Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-20
Mss, oNot1

EA7EyI I | once
'UTI) here succeeded in
HHIi stealing several thou
So I'D dollars worth of these small securities
To this day 1t is not known with any de-
gree of certainty how much he got away
with. Probably he would not have been found
out if he had not been obliged to take
chances of detection incidentally to trying
to dispose Of his ill-gotten booty
The man was highly trusted, as may be
judged from the fact that the duty of de-
stroying spoiled stamps was confded to
him. Hundreds of thousands of damaged
stamps returned every year to the
Post Office Department by postmasters all
over the country. Particularly in the south
the postage stamps kept in stock by post
masters are apt to get stuck together in
warm weather. being thus rendered unfit
for use. Not ulfreQUently it happens that the
festive cockroach gets in its work on them,
eating the mnciaec off the backs. There is
nothing to do but to send them back to
Washington and to get others in exchange.
These spoiled stamps used to be handed
over to the employe aforesaid, who burned
them in IL furnace; that is To say. he was
supposed to do So. But it must have ap-
peared to him that such "a destruction of
value was iamentable. for he adopted
system of saving many of the stamps from
the flames, particularly selecting those of
the higher denominations. These he put
ihto pcSNtt NY Idtitilt he dC-
crmulated quite little fortune in postage
stamps. Nobody caught him in the act.
Eut, unfortunately, he had to find a market
for them, and the detectives soon grabbed
him.
Post Office Robbcries.
II does not pay to steal postage stamps in
large quantities, because il is almost mpos-
sble to get rid of them safely. They have
70 be sold at a large discount. and that is
equivalent to advertising them as stolen
That is the way in which the theft of the
other day from the bureau of engraving
was Immediately Traced to the guilty per-
sons. Since the occurrence above described
the Post Office Department has destroyed
oil waste stamps by b1ilin; them with wa
ter in great iron cylinder for thirty-six
hours, AZ the end of which they are reduced
to a mud-like pulp, The process is the same
as that used by the treasury for macerating
old and redeemed greenbacks. The pub,
after being dried, is sold 10 the paper mills
FOR stock
Nearly 1909 small post Offices are burglar
lied every year in the United States AMI
considerable quantities of stamps are
stolen. In a large percentage of such in
stances the thieves are caught through
their own efforts TO dispose of the stamps.
The greatest robbcryrof postage stamps on
record occurred at Minneapolis in 1855
Burglars entered the post office at night
through the StaElp win low, closing the
shutter behind them. Then they broke into
the safe by means OF a disi:nond drill doing
the job so quietly that people working close
by heard nothing Of their operations. In
front of the safe was a big plate-glass win
dow, but il was covered with frost so that
nobody could see through it. The depre-
datOrs got away with GrlVJ0 2-cent stamps
and 10000 l-cent stamps. representing a
face value of Sii,'9t. They were captured
while trying to negotiate the sale of their
rlunder through 'fences' and $Iu1S worth
of the stamps were recovered.
Limited Market for Stamps.
Newspaper stamps, which have depomin;l-
tons running: from che ocIt to $tiD. are
never sold by The Eos; Office Department.
They are not intended TO go out of the
hands of the GOV ernment. Often, now2rcr
they arc stolen from post offices. finding
their way eve ntua'Iy into the hands Of col
lertors OF stamps who for III, reason Just
mentioned, are always reaGy to pay big
prices fer them. The fact that postage
stamps are offered for sale at a discount is
not neceSsa rily a I-'cof that they have been
stolen. Great quantities of stamps are dis
posed If at discount Of about 3 per cent
by business firms which, receive more Of
them than they can Use. This is particniar-
ly true of secGsnren, to whom payment for
goods in small lets is commonly sent by
hail in the shape of stamps. On the streets
Of cities small boy; frequently offer a few
StampS 20 rasserS-by at reduced rates As
4 rule, they have stolen them from tlieir
employers stamp boxes.
Not long Ego grave Smithsonian profess
SOf sent an Oln cOtiTeI ptnSlOner OF his
do three or four crrants, including the buy
ing of few postage stamps. He courtcd
the cha lSe brough: back, and. finding il a
few pennies short, Intercepted the aged
Iarkey the subject. The latter had
probably spent the missing money at a
dram shop. At all events, he suffered and
stammered; but, finally, an inspiration
struck him. and with a broad grin he said
De stamps an done riZ, sahr'
1t is net possible 10 steal "A single stamp
frcm the bureau of engraving without
eventual detection. The stamps are count
ed fifty-two times during the process of
their manufacture. They are finally put up
in packages, in sheets OF 100 each and are
placed in stoe1-clad vaults. Every day The
Pest Office Department draws on the
bureau for as many stamps as are needed
to fill the orders forwarded by postmasters
all over the country. In accordance with
the orders thus received, the bureau ad-
dresses the packages to the pcstmasters
and delivers them at the local Washington
post Office for mailing.
COuntcrfciting Difficult.
No such thing as the counterfeitmg of n
United States postage stamp in this coun-
try has been known for a quarter of a
century. The crime would not paw One
cannot dispose of false stamps and skin
away, may be done with coins or notes
Besides, the face value is too small to yield
| a satisfactory profit. Nevertheless, our CO.
lumbar issues are being extensively im,-
tate1 ABROAD at present, Tor sale to collect
| ors, particularly the big denominations
Most foreign nations have no laws pro-
hibiting countcrfeiting OF stamps other than
their own. In the United States there is
such a law. and it Is rg;dly enforced. There
was dealer in New York q few wears ago
who forged foreigh stamps by millions and
sold them to collectors. He even invented
stamp and sold it as a great rarity, He
was arrested and prosecuted.
An expert is not easily deceived by n
counterfeit postage Stamp. lie scrutinizes
the engraving, the coloring, the perform
tons, and even the water-mark in the
paper. false stamp can hardly pass ain
Of these tests. Nevertheless, there are
probably few collections of stamps which
do not contain some counterfeits The bust
ness of producing them is conducted on a
considerable scale abroad. The stamp
market is flooded with limitations, and one
can purchase at small prices full sets of the
alleged stamps Of such municipalities as
Holstein, Hamburg, Brandenburg, Han
over and Oldenburg, notwithstanding the
fact that those grand duchies have not is
sued special stamps since the sixties, and
there were never very many Of them. The
same remarks apply in greater or less de-
gree to stamps OF Nova Scotia, British
Columbia. New Brunswick and Helfgoland
Heligoiand has not had any stamps Of its
ON n 81 ice 1t was sold by England to Ger