Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-12
MAIL. MEN TRAPPED.
Gotham Letter Carriers Discovered
Working in League With
BOLD GREEN GOODS SdGRPERS.
They Violated the Law by Delivering
Fraudulent Matter.
THE GUILTY EMPLOYES CONFESS
ESPECIAL TzLKeRAM TO THE DISPATCH,

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.i
NEW YORK. November 11.-Seven letter
carriers attached to the postofice in this city
were recommended for discharge to-day be-
cause they were discovered to be in league
with green-goods men. Eight other carriers
were recommended for suspension for vari-
Gus periods because of violations of postal
laws that implicated them in similar
offense.
This action is the result of a campaign
against green-goods men begun last August
by Chief Inspector E. G. Rathbone. He
became convinced that there must be crook
edness in the department somewhere, and
Inspector Jacobs, of Washington, was as
signed to find where it was.
The work went on intermittently until
last Thursday, when a trap was sprung that
caught Is carriers. This is the paragraph
from the United States postal laws under
which Inspector Jacobs worked:
FRAUD MUST BE REPORTED.
whenever a postmaster has reason to
believe that street or number, designated
place, box or address in care of another is
being used by any one for conducting, under
fictitious address, correspondence forbid
den circulation in the mails. he should prompt
ly report the fact and the reason for his belief
to the First Assistant Postmaster General and
await his instruction, giving notice at the same
time at the place where such letters and pack
ages have been received"
Letters falling within the above provisions
are known to the postoffice people as TX D. :"
an aDbreviation for mot to be delivered"
Such letters carrier is bound to turn over to
the postmaster before he goes out upon his
route. If by inadvertence he takes an TX Dr.
letter with him he must not deliver it at the
forbidden street number but m ust retnrn it to
the postoffice. If, however, a carrier should
not obey this order and should on the con-
trary, deliver the forbidden letters the DEPART
ment would be none the wiser.
CARRIERS BRIBED.
So the green goods people bribed carriers to
ignore the TX ID" order in their favor. Last
Thursday 200 decoy letters were mailed at yari-
GUS offices in the city, all addressed to places
where Inspector Jacobs was certain that green
goods men held out. They were all on the '.X
d" list.
A special order was given to the carriers to
register every TX d" letter on that day in the
book which they carry to note changes of ad-
dress. BY that it could be told whether any
carrier returned the 'tX D" mail or not FIT
teen of the carriers slipped up, ano on Saturday
and Monday they were called upon to explain
themselves to Inspector Jacobs Seven of
fessed that they had received money from
green-goods men for delivering the forbidden
mail. Eight pleaded that they had overlooked
the matter in the pressure of the DAYS work.
1t was developed that Charles Wilson was
the most energetic worker In the green-goods
scheme. His customers were instructed in his
circulars to address him by telegraph at l040
Adams street, Hoboken, number that does
not exist.
OPERATOR IN THE SCHEME.
The Inspector reasons that the operator at
Hobokeh must be in the scheme also. his part
being to send telegrams thus addressed to some
place in New York. Other places used for this
purpose are lintner. ILL.,, New Oxford, N. Y,
and Matawan station, N. Y.
The number of g5een-goods letters that have
passed through the mails recently and been de-
tected and confiscated by the postofice author
tiles IN this city goes to show that this class of
swindlers is exceptionally active. The care
taken by the swndlers to avoid detestion Is
illustrated by case that recently came to the
notice of the postofice authorities. A regis.
tered letter. containing $780, was recently sent
to George Hasting>. 25s Bowery. The carrier
who went there found q dapder young person
who responded to that name, but refused 20
sign his name for the letter, which was returned
TO the postoffce and eventually returned to a
resiaent of Bananette, Ala, who had sent the
money to buy $1,000 worth of counterfeit
money.