Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-21
THE POST MASTERS CRIME
A True Story.
By An Ex-0&cer of the Government,

Written Exclusively for The Evening Star
| almost any man can steal, but il takes
mighty smart man to successfully dispose
| of the plumber"
The above remark was made by one of
| two gentlemen who entered a popular cafe
and took seats on the opposite side of a
| table at which / was sitting. 1 was casu-
| ally glancing over the morning paper while
| awaiting the arrival of a friend and the
statement caused me to look up at the
| speaker. He was a large, ruddy-faced man.
| with hair and mustache almost white. His
language was free. easy and well chosen.
Sitting as we were at one table. it was i'm
| possible to avoid overhearing all that was
said by the two gentlemen, but as they
| talked with the utmost freedom, made no
effort to do So although apparently alb
sorbed in my reading. The subject they
| had evidently been discussing, was the al
| most absolute certainty of detection by
Uncle Sam Of any one who attempted to
| rob him.
| It's no use." continued the speaker,
| for any man. 1 don't care how smart ne
| is, nor how well he plays his game to try
| to beat Uncle Sam, for he will be found
| living man! 1t may be months or may be
years, the government may change hands.
| and the crime be unknown or forgotten by
those in power, but there comes a time
| when the rogue thinks II will be safe to use
| or dispose of his plumber, and that is the
| very time he is sure to be nabbed. / have
| case in nay mind now, which on the face
| OF 1t was as safe as case could possibly
| be, but which was easily unraveled a
| stocking. 1 don't mind telling you about it,
| only will omit names and the place where
| 1t occurred, for although years have since
passed and the parties are most of them
dead, 1 might u1wittingly injure innocent
persons: But before 1 begin let US wet an
eye! What will you have? Won't you
join us. sir?''-addressing me. Very pleas
| ed to have you do SO, If agreeable"
| thanked him for the courtesy, but de
| clined, at the same time expressing a de-
| sire to listen to his story IL he had no OBJ
| jectioEs To this he heartily assented and
the drinks were brought and disposed of.
| Handing each of us cigar and lighting
| one himself he began:
| 1T was during the latter part of the
| war, when an officer in the Army Of the
| Potomac, who had saved up his money
| until he had over a Thousand dollars In
| hand and due him, asked the paymaster to
bring him on his next visit 4 $1,000 United
| States bond, as he wished to send il home
| to his wife. The Lext time the paymaster
| came he brought the bond, as promised
| and duly delivered il to the officer. The
| latter wrote an affectioEate letter to his
wife In her far-off home in Maine inclosed
| the bond as present to her. carefully
sealed his letter and deposited il in the
L
| ever saw or heard of either letter or bond
for shortly afterward he was killed. His
body was recovered and duly sent home to
| the stricken wife. No letter or bond ever
came TO her, and she only knew by letters
| received before the death of her husband
| and after he had sent the bond that any
such good fortune was intended for her.
| and now she was doubly bereft
| Having nothing to show as evidence that
| such bond had ever been sent to her. the
little woman, after waiting for months for
the missing letter to turn up, finally gave
up all hopes and buried her dream of COM
| fort along with the tender memories of her
greater loss in the grave of her husband.
| Nine long years went slowly by when one
| day letter came to the Treasury Depart
rent from the postmaster of little town
| II Maine, containing a one-thousand-dolar
| bond, snd asking for five hundred dollars
worm OF stamps and the balance of 500 in
| cash will say right here that the law
at that time permitted postmasters all
\ over the country to Sell internal revenue
stamps of all kinds in addition to the reg
uiar postage stamps, and that large orders
were not ln1requent. But to have SO large
| an order come from so small a place ex-
cited some curiosity. Everything how
ever, appeared straight and right, and I
was directed to fill the requistion / did
So So ana LOOK the bond over to the loan
branch OF the treasury and told the cashier
what L wanted, at the same time CASUALLY
asking him If the bond was all right He
said 1t was, and l left to complete the put
having them verified prior to mailing.
The next day i went to the treasury to
set draft for the $500, when the cashier
sald: See here, B., there's something
wrong about that bond you left here yester-
day. The numbers have been alteredr at
the same time handing it to me to examine
Although L had at that time as good eyes
as any man, 1 could not by the closest
scrutiny discover anything wrong with the
numbers. They seemed absolutely perfect
and l said he must certainly be mistaken
Take this magnifying glass and look
again., said he.
Il did SO, and bless my soul If the pen
lines on those figures didn't show Up as
big as straws. 1t was clear as day that
they had been SO skillfully altered as to
oety detection save under glass. My
surprise was so great for a minute or two
that L couldn't say word or do a thing
but look at those figures
Where did you get this bondg asked
the cashier. 1 told him the circumstances
IN full, and of our surprise at receiving SC
large an order from so small a town.
Very we'll. said he, there is evident
ly screw loose somewhere. Report what
YOU know to the department officials and
obey orders. 1 will keep the bond until
needed
Having made my report, the orders
were speedily Forthcoming. I was direct
ed to prepare for an immediate trip to
Maine. A pass book over all roads, .,team
vessels or otherwise. together with Gre
dentials appointing me as special lost
dentals, were given me, with instructions
to use my own discretion and Judgment in
the matter and to report results.
1.-TWO or three days later 1 entered lit
tie Maine village about noon apd went to a
hotel, where registered as from Memphis
Tenn. don't know what on earth made
me do this, but my official response
bilfties rs an officer of the government of
the United States gave me the idea that
everybody must know 1t the moment they
saw me and must do all could to throw
them off the scent. Although 1 had twice
passed the post office. that afternoon and
knew Its every outside detail like a book,
that evening I innocently inquired of the
clerk If he would kindly direct me to it. as
l wished to mail a letter to my wife, He
did so, and again walked slowly down the
street, cogitating how / was to bag my
game and make no bad breaks From
casual inquiry about town / learned that
the postmaster was a man of the highest
standing In the community a member and
deacon of the church and full of charity
and good works. / further learned that he
was far gone with consumption, and it was
feit that In the event of his demise the
town would lose one of its brightest and
most highly respected citizens. All this
made my task the harder, for If 1 should
make mistake the sooner 1 got away the
better. i walked past the office and tbap