The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-01-22
RoesINo THE MAILS.
The Ingenious Plan Of . Merry Post.
once Thief.


1--WE get some pretty tough cases."
said an old post-office 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
at happened while I was stationed at
Utica, n Y. about seven years ago"
replied the Inspector ''Nlany 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 said, we managed to get this
far on the case and then set my trap.
I'had decoy letter containing twenty
dollar gold piece mailed from country
town in Connecticut to prominent
to reach the carrier promptly, and felt
we had our man solid at last.
II 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 o
thorough search, but no trace of the
letter or twenty dollar gold piece was
found on his person.
ITO say was dumfounded is draw
ing it mildly. He appeared to be very
indignant. But, whether was right or
wrong at the time, the petty robberies
came to a sudden stop. No more COM
plants were heard of for a month.
Then they began again. This time was
bound would not fail, so set watch
on my man.
'One day when was about to give
up the case in despair noticed the fell
low tearing up an envelope and drop
ping it to the floor. When he had gone
] picked up the scraps of paper and
after hard job managed to piece it. I
was disheartened when saw that the
envelope had been addressed to himself.
was about to walk away when a
thought struck me.
~ came down the next morning be-
fore the young clerk came to work. and
stationed 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 we're correct.
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
thisT asked him. s
"sYes sir. the carrier said 4 carry
four or ave day
"Then 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 oi
the carriers. then told him that
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 wher
asked him to open and read the letter.
in my presence.
with trembling hands he did SO, ant
inside the envelopes addressed to him
self found four valuable letters ad
dressed to big wholesale house. HI
broke down and confessed that he haf
been stealing for about six months anG
that during that period he had alb
stracted nearly fifteen hundred dollar,
from business letters. He had spen
the money in gambling"