The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-02-06
DON'T ROB THE MAIL.
Post-Of1ce inspectors Relate In
teresting Anecdotes

As a rule, the secret service OF tho
POst-Ofice Department contains some o.
the hardest-worlled employees or the
Government Very few persons outside
of the mail service know Of the duties
of a post-olfiCe inspector, but suffice it
TO say that days duty OF an inspector
contains balfa dozen thrilling romanccs.
When one becomes statistical and
glances at the vast amount Of mail mat
ter which annually passes through the
post-oftice Of the country, he can not
for the life Of him even imagine how a
mere handful OF inspectors can trace at
all the many petty robbcries Of the
mail and secure evidence enough 70
convict the perpetrators.
There is a wonderful system about an
inspectors daily work, but even with
this system he is worked like a Trojan
in the baLtlementS from carly morning
until late at night He has no regular
hours. lie may be found on duty any
time from one midnight TO the next
No one except his superior and himself
knows his business, and II viii readily
en- that ono OT tho greatest rcguis-
to make good inspector is love
silence.
Around the walls OF the Government
building, If one will look closely. he
VIII observe what appears as registers,
high Up near the ceiling. They arc in
nOcent locking enough 10 distract the
suspicious Of the most willy thief But
every day, behind one Of these iron
G-atings, there may be found . post
oililc Inspector, inIcntly watching the
actions Of the clerks, either in the main
distributing room or in the register or
money order departments.
Should there happen TO be any COM
plants OF missing mail there is a sour
rying N the inspection department, and
every man on the staff is put on 20 test
his mettle with the case which con-
fronts the depar tment. And the won
der is that nine times out Of ten tho
case Is worked 10 a successful conclu-
sion and the guilty person convicted Of
the heinOus crime of tampering with
Uncle Sans mail.
I'VE get some pretty tough cases"
said an old inspector recently, "but it
has been my fortune to run down every
case on which l was set 10 work"
What was the most difficult case you
ever handled?" asked reporter.
at happened while 1 was stationed
y
replied the inspector. MANY letters
containing valuables had been missed,
and by dint of hard work we managed
TO trace the job down to one clerk, a
shaved-faced young fellow of about
twenty-five years. He was clerk who
distributed the letters into the boxes of
the carriers.
''As l said, we managed to get this
"A no and +ln,a 7 cot
had decoy letter containing a twen-
ty-dollar gold piece mailed from q
country town in Connecticut to a prom
inent stove dealer in Utica The let
ter failed 10 reach the carrier promptly,
and / felt we had our man solid at last.
81 waited for him until the dinner
hour, and as he was leaving the Office
accosted him. He came with me, and
look as closely as / might I failed TO
detect any signs of uneasiness in his
features; they were perfectly immobile.
He walked with me into the Office Of
the postmaster and submitted to a thor
ough search, but no trace of the letter
or twenty-dollar gold piece was found
on his person
TO say was dumfounded is draw
ing it mildly. He appeared TO be very
AA4A4 ADub hAtNl4tE Was ElR4L or
wrong at the time, the petty robberies
came TO a sudden stop. No more com
plants were heard for a month. Then
they began again. This time / was
bound l would not fail, so 1 set a close
watch on my man.
zone day when / was about TO give up
the case in despair, / noticed the fellow
tearing up an envelope and dropping it
TO the floor. When ne had gone picked
up the scraps Of paper, and after 4 hard
job managed 20 piece it / was dis
heartened when | saw that the envelope
had been addressed TO himself / was
about 10 walk away when a sudden idea
struck me.
Il camc down the next morning be-
fore the young clerk came TO work, and
toned myself behind letter
rack, free from observation, but in such
a position that ! could see the fellows
every action / saw him take several
stamped and addressed envelopes from
his pocket and walk over TO the stamp
ing table and cancel the stamps. Dur
ing the course of the morning / saw the
fellow slip four letters inside of as
many envelopes and seal the envelopes.
Then / knew my suspicious were cor
rect. ] went 70 the carrier who carried