Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-23
G r A V E

at c. complaint
was received from the postmaster at D
| that small box, mailed shortly before from
| the former place. accompanied by letter
| saying that the box contained gold watch,
| was received empty at the latter town. The
| sender and addressee were cousins ond
| presumably no fraud was intended.
/ teegraphed to D for the box. which
I received the next day. 1 put my own
watch. an ordinary gold one. in the box.
| and upon weighing the package then found
| it was deficient in postage and upon weigh
ing the box empty found there was just
postage enough to carry it. This was good
| evidence that the box was mailed empty,
and especially SO as the package was reg
| istered, because postmasters must use ex-
| ira care TO see that registered packages
| are fully prepaid. There would naturally
| be doubt about a mans sending a gold
! watch by mail, either registered unreg-
| lstered, though 1t is too often done. When
| visited the sender Of the watch he strong
| ly protested that he had inciosed the
| watch and his wife declared she saw him
| bors to corroborate her. They protested
so much that l knew the watch was in
| tentionally withheld. Then l told the man
| that the postage was Just enough to cover
the mailing OF an empty box He replied:
Stuck to His Story.
| THAT may be, but some of the stamps
| fell off or. the way. l remember very well
| of putting on more stamps"
| l asked him what amount and he an
swered. after figuring mentally a minute:
| Seventeen cents"
| yes" added his wife. Il remember
Charley put on seventeen cents, because
| he came home and told me that the post
master gave him eight cents change for
quarter. 1 got the quarter out of my
| bureau-see, in there-and I've got the eight
| cents. now, somewhere. If you want to see
| 'em I'll get 'em for YOU
| But L suggested, was your watch a
| very heavy. extra thick silver case watch
like railroad men carry, or like mine?'
'Oh. thinner than yours-light Swiss
| watch
| But the box and mine would only take
fourteen cents. and yours would have
| taken no more postage?"
"Oh, that's all right, because. now come
| to think Of 1t, had long talk with the
clerk and told him to put on three cents
extra so it would go all right. That's the
way it was
| We'll, then, come with me and well see
| this clerk about it," / said
| He held off awhile, but went down. None
of the clerks was 1.-The clerk While he
was talking with the postmaster. l drew
up letter TO the district attorney, pu--
porting to inclose the box and letter as
! evidence for him to prosecute the sender
| for fraudulent use of the mail, but the
man held out dcggedly. 1 was engaged on
| some other matters until late that even
| ing, but when l went to dinner Charley"
was anXiously awaiting me- watch in hand.
| had it sent forward duly to the owner
| at D.
| On n Star Route.
On a star route there had been many
| thefts of money from registered letters,
| and the department and the people there
| abouts were alike impatient to catch the
I thief. There was much trouble in doing it.
| A number of the inspectors tried their
| hand at it, but it would invariably happen
| that, as soon an officer came upon the
! ground, plfering would cease. THE post
masters upon the route. about dozen of
| them in all, bore excellent regulations, and
| all professed anxiety to have the guilty
| punished. l had been at work at the case
| once without success, and tried 1t again,
| taking every possible precaution the sec
ond time to conceal my doingS. With a
good assistant 1 put up at farm house
! entirely Off from the route and where, at
our leisure, we completed our plans for
carefully testing the different offices.
| The weather was very stormy; and thus
| we were able to get around without let
| ting the inquisitive discover that strangers
| We're in their neighbcrhood, which was
very thinly settled at best. 1t was difficult
| to decide which postmaster we should be-
| gin with. for generally the adjoining office
| has to cooperate and be in the officers
| Is one of the two SO trusted. of course he
is put on guard. Then. perhaps, the car
rier may have a key and be opening the
| pouches But in this case the general
reputation of all the postmasters was excel
| lent They were all respectable, wel!-to-do
| people. The last one to be thought of
! would naturally have been the postniistress
| at c. She had been a school teacher was
| Of a good family, and had not only the
| respect, but the confidence and sympathy
| of the people. because her husband was q
worthless fellow, who was serving term
| in prison for larceny. She delicate
| looking young woman, with sad face.
A Pretty Postmistress.
| On my first trip I rode over the route as
| pretended book agent. sat in the old
| stage. conspicuously holding in my hand
a flashy bound book. when we reached her
| Office, and she came to the door and look
ed out at me. l was watching her CO.
verify, and 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 a low ynice to the carrier who was cnm-
ing out with the mail sacks. Halt an
| hour later l said to the driver:
Il believe 1 made a good impression on
that pretty postmistress. Wish 1 had shown
her my book"
Yes he said. land she asked me if you
| weren't post office Inspector"
What is that?" l asked.
"Oh, one of them felers that go around
catchin' up with the lame ducks. There's
! been lot O. stealin' on this road, and l
| wish they'd do somethin' about 1t. Pm
| gettin blamed for 1t myself"
! I decided at once that unless the driver
| was a good deal smarter than he looked
| and acted he was not to be suspected, and,
from the quick suspicion of the postmis-
| tress that l was an officer, that she was to
! he looked out for. So when l related this
| fact to my friend. he agreed that we should
! first test the schoolma' ans office. The
| last thief. reported had been about ten
| days before our visit, so that another was
| about due. We fixed our lines in the usual
| way sending our registered letters through
| the schoolma ANS hands. The carrier
made a very brief stop. Nobody else had
| touched the letters.
They came out to our hands so clean and
| neat that we thought it impossible that
| they could have been tempered with. We
| opened them at once and were astonished
| to find that all the four letters had been
rfled Returning to the office We found
| the stolen bills in the young woman's
| purse and though her unusually sad face
| was lighted up a little with the success
| OF her days work, the Thoughtful expression
| returned to it when we explained our bust
| ress But she maintained perfect COM
posure She was placed upon trial a few
! months later. Her health. meantime. had