Evening star., 1897-02-05
7 H E S T A M p c A S E
The Newspaper and Periodical Set Give
Much Trouble.
Inc ColAah Stamps fl They Were
1ummed and Perforated May
Violate the Law,

mere were no developments today i'm the.
Coiman stamp case. Ex-Assistant District
Attorney Rose of New York is I'm the city
looking up the facts i'm the case as counse,
ior Mr. Colman. He says that he has dis
| covered nothing to the diseredit of his
chent- The stamps which he had were
such as nave for a number of years been
gwen away by the Post Office Department
| as samples. They were printed on ordinary
carupoard, and not intended for use. Mr.
Rose believes that the case will be discon-
tinued against his client and an official
| statement be made in regard to the affair
which will fully exonerate him.
There is 4 great deal of interesting his
tory connected with these newsnaner and
perioolcal stamps, which for years have
pech IN great demand by collectors They
aIe sdih TO he the most beautiful stamps
t tne government has ever made. The design
lar surPasses il artistic composition any
OF the postage stamp designs in current
use. mere mas been a great deal of crit
lclsm Of the Pest Office Department i'm
u, sucn elaborate and beautiful stamps
III tne way IN which these are used for
Notwithstanding their beauty the public
never sees them. They are issued In sheets
tc postmasters who attach them TO the
Stuos OF their receipt books and send then,
back to the office, where they are AT onca
burned up In the whole transaction
hardiy dozen people see them and these
are the clerks who issue them from the
POST Ofice Department. the master
VINO uses them and another set of clerks
al the department who examine them tn
see If they tally with the postmaster's ac
counts, and then tie them up IN bundles to
be burned. -
Have Been Counterfefted.
Inc reason why such care is taken in
MAKING these stamps is that they run into
high denominations and the department
a txx-ot- hae,
| That they can be counterfeited was tbor
ough!y demonstrated few years ago by
photographer in Germany, who printed
entlre sets OF them for collectors At the
department 1t Is said his stamps was as
good as the originals. On every stamp he
PRINTED the German word "Falsch" 0alsel
out put 1t in such fine letters and In such
an, an ,ihconsplcuous place that IL could be
reao only with magnffying glass Large
quantities OF them were sold and at good
prices TO collectors, but on complaint by
our government to the German government
the photographer was compelled 10 nrint
ccnspicuously on each stamp the word
imitation. The temptation is very great
10 counterfeit these stamps and sell then,
10 10 postmasters at low price-something
IKE - Tor hundred dollar stamp which
ne could paste upon his stub and put the
$9o difference in his pocket
None OF Mr.. Colmans friends nor the
posi- oface authorities have Yet disclosed
precisely wnat the Colman stamps are.
me statement has been made by Mr. A c
Iowlsend. the philsletist that they were
proofs gummed ano perforated. The post
once authorities suspect that they were
me sets or stamps printed on heavy card
beard and given away as sample and that
some smart stamp dealer shaved them
down TO the thickness of ordinary stamp
paper and then gummed and perforated
the sheets
AS to this. Mr.. Townsend makes no state
mt MT saying that al the proper time he
will state all the facts in regard to this
Phase of the affair
There May BE an Onen.e.
The post office authorities say that the
perforation and cumming Of sample sheets
may imply an intent to use them to de
fraud the government and that II is NOT
unllheiE the law could be made TO cover
the case. Yet. as Mr.. Colman was col
iector and had no intention to use them in
collusion with any postmaster TO defraud
the government, he would have a good de-
fense Furthermore, it is not a law but n
rule OF the department that covers The
possession of newspaper and periodical
stamps.
What "a Collector Says
Mr. William F. Woolard of the United
States patent office, a friend and fellow,
collector with Mr.. c. Holman, said today:
The stamps found on the person Of Mr.
Cclman are not postage stamps in any
sense OF the word. They are nothing more
than system of checks In use by the de-
a
to strict accountability for all money re-
oeived for payment Of newspaper postage.
and should you place one of the SeO STAMPS
on letter 1t would not carry the letter
even SO Tar as Georgetown. but would h..
heid Tor postage. In hands other than
those OF the postmaster, they have no
value except for ph!latelic purposes and
tneir value is even then determined by
their scarcity ~
1t is not a violation of law for the indi
Niuual 10 haVe these stamps in his posses
sion. The series IS the most beauIifni eyer
ISSUED. ana they are naturally sought for
oy collectors. Their presence outside of The
department. has been fact for years for
tHe stamp albums provide places for them
ana the department has for q long time
neen pounding at the postmasters for SELL
ing them, contrary to a rule of the de-
partment forbiddfng their sale Two or
tnree years ago thousands of sets of these
stamps were given away by the DEPART
meht as proofs, and it was through the
departments generosity that they became
so plentiful in the hands of outsiders. In
face value they aggregated hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars: commercially very
little In comparison
prominent department official TODAY
said many sets of these proof sheets or
cards OF newspaper stamps have been given
10 senators and representatives. They were
printed IN the Wanamaker administration
Under POSTMASTER General BisselI they
We're given away in great numbers and
while II has not been so easy TO ger them
since Mr. Wilson became Postmaster Cen
erai, sun not a few sets have been given
away since he entered the department
White House kindergarten,
In consequence Of he ,,naaf <o~ax.;ax