The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-05-29

of the doings at Shelby until two or three
of my fellow inspectors had tried their
hands and made a failure of it, Then |
took the case and failed most ignomini-
,ously of all, because | added blunder to
failure.
Shelby was and is fair-szed village
without railroad connection. 1t is eight
miles'to the nearest railroad town, with q
daily mail carried in a cart. For years and
years there had been no complaint about
the postoilice at Shelby, when suddenly
half dozen complaints came in almost
together. Important letters which had
been mailed from different places had failed
to show up, and letters mailed away had
failed to reach their destination. The post
master was an old man named Harper, and
for assistants he had his two daughters,
one being 10 and the other Is years of age.
Mr.. Harper had held the Office for II years
when the complaints came in. The post
office was an 81" of his residence, with
front added. The inspectors who preceded
me had looked the ground over and left
the case q mystery. Everybody said that
Harper was honesty itself, and the idea
that the girls would tamper with the mails
was not to be entertained. 4 nephew
drove the cart, and his character also stood
high. Nothing could be traced direct to
Shelby, and so the last inspector reported
the same rs the first. A month went by
and more letters disappeared. Three letters
mailed in Shelby for New York failed to
reach the metropolis, and various letters
written 10 a patent medicine firm il Shelby,
and each iucl0sing 81, were reported miss
ing. 1t was then | took the case, and
though | was called a sharp man, YOU will
see how egregiously Numbered.
The mail carrier was the first man to see
to. arrived on the ground without my
identity being revealed aud watched him
fer two weeks. There was opportunity
during his eight-mile drive to open the
bags with duplicate key, but watched
without result, except to be satisfied of his
honesty. Then | made myself known to
the postmaster, and received warm vel
come. lie was much distressed about the
and belief all had taken place in his office.
There were only about 20 persons who
rented boxes, and all other mail was put
into the general delivery. As the father
and his two daughters were the only ones
handling the mail or having access to the
interior Of the Office it seemed that one of
the three must be the thief, and vet |
could not bring myself to believe that. |
was given the fullest opportunity to inycs-
tigate, and | also did some work outside
unknown to the postmaster. caused to
be mailed to the patent medicine people
large number Of letters with private
number on each envelope. The first batch
of 10 came through all right, but out of
the second two were missing. The whole
10 had left Denton in the mail bag, as
well knew, and the two had either been
taken Ell route by the carrier, or by some
one after there arrival at Shelby. As the
carrier had brought over two passengers in
his cart that trip lie might be considered
out of it. The mail had arrived at Shelby
at 3 o'clock and had been called for IN
hour later. Next day batch Of six letters
came through all right, and so on the next,
and the third 10 were received. | helped
tn dict il,,Fn tln mail tbo
letters and recorded the number. Father
and daughter all knew this, and yet at
O'Clock three of letters, together with two
for certain merchant, which ] lad par
ticularly noticed, were missing and could
not be found.
That evening, after the Office closed, we
txrned it upside down, as ii were, but
nothing came of it. The old postmaster
was in the deepest despair, while his two
Sausht.rs arpt and sobbcd over what they
believed would he the ruin Of all. As an
inspector, and with such evidence before
nay eyes it was my business to believe one
i the three guilty, aud yet had to reason
otau tbNN h'hlhII TIC lNibllt tllDunl 10
purloin letters under my very nose.
simply "idnt know what to think, and
next morning was knocked off my feet to
receive complaint from Washington that
three important letters posted It Shelby 10
days before for city a only 100 miles away
had been lost en route. | telegraphed for
enlarged instructions, and upon receiving
them ! told Mr.. Harper | must let 20 of
the case temporarily for another shifted
my quarters over to Denton, through which
all mail to and from Shelby must pass, and
made arrangements with the postmaster
that every letter was counted and its ad.
dress taken. | mailed about thirty decoy
letters in this time, and at the end OF IA
days had the satisfaction Of knowing that
II different letters had somehow or other
been made away with at Shelby This was
adding evidence to evidence, but did not
return to Shelby to lay the matter before
the old postmaster l went back there in
the disguise OF farmers hired man looking
for work, and, luckily for me, no farmer
wanted man. | therefore loafed about
will ia, ,,,l -. Al.