Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-07-30
LETTER BOX ABUSES.
HOW FICTITIOUS ADDRESSES ARE
MAINTAINED BY CROOKS.
An Industry That FIourishes in Many
Small Cigar and Stationery Stores in
New York City-What a Chief Inspector
Says About the Evil.


New York City-what a Chief Inspector
Says About the Evil.
Nearly every year congress is requested
to pass a law to prohibit the private letter
boxes which are scattered through the
large cities of the east and are especially
numerous in New York. The postmaster
of New York, the district attorney and the
postal inspectors have always been strong
ly in favor of such n law, and have repeat
eddy advanced strong arguments in sup
port of it, but for some mysterious reason
a strong opposition has developed every
time it came up for passage, and the re-
suit is that the private boxes flourish.
In this town these boxes are obtainable
in cigar stores, stationery stores, florists
shops and drug stores on the most fire.
Quented avenues. Some are advertised in
the newspapers and some are known only
to the parties interested and the postal
authorities. The purposes for which these
boxes are used are numerous; but, accord
ing to c. c. James, Anthony Comstock
and other postal inspectors, very few of
them are creditable. The latter say that
the private letter boxes are used only by
persons who wish to maintain clandeStine
correspondence, and that the most usual
patrons are green goods men, confidence
men, women who afraid to let their
correspondence be known to their families,
youths and girls.
The inspectors assert that more swindles
are perpetrated through these unofficial
postofiices than in any other manner. The
green goods men could not operate half so
easily nor with nearly the same IMMUNITY
if it were not for the letter boxes. Half
the foolish women who maintain clandes-
tine correspondence would not dare do it
if their conduct were not hidden in the
private lock boxes. The inspectors say
that the owners of the stores where these
boxes are know we'll the character of the
persons who rent them. In fact, they are
nearly always in league with them, for
otherwise the swindlers could frequently
be detected. Yet almost all the places
where boxes are rented appear respectable.
The boxes themselves look innocent
enough, and the character of the general
business conducted by the proprietors APP
pears above suspicion.
When the reporter visited one on Eighth
avenue the other day lie found nothing to
excite distrust. 1t was n large stationery
store, and the shelves We're filed with pa
pers and books, while the showcases cou-
tanned the miscellaneous wares, such as
inks, mucilage, pens, paper cutters and
numerous desk ornaments. The letter
boxes, exact counterparts of the private
boxes in the official postofficeS, were in
plain view of all Corners The proprietor
loOh suspicious tlihSl, dltuOuSH
he changed countenance when the reporter
began questioning him about the persons
who rented the boxes.
Il don't know much about them" he
said. II believe they are respectable peo-
pie in business who want n place where
they can get their mail. They haven't got
any regular address of their own, don't
you see? l don't allow any boys and girls
to rent boxes. OF course l can't tell any
thing about the people. l don't ask any
questions The mail comes here and is
put in the boxes. Every man who rents a
box gets key to it, and / know nothing
about it. / have had no trouble with the
postal people"
Crooks of all kinds use the letter boxes.
The police records prove this A crook in
New York desiring ito do piece of bust
ness" in connection with some bank in a
western town, for instance, and finding it
necessary to have written communication
with his pals, hires letter box in some
part of the town remote from his resi-
dence, and his pals send their letters to
that. OF course he uses an assumed name.
The advantage of the letter box to the con-
spirators is apparent. If the conspiracy is
discovered before it can be carried out the
letter box will rarely furnish evidence.
The mail having been deposited in a box
| it would be necessary to prove that the
person suspected took it out. This is
| tremely difficult.
If the Job" has been done, and the
| police are looking for the criminals, the
| same difficulty is encountered. If there
were no private letter boxes the crook
would find it more difficult to cover his
| tracks. If letters were sent directly to
! him from the town where the crime was
committed a clew would be left. If the
letters were addressed to him in care of
another, detectives might trace the con
nection; if the letters We're addressed to n
| fictitious person, that, too, would not pre-
| tlude discovery.
.'The chief trouble that we have with
| these letter boxes,' said Chief Inspector
| James, sis due to the green goods men.
Many of the stores that have letter boxes
| have them simply to cover the operation of
| a green goods gang. The public would
| probably be surprised to know how thor
| oughly united the green goods swindlers
| are They form a great fraternity, with a
| large amount of money back of it and in
| fluence that extends into quarters the aver
| age citizen would not dream of connecting
with them. The robber bands of old were
| nothing compared to these brigands who
| boldly walk the streets of New York and
| live on the fat of the land.
| Amy attempt at legislation against
| them is always met with strong opposition.
| They have their lobby at Washington, and
| that is the explanation of the repeated fail
| ure to pass the antiprivate letter box law.
| To prevent private letter boxes would be
| practically to destroy their chief defense
| The way in which gang work these letter
| boxes is this: They send out their circulars
| over n number of assumed names. The
| replies are delivered by our letter carriers
| to the proprietor Of the store where the
| letter boxes are. The letter carrier never
| meets the men to whom the letters are adj
| dressed. The latter are too cautious to al
| low that. The letter carrier never sees the
letters taken from the boxes. If he did his
| testimony would go Ii long way toward