Madison times., 1886-06-12
sw,NpLINo THE GOVERNMENT.
How Cancelled stamps are Cleaned
and I'sed n second Time.

How Cancelled stamps are Cleaned
and Used n second Time.
"The most troublesome offenders
against government laws are the ex-
perts who use Cancelled postage-stamps"
said postoffice official the other day.
They have q system of washing out
the cancellation marks that is SO sue
cessful as TO make detection almost inn
possible. In the offices of large cities
like New York and Chicago, where so
many letters are handled daily. and
where rapid.ty 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 gas-light. and this
is point which tends to aid the con-
splrator against the government in
come.
ANYONE who has seen a postofflce
employe in the New York Office grab a
bundle of letters and cancel the stamps
with lighming-like rapidity can readily
see how impossible it is for him 10 de-
tect bad stamps unless they are partic-
ularly bad. The men engaged in the
business of using Cancelled stamps aro
extremely clever. They have an acid
in which they wash the stamps. The
acid acts upon the cancellation marks,
and not upon the colors OF the stamp.
In this way stamp that has once been
used is relieved almost entirely of its
black marks. IL any black remains af-
ter the washing process. the operator
takes sharp knife. which he has made
for the purpose. and deity scratches
the stamp until the remaining black
marks are almost. il not entirely. re-
moved. This can be done readily when
the marks are upon the bald head or
face of the historic parsonage whose
yignette adorns tho s'amp, Is this por-
ton is VIII to; aid upon a white space
the stamp can be scratched until it is
nearly through without detection.
"Ano' her clever trick that is en-
ployed is the cutting of stamps. Often
in the hurry of postoffice work the can
cellation-mark does not cover the
stamp. but falls only upon one corner,
the rest going upon the envelope. The
operator takes a stamp that has black
mark. say upon the left-hand lower
corner. lie carefully cuts square
piece out Of that corner. making it
large enough to cut away all of the
cancelled portion. He then secures a
stamp on which the cancellat on mark
has fallen in some other corner. He
carefully cuts out the samc-sized square
from the lower left-hand corner of this
,tani". and joining it with the first
stamp he has Il whole stamp upon
which there are no cancellation marks.
These stamps are used upon packages
which are tied with 4 string. and the
string is ingen:ously placed over the
.ut stamps.
Take any package of dozen let
.ers and you will ses how easy it is to
find STAMPS for this b's' ness" As he
spoke the official drew from his pocket
| bundle of half II GoZcn letters. Upon
the first ] tt r the cancellation mark
Of the stamp. The second was can
celed completely, and the third was
marked only upon the upper left-hand
| corner. So 4 combination could have
been easily made with the stamps upon
| The first and third letters.
MANY of these operators. continued
the official. grew expert in the work.
| They have clever tools and the right
kind OF mu:ilage, and some go even SO
far as to have coloring proc .sses for
touching up Gariieli black eve or a
Washington soilad cheek. What dc
they do with the worke Lover stamps:
| They do not sell them. as many sup.
pose, and that fact renders detection
more difficult. When n man becomes
successful in working over cancelled
stamps he endtavors TO get into some
business which will require the send nc
and receipt of many registered letter:
and packages. The most popular
scheme is to go into the Chez p jewclry
and fancy-trick business. The operator
LAYS in stock of the cheapest kind o.
jewelry and advertises thoroughly
through the country. espec ally in rura
districts. A gold watch with chain an,
charm for $3.50 is bait that catches 6
great many green spectators and a:
they are instructed to send remittance.
by registered letter, the operator receive.
a number of 5 and 1O-cent stamps
These stamps he operates on. and wher
he returns the jewelry he pays the pos
tage in whole or in part with Cancelled
stamps. He makes 100 or 200 per cent
on the jewelry, and dOes q thriving
business in illegal stamps a. the sam,
time.
'Ah,' yes, there are a great many il
the business, and their success is won
derful. All that we can do is to keel
on the lookout and catch one of then
when we can. We get an idea that ,
man is doing crooked work. and ther
watch him. When we once get an ide,
it does not take us long to ascertain tn,
truth. Whenever the person present.
a package for registration we have
held for inspection, and il there are can
celed stamps upon it We are pretty sur
to find them. Often the bad stamp
are detected before thev reach the can
collation. clerks. When they are bein.
taken from the receiving baskets the
are sometimes detected. There is nov
awaiting the action of the grand jury
man who is held for doing rushin,
business in cancelled stamps from hi
store on Broadway. He followed tn
usual plan. ."-NeU York Star.