San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-02-10
The Daily Eight.
SWINDLING BY MAIL.
DISHONEST SCHEMES WHICH KEEP
POSTOFFICE MEN BUSY.
How "Green Goods Men Evade Being
Prosecuted-Strange Ways That Some
of the Projects Are Discovered-A Few
of the Common Methods Employed.


of the Projects Are Discovered-A Few
of the Common Methods Employed.
The United States government is an I'M
whiting party to many a swindling scheme
of which the public never hear, for the
mails are used by many rascals with many
plans to exchange experience for money.
The so called "green goods" men form the
bulk, perhaps, of those who use the mails
to deceive. The number of these rascals is
considerable, and each of thea has dozen
aliases. As soon as the postal authorities
learn that a certain address is that of a
"green goods" man, they no longer deliver
letters to it, but in many cases the knowl-
edge comes to them only after the swim
oilers have used the mails extensively.
From long contests with the United
States authorities, the men who pretend to
sell counterfeit money have become ex-
ceedingly shrewd and to catch one of them
and to fasten guilt upon him is difficult
task. The victims always come from places
at some distance from this city, and are
naturally loath to- prosecute the rascals,
because to do SO they must admit that they
wanted to become parties to swindle.
Occasionally letters reach the dead let
ter Office which tell the tale of a swindle
planned but not carried out. One of these
was received not long ago. 1t was ad-
dressed to man at hotel in the interior
of this state, and contained a check for
seventy-fv dollars and instructions to the
man. who purported to be the travelling
agent of Beaver street firm. The letter
was written on a regular sheet, bearing
the printed name and address of the firm,
and gave the agent minute directions to
guide him. The envelope bore in the up
per left hand corner the name and address
of the firm also.
A SHARP PRACTICE.
Everything about the letter seemed reg
ular, but the missive reached the dead
letter office because there existed no such
firm as the one by which the letter was ap-
parently sent. The scheme was this: A
well dressed man would arrive at a hotel,
and the next day letter would come for
him. He would open this letter in the
presence of the clerk or proprietor and take
a check from it. The hotel man, on seeing
the letter and the envelope, would feel sat
isfed that the check was good, and would
cash it, retaining the few dollars due him.
That same day the agent would leave the
place, and in day or two the hotel man
would learn that the check was worthless
In the case of the letter of this kind which
reached the dead letter Office the rascal
had no doubt failed to connect with the
missive sent to him by his confederate.
A swindler with more ingenious and
dangerous game fiourished in this city not
long ago. He sent letters to merchants in
various places ordering goods, and signed
the name of large firm which is perfectly
respectable. The swindler, however, gave
different address from the right one of
the firm, and made his scheme the more
deceptive by having appropriate letter
heads printed. The merchants who re-
ceived his orders would look up the firm in
the book of a mercantile agency and find it
marked AL, from 100000 to S250,OO0."
The book gives no addresses, hence it
would naturally be supposed that that Of
the swindler is the one of the real house.
Ordinarily, the merchants would send
the goods to the address of the swindler
who would sell them and disappear before
the notes he gave in payment fell due. In
this case. however, the man had little
misunderstanding with the postal authori-
ties
DETECTING RASCALs.
Assistant Postmaster James Gayler,
whose years of service as a postoffice in
spector have made him quick to detect a
swindling scheme, demanded some ex-
PLANTATION from the fellow. Without wait
ing to tell how his firm happened to have
the same name ~ that of the one with
which Mr.. Gayler was familiar, the rascal
quietly skipped away and forfeited the re-
plies to his letters. The merchants were
thus saved the loss that would have other
wise resulted.
A game with which Mr.. Gayler is famil-
lar from his long and varied experience is
that of the man who says in his letter, 81
inclose five dollars" and then forwards the
missive without putting the money into it.
The fellows letter arrives without the ill.,
closure, and then a vigorous complaint is
made to the postal authorities. Sometimes
it is impossible to prove whether the money
was placed in the letter or not but occa-
sionally the ingenuity of a postoffice in
spector lays the scheme bare.
Mr.. Gayler has discounted not a few
men who were loud in their denunciation
of the mail service, among the cases being
that of soldier in the rebellion. He had
lost his pay by gambling, instead of send
ing it to his wife. He boldly. however,
wrote to her, saying that he inclosed eighty
dollars in the letter. The page was smeared
with mucilage, but the envelope contained
no money.
The wife made complaint to the post
office authorities, and Mr. Gayler was in
structed to look up the case. He did so,
and happened to call on the woman when
her husband was ut home on furlough.
The man was positive that he had put the
money in the envelope.
"In what denomination were the billsP"
Mr.. Gayler asked him.
"There were two forty dollar bills" an
swered the soldier.
Are you sure"
.lNr - 4 IL