The sun., 1897-02-06
THE STAMPS NOT STOLEN.
CoLMzN's hRREsT NOW SAID TO
HAVE BEEN MISTAKE.

The stnmp- Found In Ris Po.seesiou Were
Not Postage Stamps and Have No value
Except for Phiinteiic Purpores-How
They Get Into the Hands OF Outsiders.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 5.-Department officials
practically admit that q serious mistake was
made In the arrest of Land Ofice Clerk Colman
in New York for having Government postage
stamps in his possession. 1t is now known that
the stamps were not stolen, ana that they were
Of no value whatever TO the Government
Therefore the case against Colman will proba-
bly, bo discontinued. II is possible that the fact
that the stamps were perforated and gummed
may be used to show an intent on the part Of
Colman to sell them, but privately the officials
admit that the so-callcd stamps were merely
abandoned proof sheets. and that he was not In
colluson with any Postmaster to defraud
the Government. Tho Post once authorities
suspect that they were the sets OF stamps
printed on heavy cardboard and given away rs
samples, and that some smart stamp dealer
shaved them down to the thickness OF ordinary
stamp paper. and then gummed and perforated
the sheets. Hundreds OF sets OF these proof
sheets OF newspaper stamps have been given
away since they were printed under Mr.. Wana-
makers administration. and his successors have
been free in distributing them among their
friends An Official OF the Patent Ofice to-day
made an interesting statement with regard to
the stamps found on the person OF Mr.. Colman.
He said:
They are not. In fact, postage stamps in any
sense OF the word. They are nothing more than
q system OF checks In use by the department 10
enable IL TO hold Postmasters to . strict ac-
countabiity for all money received for payment
OF newspaper postage. and should you place one
Of the $50 stamps on n letter 1t would not carry
the letter. but would be held for postage In
hands other than OF the Postmaster they have no
value except for philstelic purposes. and
their value Is even then determined By
an individuai to have thess stamps in his
possession, The series is the most beautiful
ever Ssd and they ARE NATURALLY .Sss9' for
department has been fact for years for the
stamp albums provide places for them. and the
department has for a long time been pounding
at the postmasters for selling them, contrary to
| rule Of the department forbidding their sale.
these stamps were given away BY the depart.
ment as .proofs,' and 1t was through the de-
plentiful in the hands Of OUTSIDER In face value
| they aggregated hundreds OF Thousands Of dol
laIs; copmercially, very little IN comparison" :"
and beautiful stamps in the way In which these
public never sees them. They are issued In
| sheets to Post masters. who attach them to the
| stubs of their receipt books and send them
back to tho ONCE, where they are at once burned
| up. In the whole transaction hardly a dozen
| people sec tneH. ana tntse are me clerks VINO
Issue them from the Post of,ics Department.
the Postmaster who uses them. and another set
| OF clerks at the department, who examine them
| TO see II they tally with the PostmRsters ac-
| counts and then tie them up in bundles TO be
| burned.
The reason why such care is taken in making
| these stamps Is that they run into high denomi-
| nations.t and the department has always been
| afraid OF counterfeitipg. That they can be
| counterfeited WAS thoroughly demonstrated .
| few years ago by l.thographer In Germany,
! who printed entire sets of them for collectors.
| At the department It Ia said his stamps were as
good as the originals on every stamp he
nut IL in such nns letters and in such an incon-
| spicuou- place that II could be read only with q
maRnifying gl.s-: Large quantities Of them
were cold at good prices to collectors. but on
| complaint by our Government to the German
| Government the lithograph"r was compelled TO
| print conspicuously on each stamp the word
| Imitation" The temptation Is very great Ia
| counterfeit these stamps and sell them TO Post
| masters at q low price. something like SIS for q
| Sl0O.stamp, which he could paste upon his
stub and put the sos difference In his pocket.