The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-18
AGAINST MONEY SHARKS
POSTOFFICE AND PENSION BUREAU
WORKING TOGETHER.
Checks Sent in Care of Money Lenders
Held Until Pensioners Them
selves Call for Them.

The pension bureau, under Commissioner
Evans, is making an effort to break up the
thriving business that money sharks have
done by loaning funds to pensioners at eX-
orbitant rates of interest. Just before the
May payment Postmaster Sahm received
brief note from the department at Wash
ington, calling his attention to Section 524
of the postal laws and regulations of 1898.
This law is embodied in Paragraph 331 of
the Ruling and Information on Postal
Subjects" contained in the Official Postal
Guide of 1897. 1t reads as follows:
"A letter from the Pension Office in
Washington, ID. c., may be delivered to the
person in whose care ii is addressed as well
as to the pensioner or member of his
family; but letter addressed to PEN
Sloner from the Office OF an agent for pay
ing pensions must be delivered to the pen
SIoner or some member OF his family, even
though addressed in the care of third
person; because such an address is prohib
ited. A pensioners order, verbal or writ
ten, inStructing a postmaster to deliver
letters to him from a pension agent or from
the pension agent to an attorney, claim
agent or broker, must be disregarded. If
communication from the commissioner OF
pensions or the pension agent addressed to
the pensioner reaches the postofice after
the pensloner has died, leaving no SurViV
ing widow or children under sixteen years
of age, the postmaster should return the
communication to the office from which
II came or to the commissioner or pensions,
WdSnltS -. L., WIN a statement OF
the facts. II there be a surviving widow
the letter should be sent to her. If there
be no widow then to the guardian of the
surviving children under sixteen years of
age.
Letters from the Pension Office in Wash
lngton, ID. c., may be delivered to the PEN
lily or to any other responsible person
known by the postmaster, in whose care
they may be addressed. They must not
De delivered to any person ne1ghbor or ac-
quaintance) except as stated below, who
may call even with the pensioners con-
sent, for the latter mail
Letters addressed to a pensioner from
any united States pension office must be
delivered only to the pensioner or a mem
him to receive them, except as stated be-
low. They must not be delivered to any
person In whose care they are addressed.
If the penSioner has been adjudged in
sane or imbecile by any court and a guar
dlan or manager of his business has been
designated by the court, all official letters
for the penSioner, including those from the
Pension Office and those from the offices
OF the United States pension agents should
be delivered only to said guardian or man
ager.
Letters from the office of the United
States pension agent addressed to pen
sioner must not be placed in the postoffice
box of another person for delivery.
Under no circumstances must the letters
of pensioners, sent from the Pension Office
or from any United States pension agency,
be delivered to any attorney claim agent
or broker or any other person except as
stated ABOVE.
1t was known to the postofice officials
here that two or three hundred pensioners
were having their mail sent from the pen
sion agency to the address of certain
money brokers. One of these men, named
Hammond, with places of business at 81
East Market street and IS East Court
street, was having no less than fifty letters
of pensioners sent to his address. The plan
upon which these gentlemen have worked
has been to loan the pensioner $40 upon his
promise to pay S12 at the next payment,
or $50 upon his promise to pay $25. In or
der to obtain this loan the pensoner would
have to give to the money broker an or
der written to the pension agency and
signed by himself to send his voucher to
the address of the broker
When the check arrived the pensioner
would indorSe 1t over to the money lender,
receive whatever difference there was, if
any, in cash and maize another loan at the
same outrageous rate Of interest.
Acting upon the orders from the depart
ment Postmaster Sahm held up q large
number of letters addressed in care of
these people, sending word to the pensioner
at the address given that they must come
to the postoftice and be identified. This
caused some complaint and four of the PEN
soners, Joseph M. Minks, Henry McCork-
hill, Marshal ID. Ellis and Joseph w. Ross
have made affidavit to the effect that their
mail was thus held up and that they were
given no notice of it until they found out
themselves. The postoffice authorities
claim that notice was sent to every man
at the address given upon the envelope
notices it was because the money lenders
occupying the offices where they were sent
failed to turn them over to the penSioner
little questioning Of the complaining PEN