The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-05-12
SWINDLING UNCLE SAM
CANCELLED STAMPS CLEANED AND
USED IN LARGE QUANTITIES.
Washing with AcidS--PatclinG Together
Uncanceled Parts OF several stamps
How They Are Used.
{ From tie -Neao York St0r.)

How They Are Used.
(From tie -Neao York iSt0r.)
ssThe most troublesome offenders
against government laws are the eN-
perts who use Cancelled postage stamps,
said postoffice official the ether day.
ssThev have a system of washing out
the cancellation marks that is SO sue
cessful as to make detection almost
impossible. In the offices of large cities
like New York and Chicago, where 50
many letters are handled daily, and
where rapiditv is the most desirable
feature, it is impossible for the men
who cancel stamps to examine each
one carefully. Then, too, a great deal
Of the work is done by gaslight, and
this is a point which tends to aid the
conspirator against the governments
income.
ssAnv one who has seen q postotticc
emplove in the New York office grab q
bunnle of letters and cancel the stamps
with lightning-ike rapidity can read
ily see how impossible 1t IS for him to
detect bad stamps unless they are par
tScularlv bad. The men engaged in
thesbusiness of using cancelled stamps
are extremely clever. They have an
acid in which they wash the stamps.
The acid acts upon the cancellation
marks, and not upon the coiors OF the
stamp. In this way q stamp that has
once been used is relieved almost en-
tirelv Of its black marks. If any
black remains alter the washing pro-
cess the operator takesa Sharp knife,
which he has made for the purpose,
and deity Scratches the stamp until
the remaining black marks are almost
if -. entirely removed. This can be
done adily when the marks are upon
the bald heae or the face Of The his
toric parsonage whose vignettc adorns
the stamp, as this portion IS white;
and upon white space the STAMP can
be scratched until it is nearly thl IN
without detection.
"Another clever trick that IS en-
ploved is the cutting of stamps. Often
in the hurry Of poStoffice work the
cancellation mark does not cover the
stamp, but falls only upon ole corner,
the rest going upon the envelope. The
operator takes a stamp that has black
mark, say upon the left hand lower
corner. He carefully cuts u square
piece out of that corner, making II
large enough to cut away all OF the
cancelled portion. He then secures Il
stamp OF which the cancellation mark
has fallen in some other corner. lie
carefully cuts ont the same sized square
from the lower left hand corner ofthe
stamp, and joining it with the first
stamp he has whole stamp upon
which there are no cancellation marks.
These stamps are used upon packages
watch are tied with q string: and the
string is ingeniously placed over the
cut stamps.
ssTake any package Of a dozen let
ters and YOU Will see now easy it is 10.
find stamps for this business" As he
spoke the official drew from his pocket
bundle of half dozen letters. Upon
the first letter the cancellation mark
was only upon the lower right corner
of the stamp. The second was can
celed completely, and the third was
marked only upon the upper left hand
corner. So q combination could have
been easily made with the stamps upon
the first and third letters.
ssMany, of these operators, con-
Stinued the official, "grow expert in the
work. They have clever tools and
the right kind OF mucilage, and some
90 even so far as to have colorlng pro-
cesses for touching up a Garfield black
eve OF g. Washington soiled cheek.
What do they do with the worked-over
stamps? They do not sell them, as
many suppose, and that fact renders
detection more difficult When man
become successful in working over
cancelled stamps be enaeavers to get
into some business which VIII require
the sending and receipt Of lnanysregis-
tered letters ail6 packages. The most
popular scheme is to 60 into the cheap
ieWelry or fancy trick business. The
operator lays in stock OF the cheapest
kind of ieweIry and advertises thor
oughlv through the country, especially
in rural districts. a gold watch with
chain and charm for $3.50 is a bait
that catches great many green spec
ulators, and as they are Instructed to
send remittances by registered letter,
the operator receives number OF five
and ten cent stamps. These stamps
he operates on, and when he returns
the jewelry he pays the postage IN
whole or in part with Cancelled stamps.
He makes 100 to 200 per cent. on the
iewelry, and does a thriving business
in Illegal stamps at tie same time.
ssAh, yes, there are great many III
the business, aud their success is WOE
derfnl. All that we can do is 10 keep
on the lookout and catch ona OF them
when we can. We get al idea that Il
man is doing crooked work, and then
watch him. WheA we once get an
idea it does not take us long TO a>cer-
tain The truth. Whenever the person
presents !. package for registration We
have il held for inspection, and II thcre
are cancelled stamps upon il we are
pretty sure to fud them. Often the
bad stamps are detected before they
reach the cancellation clerks. " hen
thev are being taken from the recejF-
ing baskets they are sometimes detect
ed: There is now awaiting the action
of the grand jury man whe is held
for doing g rushing business in cam,
celed stamps from his store on Bread
way. He followed the usual plan.