The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-27

records several samples of this mans writ
ing, and the III" as it appears in Lebanon
was given long, fourishing tail, which had
Its fac smile in this address, although writ
ten back-handed. Making a note OF the
postmark, / at once telegraphed 20 the
United States marshal a description OF the
wanted postmaster, with full particulars of
the time he left North Carolina aud the
name OF the postoffice where he was snip
posed TO be getting his mail. Being a new
arrival at the place. thought he could be
readily found, and in a weeks time | was
notified that the marshal had secured him.
He was then living twenty miles from
the postotfice where he mailed his letter,
and under an assumed name; but when he
came up to the Office again he was identified
and arrested. He is now serving a long
term in Columbus for making the very
common mistake Of writing letter
Not very far from Lebanon, about the
same time. we had case that was peculiar
in some OF its features AID as sad as it was
unusual On star route (thGt is, a route
where the mails are conveyed by stage or
nv horseback running out from Salisbury,
n. C., there had been many thefts Of money
from registered letters, and the depart
meut and the people thereAbouts were alike
impatient TO catch the thief. There was
much trubled in doing it. A number
OF inspectors tried their hand at it, but it
would invariably happen that as soon as an
officer came npou the ground pterings
would cease. The postmasters upon the
route, about a dozen Of them in all bore
excellent regulations and all professed
equal anxiety TO have the guilty punished.
The last one TO be thought of would nat
urally have been the postmaster at Biles-
vtlle. She had been school teacher, was
of good family, and had not only the re-
spect but the confidence and sympathy OF
the people, because her husband was n
worthless fellow, who was serving term
In prison for larceny. She was d9lcate-
looking young woman with a very sad
face.
On my first trip rode over the route as
pretended book agent, / sat in the old
stage, conspicuously holding in my hand a
fashy bound book when we reached her
office, and she came to the door and looked
out at me. / was watching her covertly,
aud did not fail to note that when she
turned to go into the Office she threw a quick
look backward at me and spoke in low
voice to the carrier who was coming out
with the mail sacks.
Half an hour later | said to the driver in a
joking way: 81 believe made good inn
preston on that pretty postmaster at
Bilesville Wish ! had shown her my
book" YES" he said, and she asked ms
if you warn't a postoffice inspector"
Whats thatw asked. 30, one of them
fellers that go round catchin' up with the
lame ducks. There's been lot o. stealin' on
this road, and l wish they'd do somethin'
about IL. Pm gettin' blamed for IL my self. I"
We fixed our lines In the usual way, send
ing four registered letters through the
schoolma'am's hands We got them ten
minutes afterward The carrier made
very brief stop. Nobody else had touched
the letters They came out to our hands so
clean and neat that we thought it impossi-
BILE that they could have been tempered
with. We opened them at once, however,
and were astonished to find that ali the four
letter had been rifed. Returning TO tue
| office. we found the stolen bills in the young
woman's purse, and her unusual sad face
was lighted up little with the success Of
her days work.
The thoughtful expression returned to 1t
when wa explained our business, but she
maintained perfect oomposure when charged
with the crime. She was placed upon trial
q few months later on. Her health mean
time had failed rapidly, and, In spite Of the
damaging evidence against Der / secretly
hoped the jury would be able to acquit her,
as it did She died wretchedly a short time
afterward and upon her death bed con-
fessed, 1t is said, to having also stolen the
money for which her husband was i'm
prisoned and placed 1t upon him so as to
get rid of him.
Not long since a railroad was built south
| ward from Weston, W. Va, for the pur-
pose of getting out the heavy timbers along
the Kanawha river. The laborers on the
road sent much of their wages home by
mail, and on one particular route lot Of
stealing was done. The senders, who were
Italians and Huugartans, ignorantlY sup
posed the money must necessarily be Stolen
by the mailing postmaster, but as the road
penetrated further into this mountains, and
letters seat from one Office after another
met the same fate, the foreigners grew
frantic and threatened to hang every post
master In the vicinity, If necessary to
catch the right one.
Alarmed at these threats, the postmasters
themselves began to clamor for the arrest of
the thief and the postmaster at Jacksonv lie
Was especially loud In his bowls for an in
spector. he was a brawny mountaineer, and
kept a hotel as we'll as the Office. He had ac-
cused all the adjoining offices Of the stealing,
and had a number OF fights az Consequence.
When the inspectors began work It was nat
urally supposed he would be a valuable aid
in 1t. but as an extra precaution it w4s de-
cided to test his office also. Accordingly
several registers were together passed
through his hands as an experiment. When
the carrier brought them 20 jackson vile the
postmaster invited him TO bait his horses and
take lunch which he did.
Mean while the hotelkeeper helped him
self to the contents Of the letters, and passed
them along empty TO Weston; but the n-
spector got them first aud Immediately after
his office. He had instantly concealed the
money and it was not found He was the
politest man l ever saw, and while was
searching in his pockets for the stolen bills
he asked me il wouldn't prefer to take
dinner first. as 1t was waiting and / looked
hungry and tired. The evidence against
him was not alright, and he escaped the
penitentIary by paying largo fine and
making good all the losses upon the route.
He has since moved to another hotel ia the
mountains, and often invites me TO come up
and 20 fishing with him.