The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-02-11
POSTAL DETECTIVES.
How They WorkiO Keep the Mails Clear
offrauds, a.,


The maintenance Of a large force
Of trained detectives or inspectors,
as they are designated upon the rolls
Of the Post Office Department, has
greatly purified this branch Of the
service IN the particular mentioned.
An infinite number Of swindles are
still carried on through the agency Of
the mails.
Swindlers reach their intended vic
tins by eiTculars and by advertise
ments in careless or characterless
newspapers. The former method is
preferred by sharpers, as being the
least likely 10 come under the notice
Of the official spies of tine department.
1t il an easy matter to obtain full
lists Of any required number Of names.
running up into the millions. Lot
terry companies make business Of
selling lists OF names Of their patrons.
aud other swindling concerns which
obtain original lists are addicted to
the same practice.
Countrymen who reply to any one
Of the hundreds Of snap advertise
ments wonder how il IL that the hun
dreds Of fascinating enterprises from
one end Of the country 10 the other
obtain their addresses, and they feel,
in some way that they must be persons
OF Importance. Their vanity Is BATTERED
aud in innumerable instances they
a regular course of training before
they acquire q sufficient fund OF expe-
pience to enable them to realize that
they are on the wrong side Of the
institution for the feeble minded.
The art craze. which during the
last few years has spread over the
country like an epidemic, has devel-
Oped a swindle that is very hard for
for the department to reach, and
which affords a livelihood for a large
number OF enterprlsing and unserupu-
luus persons The kuaves tax the
great army Of unsOphlsticated girls
who imagine they have artistic tastes
by showing them, through the medi-
um OF circulars, how they eau put
themselves In the way OF earning
comfortable incomes with the eXpend-
iture Of triiiing sum for sn outfit.
They promise To take work that Is
produced according 10 their system"
aud require small cash payment in
advance from the favored artists.
The department finds this a most
troublesome class Of cases to deal
with, the OriginatOrs. protecting
themselves very completely, as rule,
against prosecution.
TIE Post Office Department spent
months trying to break up the scheme
of man who contracted Go send
pianos aud organs from his manufsc-
tories i'm Maine and California TO any
part Of the country on payment Of 81
or $ OF 81 to defray the cost Of box
ing the instruments. The articles
were received according 10 contract,
tut they proved to be cheap toy
organs, the expense of boxing which
was 10 per cent Of the sum remitted
in each case. Another fellow made q
lot Of money by boxing and forward
ing very cheap mouth-OrgaHs, 20 all
who patrOnized him through the
mails.
The proprietor Of a snide but harm
less cure for deafness reaped a harvest
Of $50 or $40 day for a long time. |
His headquarters were in New York. !
The president Of q bogus medical |
college did q prosperous business in |
selling spurious diplomas, bat rs the |
men who bit at his bait were con-
fessediy as great sWiudleTs as he was, |
the department was n long time In /
getting st him. This was = swindleF |
pure and simple.
An army OF ruralists forwarded /
haFtl-earned dollars for q moving /
khife-shsrpener. SIMPLE, ef-
iective." and received In return sticks
tipped in emery dust aud pieces Of
ron. Another ingeuius operator
'Ound q market for thousands Of
sopies Of cheap edition Of the scrip
ures by representing the book TO be
! COLLECTION OF very tough stories. It
3 not recorded that the department
with this missionary en-
erprise.