Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1896-10-17

money lost in the mails and restored to its
owners has gone as high as S21 1866 In one
year. Much OF this money is recovered from
mall thieves but there is system OF dis
ciplinary nnlng which makes postal clerk
who is guilty OF culpable negligence respon-
sible In part for the losses suffered through
his derliction.
The inspector who goes out to investigate
these cases carries broad credentials from
the postmaster general 1ney require not
only that railroad and steamship lines and
all other mail contractors shall carry him
free, but that he shall be respected and
obeyed." The cases these men are called
to investigate are not alone the disappear
ance OF mail matter, but complaints OF ir-
regularity in the Offices OF pOstmasters, the
suflciency OF bonds filed by postmastera,
robberies and burning OF postoffces, thefts
from street mail boxes and pouches, the
improper use OF the mails the leasing of
premises for posteflice purposes and the rob-
berry OF trains and state coaches.
The country postmaster holds the post
office inspector in great awe. II Is not to
be expected thas every one OF the 10000
men who handle the mail for Uncle Sam
will know the form of the credentials OF
an inspector. There are so many official
forms and blanks with which the postmaster
has to familiarize himself that II takes n
good force OF clerks to keep the postmaster
straight. In January OF last year a man
walked into the postmasters office at Nor
ton Heights, on the New Haven road and
presented a paper in blue envelope pur-
porting to be the credentials of an inspcc-
tor He said he had been sent TO examine
the postmasters accounts. The postmaster
gave him possession of the books of the
office and all his paper and supplies. The
visitor helped himself to a package of blank
money orders and not long afterwards word
began to come to the PostoiTice department
from different parts of the country that
money orders drawn at Norton Heights were
being presented. The postmaster in the
meantime had notified the department at
Washington and received word that no one
had been authorized to visit his Office or
take the blanks Other offices were notified
not to honor orders drawn on these blanks
and the swindler got only a few hundred
dollars for his work.
A SHINING MARK.
In spite of the efficiency OF the secret
service of the government, Uncle Sam has
been always shining mark for swindlers
and thieves. The thieves break into his
postoflces and the swndlers counterfeit
his postage stamps. Counterfeitng OF
stamps, however has not been common.
II is a remarkable fact that the only case
of any importance was the one which oc-
CURED in Chicago last year for which
Mrs. Mcmillan was sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary for year and n half. Stamps are
too small game for the counterfeter and
1t is much more difficult to dispose of them
than II Is to pass counterfeit money of
the same face value. II II was not for the
fact that big mercantile establishments sell
stamps at discount and make legitimate
this trade, 1t would be hardly possible to
dispose OF stolen or counterfeit stamps at
all
Few people know that congress made
law some years ago authorizing the post
master general to sell stamps at a discount
OF per cent. The postmaster general has
not done this In many years, but the exist
ence OF that statute has been an excuse for
dealing in stamps at less than their face
value, and this has made 1t possible for
thieves to sell their plumber or counterfeit
ers to dispose OF their bogus wares. Post
master General Wanamaker wanted con-
sress to make a law prohibiting anyone
selling stamps at less than their face value.
Such law, II supplemented by law au-
thorizing the redemption of stamps at
small discount, would make 1t possible for
the big dry goods houses in New York and
Chicago to get rid OF the enormous guam
tity OF stamps received with mail orders
every year and would be an additional safe
guard against burglary and counterfciting.
IL seems TO be very necessary precaution,
for 4751 postofiices have been burglarized
in the past three years.
ODD EXPERIENCES.
The postofce inspectors have many odd
and interesting experiences. One of the
chief foes of the inspector is the green goods
man. As the green-goods swindle Is carried
ON chiefly through the mails the business of
preventing or Furnishing this crime falls
chiefly on the federal officers For long
time the business was carried on exclusively
In New York and its vicinity, and the head
quarters OF the inspectors having these
special cases in charge was in that city. But
two years ago an enterprising gang, becom-
ing disguised with reformed New York
moved to California and established head
quarters at Sacramento and Oakland. This
gang conceived a new way Of carrying on
the business. Instead of mailing the Green
goods circulars and thus rendering them
selves liable to the postal laws, they put
fictitious addresses on the envelopes they
used, stamped them, cancelled the stamps
themselves, tore open the ends of the en-
yelopes and then had these envelopes
dropped in many places where they would
likely be picked up by some pedestrian.
Their idea was that the passer-by would
take the letter to be one which had been
dropped by the receiver that 1t would be
picked up and opened and that the finder
would be tempted to open up correspondence
with the swindlers for the purchase OF some
OF the supposed counterfeit or bogus money
The postohice inspectors took the matter
right up, opened correspondence with the
gang and captured two of them in Oakland
They got eight months each. Other green
goods men were captured at Hillsdale. Mich
Last May the famous Jim" McNally and
his gang were arrested in Chicago and Nc
Nally got long sentence. Today the green
SpOus buSlllSss pretty wen wiped out.
In the running down of green goods men
the inspectors have done some very clever
detective work. Last year an inspector who
had had some correspondence with a gang in
Chicago went to that city in the guise of
farmer from Iowa. The operator wanted to
know what kind OF farming he was engaged
in. He replied meraphorically. Mostly
hogs" At the same time he displayed a
fat purse, which probably did much to allay
suspicious. Thereupon the gang began to
call him Uncle and treated him with
great consideration As soon as the samples
of the green goods were produced the Iowa
farmer drew a revolver and backed to-
ward the door. He held the gang at the
point of the revolver until assistance came
Many of the green goods men are located
in the vicinity of New York still and the
secret service has TO keep an eye on them
Its most effective weapon is to obtain the
names and addresses TO which replies of vic
TINS are to be sent and to notify express
ana telegraph companies not to deliver any
thing to these addresses.
DISAGREEADLE DUTIES.
Every year the inspectors have to per-
form the disagreeahle duty of arresting
great many postmasters and employees of
postofices for stealing from the mails Last
year the inspectors arrested l5S postmas-
ters, 90 assistant postmasters, AZ clerks in
postonlces. II railway mail clerks, "a letter
carriers, 40 mail carriers and o other ninor