Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-01-13
ROBRlN0 THE MAILS.

The Ingenious Plan of a Nervy Post
 Onice Thief.
 eve get some pretty tough cases," said an old post-ofice inspector, "but it has been my fortune to run down every case on which was set to work"
 ''What was the most difficult case you ever handled?" asked the reporter of the Cincinnati Times-Star.
 "It happened while was stationed at Utica, N. Y., about seven years ago." 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-two years. He was a clerk who distributed the letters into the boxes of the carriers.
 ':As said, we managed to get this far on the case and then set my trap. had decoy letter containing a twenty dollar gold piece mailed from a country town in Connecticut to prominent stove dealer in Utica. The letter failed to reach the carrier promptly, and felt we had our man solid at last.
 "I waited for him until the dinner hour and as he came out of the office accosted him. He came with me, and, look as closely as I might, 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 9 thorough search, but no trace of the letter or twenty dollar gold piece was found on his person.
 '"To say was dumfounded is draw, ing 1t mildly. He appeared to be very indignant. But, whether was right or wrong at the time, the petty robberies came to sudden stop. No more com plaints were heard of for a month. Then they began again. This time was bound would not fail, so set a watch on my man.
 "One day when was about to give up the case in despair noticed the fel, low tearing up an envelope and drop ping 1t to the floor. When he had gone picked up the scraps of paper and after hard job managed to piece it. l was disheartened when saw that tho envelope had been addressed to himself was about to walk away when n thought struck me.
 'I came down the next morning be- fore the young clerk came to work, and stationed myself behind letter rack, free ufrom observation, but in such a position that I could sec 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 I saw the fellow slip four letters inside of as many envelopes and seal the envelopes. Then knew my suspicious were correct. I went to the carrier who carried the letters to the mans home and secured the four letters addressed to the fellow | himself
 "'Have you carried many letters like this?' I asked him.
 "'Yes sir,' the carrier said. I carry four or five day.
 "Then I called the fellow into my office and told him we had determined to have the mail of the clerks delivered at the office to tighten the duties of the carriers. I then told him that l had four letters for him, and handed him the missives I had received from the post-man. The fellow turned pale, and was on the verge of fainting when asked him to open and read the letters in my presence.
 "With trembling hands he did so, and inside the envelopes addressed to him. self found four valuable letters ad- dressed to 8 big wholesale house. He broke down and confessed that he had been stealing for about six months and that during that period he had ab- stracted nearly fifteen hundred dollars from business letters. He had spent the money in gambling"