Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-08-26
Inspector Sharpe.
A TERROR TO EVIL DOERS.
TRACING POSTAL THEFTs WITH PINS ON


TRACING POSTAL THEFTs WITH PINS ON A
MAP.
Chief Inspector Sharpe, the head Of the
detective service in the post office depart
ment, resigned his Office several weeks ago
to engage in private business. His resig-
nation was accepted, 10 take effect on Sep
tember /. His record is that Of capable
officer. He is an east Tennessee man, tall.
and spare and in appearance and manner the
typical detective. During the war he was a
Union man and did good service. As de-
partment officer he has been terror TO
rascals. and has hunted many of them out of
the service, even when they were sheltered
by strong political influence Some years
ago. for instance, Vermont inspector was
discovered to be conniving at post office
rascality in that State, and was discharged
The man had been a henchman of Senator
Edmunds, and the Senator called at the post
office department to see what could be done
The postmaster general asked the Senator
and the inspector into a private Office and
told Col. Sharpe to explain, which the in
spec,or did very fully
"And you recommended the mans dis
''Ies, did," replied Col. Sharpe land
had | known the mans character sooner
would have bounced him months ago
"WelI. you did jus, right said Edmunds,
and left.
One of the most important duties of the
chief inspector is to detect railway postal
clerks who steal letters containing money
To accomplish this Col. Sharpe follows
simple bat ingenious system. which he .x-
planned the other day.
'fo catch these thieves he said, II had
constructed large railroad map Of the IN
tied States, which hangs in my office. Now,
supposng man mails letter in Boston
for Kansas City containing s50--a very bad
practice, but people will do it. The letter
never reaches lis destination, and pretty
soon We get a complaining letter stating the
circumstances.
Now. If the supposed case were an iso-
lated one. we probably could do nothing.
The letter. in going from Boston TO Kansas
City. would pass through thirty of forty
hands. and i, would be useless 10 try 10 fix
the blame But the Boston mans case is
not isolated. Every day we get from one to
fifty similar complaints from all over
the country, and this fact. as YOU
will see. enables US to locate the mis-
chief
First We ascertain exactl, when and
where the missing letter was mailed and its
address Then We ready for the map
spoke OF. | take the Boston mans letter
and a bunch Of similar complaints, and then
| begin TO stick pins into my map. know
Just the route letter would take 10 go from
Boston TO Kansas City. and | stick pins
along to sketch out this course. Then |
take the mex, complaint. Perhaps this IS
frem man who lost money transmitting L
from Mobile To Chicago. Very well.
trace out the line such letter would take.
The third, perhaps, was sent from New York
to San Francisco. the fourth from New
Orleans to Buffalo, the fifth from Saginaw
City to Philadelphia and so on Now. be-
fore very long the map begins to look quite
interesting. The pins are stfrsn all over
the country, bu, We notice one track say,
for instance, between Chicago and Cleveland.
where al, the lines unite. That's where the
thief ls
Knowing row where the stealing Is go
ing on, We advise our mos, trusted man IN
iha, diyislon-we have to trus, somebody,
YOU know-thai there is trouble IN his sect
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