Wichita eagle., 1888-03-21
LETTERS OPENED BY MISTAKE.
The Tricky Ways Of Business Men Win
Pry Into Each Others Mall.

The Tricky Ways of Business Men Who
Pry Into Each Others Mail.
The law infiicts a severe penalty upon q
citizen who has been proven guilty of will
fully opening the mail Of another. After g
letter has been stamped and placed in gov.
eminent postoffice, or other receptacle pro
vided for it, it is supposed to be under the
protection Of the United States, with an army
of officers of justice to enforce its inviolabil-
ity and punish the citizen who desecrates it.
But on the Same principle that one dishon-
est citizen steals coat by buying 1t and
never paying the tailor, the reader of other
peoples letters can get around the law in q
way equally tricky. but equally SAFE II he
wants to peer into confidential correspond
ence he boldly opens the letter, reads and
masters its contents, puts the letter back,
and then calmly writes on tho envelope,
"opened by mistake, and perhaps adds, mot
read"
This is a habit practiced in many New
York business houses. If an employee is sus-
pected of relations with other firms, or any
offense that human being cen 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 valuable clientele
have left an establishment and taken their
trade with them to some competing house.
By opening mail, wrongly addressed to the
care of their old employer, good order can
be sometimes flched- The well dressed and
self respecting culprit, who thinks that he is
not really doing anything dishonorable, ap-
propriatcs and fills the order. and If any con-
fusion subsequently arises from the exposure
of his method, he explains it away loftily
and haughtily 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 sho
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 mis-
take" would b met with the rebuks 'but you
had no right to ditch the train by mistake. y
OF course the opening Of letter is not 30
serious as wreckins q train, but parallel
standpoint
Except In the cases Of fatal accident due
to careiessness, the law always considers the
intent or malice Of the accused Therefore,
if a prosecutor can prove that his mail was
being continually opened and 20 often and
under such circumstances as 70 show very
strong probability Of the open BY mistake"
inscription being lie. and couple With this
. good reason why the defendant should de-
sire to read his mail, . conviction can Be
secured As the offenders often hold good
position in the world and only break tbs Law
in tho particular line Of pilfsrine from the
mail, It is somewha. difficult to get jury to
convict
The trouble and misery that can arise be
tween husbands and wives, women and thei,
best friends and partners in firm through
the habit Of willfuIy opening letters by mis-
take is very gress II IS hard 70 tell mau
that you think him mean enough TO want TO
pry into your private correspondence, and
the man Who does II can usually get OF scot
free, because Of ths unwilhngne9 of the vic
tim to hurt sA feeiiq21-New York Press.