cash, until it held So, 900
dollars worth of them against
he postoifice. He failed in his
'peculations and could not meet the
orders. offered to help him make up
,he deficiency, and advised him to go to
riends to borrow and prevent
exposure. He conEded his case
| q one man and .becoming