The herald., 1895-07-14
How the Secret Service
Men Watch the Mail
Carriers
POSTOFFICE INSprcTops
At Their Duty and hsw rhey Perform
t'..Letter Carriers cssnot
Steal Much Without
Detection

despotic in theory. and has never bee
In practice until very recently, the mo
pronounced feature OF this kind beir
the establishment of q military espiona,
over local officials by mon who kno
nothing of local affairs.
A mail carrier may have given enti
satisfaction for many years under su
cess,ve postmasters. but unless he is ab
10 baff1e the spotter in has assiduor
search for errors he Is marked for dismi
sal upon the mere word Of a stranger, a
against record Of years Of faithful SCI
vice.
The government spoilers are in Cinoir
natl. Postmaster Brown has not bee
asked for assistance In their work, al
thougn as high an authority as ex.Post
masteT-General Thomas L. James sal,
mat ne was ene OF the most com pot on
omclais IN the country. Inspector Sal
mon has not been consulted, although
| ms standing IS high aS detector of pos
cret service men and department Inspect
| ors.
AN Enquirer reporter has been engaged
Tor three days past in spotting the spot
ters, not for the purpose Of finding ou
what derel,otions Of duty were to be re-
ported. hut to describe tho process by
which they work. Going down Walnu,
slrset at o'clock in the morning Thurs
day (ths carriers all leave the postoffice
at I 80 and 7:45), sharp lookout was
Kept for spoilers. Standing unconccrnedly
In 'front.' of a saloon on Walnut street.
near the postcfice. was man of me.
dium height ana build, with DARK auburn
haif and mustache, some what horid
complexion, light suit of clothes and
white vest, wearing straw hat and twir.
ing his thumbs in the armholes of hi,
vest, whom the reporter took for a SPOT.
ter.
He timed the first carriers leaving. It
was by no means certain that the right
man was found. and at y o. clock the re-
porter returned to the postottics. bat
could hnd no trace Of any one looking like
spotter.. At O'Clock the man who had
stood in front of the saloon was in the
doorway Of the Apollo building entrance
wearing dark suit of clothes, and watch !.
Ing the government building as though
be intended to buy it, still twirling his
thum be as he meditated. As the carriers
his watch and moved down to the corner,
where one luckless carrier could be seen
sitting on his mail sack waiting for q car,
Ihe spotter made note of it. At 1:45
O'Clock he had moved across Fifth street.
and was interested in bicycles. when the
carriers appeared from ten to fifteen min.
watch. At 3:l5 p. m. he was hard to
amining the Blymyer building. The
carriers left about on time.
Friday morning the carriers were con-
siderably delayed in leaving the post
Office. some Of them half an hour.
If they had not been the reporter would
not have found the spotter, as the. indi-
vidual had put on dark flannel suit
aud ramoved his finpers from his veSt
armholes. He was leaning on q mail box
on the southwest corner Of Fifth and
Main streets. At o'clock he could not
be found, but shorter man of heavier
build walked the esplanade and timed
the carriers. This man went TO Corryville
behind him throughout the trip. The
reporter followed them, and the round
was entirely without incident, except to
prove to the reporters satisfaction that
the carrier fully earned his money. At
3:15 no spot ter could be foundlany where
around the postofice, and the reporter
went through the bottoms, whore he
found the trail OF one who had been max
ing inquiries concerning the deliveries.
In the evening the reporter met the 8
o'clock mails, and there discovered the
man who had been around the postofice
on Thursday ana Friday. He was stand.
ing twirling his thumbs in front of the
Montgomery hotel watching the wagons.
The work is being done by secret service
methods they would in the detection of
criminals, communicating with no one.
When they first come they stop at a hotel.
but find rooms where they will be unob-
served. There have been spoilers regis
tered at the Grand, Gibson, Emery, Pal
ace and Dennison, within the past two
weeks. Several have let the clerks know
thnv MT hnt a
work that they were on. They exchange
assignments SO that no one will suspect
them.
Some of the carriers have discovered
that they were being watched, but none
of them have seen the same man two
days in succession, for the reason that
the same one will not follow them twice.
cinnati office is being made very
thorough. The chief mail clerks Of To-
ledo. Indianapolis, Louisville, Chatta
nooga and Richmond were called together
here in secret meeting about ten days
ago. Every postotnce inspector in the
district is in the city, and whether or not
in connection with this is not known.
Two of Inspector Johnson's men from st.
Louis were here during the past week.
A brother OF one Of the best known o.
the chief inspectors was at the st. Mich.
olas Thursday. He is not in the service
and declined to talk for publication, as IT
would reflect seriously upon his orother,
put gave some valuable inform alton upon
the condition that it vas not to be used Is
in any way off icial. The present investi
CATION is intended to embrace every de-
partment Of the postal service, and its
prime purpose is economy, its secon Diary
purpose the good Of the service.
Every postmaster In the country tries
to secure as much assistance as possible
in order to make record for himself as
giving the most prompt and efficient SER
vice to his patrons. It is the belief of the
postmaster general that the forces have
Thus become unnecessarily large, and
that there are few cities where changes
cannot be made, reducing the number Of
men and yet giving as good service as
now. For instance, all the carriers start
out upon their first trip at 1880 to 7:45 in
the morning in this city.
There is a rule that II they are not back
to the office promptly on time substitute
is put on and they lose the day. II they
are late getting out, as they frequently
are, and have heavy mail, they cannot
deliver it in time, hence the temptation
to hold out mail. If not too much, it is
secreted in their pockets. II too much.
it is lett at home or with some friend
who will not report them and taken up
with the next round. 1t therefore not
infrequently happens that mail that
should be deliver cd ON the first morning
run is not delivered until the last one in
the evening il all tho mails OF the day
are large. What is aimed at is to have
the asserting in the office done SO
promptly tnat the tap OF the bell at