The sun., 1897-05-17
THE POST OFFICE BURGLAR.
CHIEF INsPECToR WHEELER THINHS
HE HAS COME TO STAY.

Firty-three or tho Species Captured Daring
march ana April-Tried and Trusted Postal
Employees Transformed Into Thieves-somo
Distressing Cases That Ended In Suicide.
WASHINGTON, May 16.-Tho Post ONCE In
spectors, in addition to their regular work, have
Just completed q thorough inspection OF the
1000 Presidential Post Offices OF the country.
Chief Inspector Wheeler to-day, in speaking of
the work OF his force said the months Of March
and April wero very busy times for them, par
ticuarly in hunting down Post Office burglars
"The Post Office burglar" he continued,
"givcs us a great deal Of trouble. His advent
in the annals of crime is but recent, yet he is q
type peculiar to himself and 1t would seem that
he has come to stay. Post Office burglars, as
rule are the most desperate characters, pos
sessing every cunning, and arc alike ready to
seize ON any chance to lift a bundle OF stock,
or crack safe; any method suits them IL 1t
will enable them to get the DOODLE. Tho booty
is usually In postage stamps, which arc disposed
OF through the medium OF a fence, the burglar
seldom realizing moro than 40 per cent. on tho
real value of the stolen stock; yet with this
heavy discount the occupation seems alluring
and consequently keeps our men constantly
on the alert. This class of depreciation be-
came so common, that found 1t necessary in
1894 to call especial attention toit in my annual
u
General that a series of rewards be offered for
the apprehension of these criminals. The sug-
gestion was adopted, and has materially aided
our men In ferreting out the perpetrators. We
now have an annual appropriation from Con-
gress for this purpose, and for the past three
years the number Of burglaries has fallen off in
q slight degree. That the burglar is still at
work, however, is attested by the fact that ffty-
three were captured during March and April.
although my opinion is the general result for
the fiscal year will show still another decrease
In the aggregate OF Post Office robbcries.
"A very interesting chapter in the history of
crime can he made from that unfortunate trait
in human nature which suddenly transforms
the tried and trusted postal employee into a
thief. I do not believe there is another service
wherein many cases are found as In the postal
service Of this country. or course, thousands Of
men are employed, and 1t is but natural that
weak ones should find positions Of trust and then
go wrong. But we have still another class-men
who usually work from the lowest positions In
Office to the highest men who have been
known for years to be honest the day is long.
Suddenly we receive complaints Of losses. or Of
discrepancies. and then it becomes necessary to
apply the test In great many instances,
however. we find the trouble to be in quarters
different than expected but frequently the facts
show that another name passes to tho page Of
dishonor. prison. and ruin. When q thief once
begins operations on the mails the element of
chance is too great to resist, and 1t is that one
fact which leads to his ultimate discovery. This
is the hardest and most trying part OF an Inspect
or's duty. for frequently it happens that he Is
called upon to test man whom he has known
for years to be all that an honest man can be;
yet, withal, duty is plain. If harsh. and nothing
but duty remains to the Inspectors choice.
"These cases arc very distressing. and the
desperation which actuates some of the prncl
pals when discovered is truly lamentable and
pitiable in the extreme. have received reports
Of some men attempting suicide, OF others who
In several cases Postmasters have killed them
selves outright upon tho discovery OF some
crookedness, and | now recall instance
wherein Postmaster killed himself in most
brutal manner by using butcher knife. These
are only the cXtre mes, however, and as rule
discovery. During March and April we ar
rested thirteen Postmasters, six Assistant Post
masters, six Post Office clerks, three Letter
Carriers. six Hallway Postal clerks. one Mail
Carrier and two employees of other classes
But criminal offences in this services are not
is proved by tho fact that we had to arrest ls8
members of the general public because their
acts were not In accord with the laws governing
tho use Of the postal system. The average citi-
zen perhaps. Is not aware Of the restrictions
placed upon the use to which the mails can be
somebody who has. in tit OF spite or anger,
written something Objectionable to the law on n
postal card or envelope. This class also in
cludes lotteries schemes to defraud, &c.