Evening star., 1897-02-04
THEY WERE PROOFS
The Aystfry About Mr.. Oolnans
Periodical Stamps.
he WAS RELEASED TODAY on BAIL
The Post Office Department at
Work on the Case.
DETAILS OF THE AFFAIR


The arrest of Hamilton F. Colman In
New York yesterday for having in his pos
session uncancelled newspaper and periodi-
cal stamps. fs likely to prove fiasco. Mr..
Colman was on the way to see his father,
who lies at the point of death at Coopers-
town. N. Y. He had received telegram
Tuesday stating that his father was dying
and had gotten leave of absence from the
chief clerk of the general land Office. in
which he has been a clerk for twelve
years, and that night, took the train for
New York. The next heard from him
was the New York dispatch announcing
his arrest by a post office detective there
and that he had over 5000 worth of un-
cancelled stamps in his possession when
apprehended.
The postal inspectors here stop breathing
when they see newspaper man approach
Ing them. so that little can be learned here
But 1t Is believed that the arrest was not
directed from Washington. And 1t Is also
stated on good authority that young Col
man has probably violated no law The
statute makes 1t an offense punishable Dy
Imprisonment from six months to year
with a fine of from 800 to $500 to have
cancelled postage stamps OF any kfnd III
ones possession with intent to use them
of cancellation with view to using them
again in the mails. So far as the search
Of the statutes today at the department
showed, neither this provision nor any otner
covers Colman's case. His stamps were
not Cancelled. They were fresh as the day
they were made.
Newspaper Stamps.
Newspaper and periodical stamps are not
sold to the public as other stamps are.
They never pass out of the possession OF
employees of the postal department. They
are used exclusively on newspaper ana
periodical mail and are issued in denomi-
nations all the way from l cent up TO $loO
Some of the stamps are for odd and
the SaAs series"and r they are re all very beautl-
full stamps. muzh sought after by col
lectors|s for the sum of $l.32. The metnoo
of use is for the postmaster on receiving
newspapers or magazines to give receipt
for the weight of the matter to the pub
Usher, and on the stub o fthis receipt book
ne pastes sufficient number of stamps to
cover the amount of postage called FOR
at the rate of cent pound. For instance
If 1872 pounds of newspapers came into an
Office the postmaster would write out re-
ceipt for that; amount, give 1t to the man
who brought the, newspapers and paste the
bright, green ore-dollar-and-ninety- ety-two-
cent stamp on the stub from which ne had
torn the receipt.
At the end of every quarter the post
master Is obliged to send to the depart
ment in Washington these receipt books,
with the stamps attached, and here they
are very carefully counted and checked up.
Finally these books. with their stamps. are
turned over to, a committee In the depart
ment. under whose direction they are taken
to the destruction room and placed in a
large furnace ard burned up. Every pre-
caution Is taken to prevent any THEFT of
these Cancelled stamps. The furnace 9
locked up. the committee keeping the key.
nd nhar of left n
room.
Various Leaks.
But this is not the only way the stamps
could get out. There is mo- doubt that
many thousands of dollars worth are stolen
every year by burglars There were over
500 burglaries last year. and in a large
proportion of them newspaper stamps were
taken. The burglar finds his way to the
fence" and the fence" has his own pc
culiar method of selling the stamps, so
that they finally reach collectors.
More thar this. however, is the fact that
pcstmasters knowingly or ignorantly, in
violation of the law and the rules of the
department, sell these stamps. So great is
the leak In this respect that the third
assistant postmaster general. MIR. Kerr
Craige, has recently printed in the Postal
Guide a notice warning postmasters against
this practice.
Says They Were Proofs.
MT. A. L. TOWNSEND, tne pniiatcliSt WHO
has an Office in the Washington Loan and
Trust Company building, today talked very
frankly about his connection with the
affair. and stated emphatically that the
stamps which Mr.. Colman had were not
Cancelled stamps nor uncanceled stamps.
but proofs of newspaper and periodical
stamps.
Il am not at liberty to say all know
about this matter at present" said Mr..
Townsend, "but 1 can say without any
hesitation that the Post Office Department
has made a mistake in regard to Mr.. Col
man. 1 am satisfied that he had nothing
in his possession that he had not come
honestly by and that he had not perfect
right to have. I cannot state now where
we got these proofs, but that is what they
are, and 1t will be found that Mr.. Colman
got them honestly and has a right 10 have
them. 1t is true that these newspaper and
periodical stamps are stolen by burglars,
and it Is also true that postmasters sell
them. But these found on Mr.. Colman
were not obtained in that way They
were as I said before, proofs, perforated
and glued"
Mr.. Colman secured bail and was re-
leased in New York today, and went on
to Cooperstown to his fathers bedside.
His friends in the land office speak of
him in the highest terms. He was an
efficient ind popular clerk. His father is
a brother of the former commissioner of