The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-19
traps FOR POSTAL THIEVES.
-ov These and other Offenders are
Cau4ht BIZ the-Department Inspect
Erom the Boston Herald.

,7,sils in the form of treasury notes. the few
Io-s.s from embezz ement speak volumes for
.ha ,aneral honesty of postofice employees.
l., s5ita of the facilities afforded by the
=. for safe transmission Of money
=, r1onav orders aud registered letters, the
80 : seam content to take chances, and it
gafa TO say that where
ono rerson seeks q guarantee for the safe
Jal;1ar1r If a misSive and its contents,
there are two who are disposed TO trust In
,-,.o,-i5ence and to the integrity of postal
pp'a-ts Instances are on record where as
49, a,,ounts as 900 have been mailed
- ,7nregistered packages, and INSTRUCTED
i.so-s Containing sums from 81 TO 500 turn
oIerv day in the dead letter offices. The
Ho-ace postofice official is perfectly con-
s-o,.ssTt with this fact, and. If at all weak
l-,,oa1 morally, the iudiseretion of the
forvarier subjects him to constant tempta-
80, But there is always more or less
shelving from the mails.
One Of the chief duties of a most i'm
,,ortant branch of the postal service is the
defsction of this species of misdemeanors
This branca is known as the department of
rostoffice inspectors. They number from
& 10 100, ard are under the immediate di-
reetion of Chief Inspector e. G. Rathbone.
They are paid from an item in tle general
postal department appropriation. The
country is divided into ten districts the
chief offices being located in Wash
ington, Boston, New York, Philadel-
mia. Chattanooga, Tenn, st. Louis,
chicago, San Francisco, and Austin,
Tex. Each division is under the super
vision of an official known as the post
office inspector in charge. The staff of
each division varies in number according to
its extent and general character. inspect
ors in charge receive a salary of s., 800, and
inspectors 5 600 per annum, besides per
diem of 81 when actively engaged in work
for the department. Their commissions
run from Jan. l to Jan. 1. and appoint
ments are made under the civil service act.
Chief Rathbone is paid $4,000 a year. The
positions involve considerable responsible
ity, and call for degree of intelligence
aud capacity far beyond the require
ments of ordinary detective work. As a
rule the clues afforded by cases
presented for their investigation are Of the
vaguest nature. Patience is one of the
rarest of moral qualifications, and yet to
locate the average postoffice thief it is nee
essary to rival Job himself in the exercise
of that virtue. The inspector in charge is
the official who receives every complaint
against the postoffices in his division. Some
idea of the number of grievances poured
into their discreet ears can be CLEANED from
the fact that the New England division
alone includes 1921 postoffices. There are
about 90 900 in the entire country.
When complaints are made Of money
being lost in the mails, they are at once
forwarded to the chief inspector at Wash
ington, who classifies them under the head
of A. B. c. and F. 1t may be said in this
connection that the loss of ordinary letters
is classified under the head Of B. All COM
plants are "jacketed, as it is termed. num-
bered, and, with directions for the prosecu-
ton of the case, returned to the Inspector
IN charge OF the division In which the COM
plants were made. Certain formal inquiries
are sent to the writer and the pers n to
whom the letter was addressed. 1t is esti-
mated that at least 20 per cent. of the
letters at first reported stolen eventually
turn up, perhaps having been misdirected
or held for postage. The cases reported are
subjected TO careful examination to ascer-
tain if a number of losses center III a New
York particular mail route or in any par
ticular postoffice. If they do it is accepted
as an Indication of crooGeduesS, and the
suspected points are at once put under the
closest espionage. Sometimes complaints
covering wide expanse of country seem to
center on one railroad route.
When either a railroad route or postoffice
has been selected for investigation there are
various methods pursued to locate the sup
posed thief. Decoy or TEST" letters, the
latter being the official designation, are fire.
quently called into play. As soon as sus pi-
clon is fastened upon an individual half
dozen of these letters, each marked and
containing money, are addressed TO some
obscure town and mailed the same day If
these letters come to hand all right the ex-
pertinent is repeated again and again until
The inspectors are satisfied that they have
been misled When any of these letters
fail to come through to their destination an
arrest is made so soon that eliminating evil
dence is generally found upon the person.
The detection of dishonest postal clerks is
almost certain in the long run, but there
are instances where peculations have been
carried on years before discovery. One dis
honest clerk will temporarily cast a shadow
of suspicion over many others.
This class of work, however, is but one
portion of inspectors duties. They are re-
quired to follow up cases where parties have
put the mails to improper use. One of the
most important of their functions is the
supervision of postoffices of the first, second
and third classes, and the investigation of
any charges of Inefficiency or misdemeanors
preferred against the postmasters them
selves. The location of offices of the above
character In any town or city is selected by
the inspectors, who also lease the premises.
In fact, an inspector in charge can tempo
some respects their powers are autocratic.
Creden tials issued by the Postmaster
General not only command all railroads,
Steamboats,, and other mail contractors to
afford them free passage, but require that
they shall "bs respected and obeyed." They
are called upon to rate up the salaries of
clerks, and investigate the demands OF post
masters for additional help, as well as to
sft every case wherein there is reason to
believe that the mails are being subjected
to improper uses Scores of letters are
received daily by the inspector in charge of
the New England department inquiring as
to the reliability of certain medical and
other concerns who are large advertisers.
Almost Invariably such letters are dated in
the middle or western states. No in
qulries regarding the character of individ-
uals are even honored with an answer, but
all communications coming within the
legitimate sphere of the service are given
careful and considerate attention. The
society for the Suppression of Vice finds
ilhis branch Of the postal department of
lnestimable value in reaching parties en-
gagged III the dissemination of obscene litera-
ture. All questionable advertising schemes
are among the many other matters that the
inspectors are called upon to probe to the
oottonl, and their work of this nature alone
Is sufficient to merit the kindest considera-
pon Of the public. Save for their vigil
Ilance, it is hard to say where the depreda-
TONS on society Of the ''skin advertisers"
would cease.
The source of anonvnnous lettars is about