The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-16
LETTERS OPENED BY MISTAKE.
Tricky Ways of Business Men Who Pry
Into Each Others Mail.
From the Neto York Press.

From the Netc York Press.
The law inflicts a severe penalty upon a
citizen who has been proven guilty of will
fully opening the mail of another. After a
letter has been stamped and placed in a
government post Office, or other receptacle
provided for it, it is suppo sed to be under
the protection of the United States, with an
army of officers of justice to enforce its in
volatility and punish the citizen who desc
crates it.
But on the same principle that one dis
honest citizen steals coat by buying it and
never paying the tailor, the reader of other
peoples letters can get around the law in
way equally tricky, but equally safe If he
wants to peer into confidential correspond
ence he boldly opens the letter, reads and
masters it's contents, puts the letter back,
and then calmly writes on the envelope,
"opened by mistake" and perhaps adds
mot read"
This is habit practiced in many New
York business houses. If an employe is
suspected of relations with other firms, or
any offense that human being can commit
against the person who hires him. his mail
matter is quite likely to be "opened by mis-
take" This is said to be especially true in
cases where statesmen with q valuable
clientele have left an establishment and
taken their trade with them to some COM
peting house. By opening mail, wro' gly
addressed to the care of their old employer,
a good order can be sometimes filched. The
well dressed and self respecting culprit, who
thinks that he is not really doing anything
dishonorable, appropriates and fills the
order, and if any confusion subsequently
arises from the exposure Of his method, he
explains it away loftily and haughtly with
the familiar Opened by mistake; thought
it was addressed to the firm"
The law in q case like this does not punish
a man for his mistake, although the man
who by blunder alone bitches an express
train and kills some Of its passengers is
quite likely to be sent to jail The excuse
'ditched by mistake" would be met with
the rebuke, 'but you had no right to ditch
the train by mistake OF course the open
ing of a letter is not SO serious as wreck
ing train, but a parallel can be drawn
between the two from a legal standpoint.
Except in the cases of a fatal accident
due to carelessness, the law always consid-
ers the intent or malice of the accused.
Therefore if prosecutor can prove that
his mail was being continually opened and
so often and under such circumstances as to
show a very strong probability of the
''open by mistake" inscription being lie,
and couple with this good reason why the
defendant should desire TO read his mail, a
conviction can be secured. AS the offenders
often hold good position in the world and
only break the law in the particular line of
offering from the mail, it is somewhat
difficult to get jury TO convict.
The trouble and misery that can arise be-
tween husbands ami wives, women and their
best friends and partners in firm through
the habit of willfully opening letters by
mistake is very great. 1t is hard TO tell
man that you think him mean enough to
want to pry into your private correspon-
dence. and the man who does it can usually
get off scott frea, because Of the unwilling
ness Of the victim TO hurt his feelings.