Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-02-18
POSTAL DETECTIVES.
How They Werk to Keep the Mails
Clear ofFraudi.
Hartford Globe.


Hartford Globe.
The maintenance of large force OF
trained detectives or inspectors, as
they are designated upon the rolls of
the postoffice department, has greatly
purified this branch of the service. An
infinite number Of swindles are still
carried on through the agency of the
mails.
Swindlers reach their intended vic
Tins by circular and by advertis
ments in careless or characterless
newspapers. The former method is
preferred by sharpers, as being the
least likely to come under the notice
of the official spies OF the department.
1t is an easy matter to obtain full lists
OF any required number of names,
running up Into the thousands. Lot
terry companies make a business of
selling full lists of the names of their
patrons, and other swindling concerns
which obtain originalists are addicted
TO the same practice.
Countrymen who reply to hundreds
Of snap advertisements wonder how it
is that the hundreds of fascinating
enterprises from one end of the coun-
try to the other obtain their addresses
aud they feel, some way, that they
must be persons of importance. Their
vanity is fattered, and in innumer-
able instances they undergo a regu-
lar course of training before they &C
enire a sufficient fund of experience
to enable them to realize that they
are on the wrong side OF the instItu
ton for the feeble minded.
The art craze, which during the
last few years has spread over the
country like an epidemic, has develop
ed a swindle that is very hard for the
department to reach, and which
affords a livelihood for large mum
Der of enterprising and INSCRIPTIONS
persons. The knaves tax the great
army of unsophistieated girls who
imagine they have artistic tastes by
showing them, through the medium
of circulars. how they can put them
selves IN the way of earning comfort
able incomes with the expenditure of
trihing sum for an outfit They agree
to take work that is produced accord
ing to their System" and require
small cash payment in advance from
the favored artists. The department
finds this most troublesome class of
cases to deal with, the originaters
protecting themselves completely, as
a rule, against prosecution.
The postofhce department spen
months trying to break up the swim
die of man who contracted to send
pianos and organs from his msnufac-
turtles in Maine and California to any
part of the country on payment Of 81
or So or "a to defray the cost of box
ing the instruments. The articles
were received according to contract,
but they proved to be cheap toy
pianos and organs, the expense of
boxing which was about 10 per cent.
of the sum RENTED in each case, An
other fellow made lot of money by
boxing and forwarding very cheap
mouth organs to all VINO patrouized
him through the mails.
The proprietor of snide but harm
less cure for deafness reaped a harvest
of $50 or $40 day for long time.
His headquarters were in New York
The president of bogus medical col
lege did a prosperous business in
selling diplomas, but as the men who
bit at his bait were confessedly as
great swindlers as he was, the depart
ment was q long time getting him.
This was a swindle pure and simple.
An army of rGralists forwarded
hard earned dollars for moving
machine knife sharpener, simple,
effective" and received in return,
sticks dipped IN emery dust, and
pieces of iron. Another ingenious
poerator found a market for thousand
of copies of cheap edition OF the
scriptures by representing the book to
be collection of very tough stories.
it is not recorded that the department
interfered with this missionary enter
prizes.