The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-06-03
EXPERT SWINDLERS..
CANCELLED STAMPS CLEANED SAND
: USED A SECOND TIME.

USED A SECOND TIME.
Removing Cancellation Marks by Means
of Acids-Thc Clever Trick of Cutting
stamps-Wonderful Skill and Ingenuity
of the Dishonest Operators.
"The most troublesome offenders
against government laws are the experts
who use conceled postage-stamps," SAID
postofice official the other day. "They
have system of washing out the cancel
lation marks that is so successful as 70
make detection almost impossible. IN the
Offices of large cities like New York and
Chicago, where so many letters are hand
led daily, and where rapidity Is the most
desirable feature, it is impossible Tor the
men who cancel stamps to examine each
one carefully. Then too, a great deal OF
the work Is done by gas-Eght, and this is
poin; which tends to aid the conspirator
against the governments income
aAnyone who has seen postofnce en-
ploys in the New York office grab bun
die o. letters and cancel the stamps with
lightning like rapidity can readily see how
impossible it is FOR him to detect hao
stamps unless they are particularly bad.
The men engaged in the business OF using
cancelled stamps are extremely clever.
They have an acid in which they wash the
stamps. The acid acts upon the cancellar
ton marks, and not upon the colors OF the
stamp. In this way q stamp that has
once been used is relieved almost entirely
of ita black marks. If any black remains
after the washing process the operator
takes o sharp knife, which he has made
for tle purpose, and deftly scratches the
stamp until the remaining black marks
are almost If not entirely, removed This
can lie done readily when the marks are
uporl the bald head or the face of the
historic parsonage whose vignette adorns
the stamp, as this portion Is white: and
upon q white space the stamp can be
scratched until it is nearly through with
out detection.
aAnother clever trick that is employed Is
the cutting of stamps. Often in the hurry
of postofflce work the cancellation-mafk
does not cover the stamp, but falls only
upon one corner, the rest going upon the
envelope. The operator takes stamp that
has black mark, say upon the lefthand
lower corner. He carefully cuts square
piec,, out or that corner, making it large
enough to cut away all the cancelled por-
tion. He then secures stamp on winch
the cancelation-mark has fallen in some
other corner. He carefully cuts out the
same-sized square from the lower LETT
hand corner of thisstamp, and joining it
with the first stamp he has whole stamp
upon which there are no cancellation
marks These stamps are used upon pack
ages which are tied with string, and the
string Is ingeniously placed over the cut
stamps.
aTake any package of dozen letters
and you will see how easy it is to lind
stamps for this business" As he spoke
The official drew from his pocket bundle
of half dozen letters. Upon the first let
ter the cancellation.mark was only upon
the lower right corner Of the stamp. The
SECOND was cancelled completely, and the
third was marked only upon the upper
left-hand corner. So a combination could
have been easily made with the star1p
upcr the first and third letters.
WONDERFUL SKILL OF THE swINDLERs.
"IIany of these operators" continued
the official, grow expert in the WORK.
They have clever tools and the right kind
of raucIage, and some go even so far as TO
have coloring processes for touching up a
Garfield black eye or q Washington solled
cheek. What do they do with the worked
over stamps? They do not sell them, as
many suppose, and that fact renders de-
tecsion moro difficult. When a man be-
comes successful in working over Cancelled
stamps he endeavors to get into some busl-
ness which will require the sending and
receipt of many registered letters and
packages. The most popular scheme Is to
go into the cheap iewelry and fancy-trick
business. The operator lays in stock OF
the cheapest kind of jewelry and adver-
sises thoroughly through the country,
especially in rural districts. A gold watch
with chain and charm for $3.50 is bait
thnt catches great many green specula-
tors, and as they are instructed to send re-
mittances by registered letter, the opera
tor receives number of and 10 cent
stsmps. These stamps he operates on,
and when he returns the jewelry he pays
the postage in whole or in part with can
ceIed stamps He makes 100 or 200 per
cent. on the jewelry, and does thriving
business in illegal stamps at the same
time.
"Ah, yes, there are great many in the
business, and their success is wonderful
AL that we can do is to keep on the look
out and catch one of them when we can.
We get an idea that man Is doing
crooked work, and then we watch him.
When we once get an idea 1t does not take
Us long to ascertain the truth. Whenever
the person presents package for registra-
ton we have it held for inspection, and If
there are Cancelled stamps upon it we are
pretty sure to find them. Often the bad
stamps are detected before they reach the
cancellation clerks. When they are being
taken from the receiving-baskets they are
sometimes detected. There is now await
ing the action Of the grand jury man
who is held for doing rushing business in
cancelled stamps from his store on Broad
way. lie followed the usual plan. New
York Star
The Pressure OF Plant Juices.
The transfer Of water through woody