Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1898-02-26
THE POSTAL THIEF.
BY CHARLES b. LEWIS.

AS pOstOHlce inspector dlu not near
of the doings at Shelby until two or
three of my fellow inspectors had tried
their hands and made failure of it.
Then [ took the case and failed most ig-
ANONYMOUSLY of all because Iadded blum
der to failure.
The postmaster 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 12 years when the
complaints came in. The postoffice was
an L. of his residence, with front add
ed. The inspectors who preceded me
had looked the ground over and left the
case a mystery. Every body said that
Harper was honesty itself, and the idea
that the girls would tamper with the
mails was not to be entertained.
The mail carrier was the first man to
see to. | arrived on the ground without
my identity being revealed and watched
him for two weeks. There was oppor-
tunity during his eight mile drive to
open the bags with duplicate key, but
| watched without result, except to be
satisfied Of his honesty. Then l made
myself known to the postmaster and re-
Celved a warm welcome. He was very
much distressed about the thefts and to
the best Of bis knowledge and Eelief all
had taken place in his office. There
were Cnly aEcut 20 persons who rented
boxes, and all other mail was put into
the general delivery. AS the father and
his two daughters We're 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
yet l could not bring myself to believe
that. | was given the fullest opportu-
nifty to investigate, and | also did some
work outside unbeknown to the post
master.
| caused to be mailed to the patent
medicine people a large number of let
tiers, with private number on each en-
velope. The first batch of ten came
through all right, but out of the second
two We're missing. The whole ten had
left Denton i'll the mail bag, as | well
knew, and the two had either been TAX
en- en- route by the carrier or by some
one after their arrival at Shelby. AS
the carrier had brought over two pas
sengers i'll his cart that trip he might be
considered out Of it. The mail had ar
rived at Shelby at o'clock and been
called for an hour later. Next day a
batch of six letters came through all
right, and so on the next, and on the
third ten were received. l helped to dis
tribute the mail and counted three let
ters and recorded the number. Father
and daughter all knew this and yet at
5 o'clock three of these letters, together
with two fol a certain merchant, which
l had particularly noticed, We're missing
and could not be found
That evening, after the office closed,
we turned it upside down, as it were,
but nothing came of it. The old post
master was i'll the deepest despair,
while his two daughters wept and Sob
bed over what they believed would be
the ruin of all. As an inspector, and
with such evidence before my eyes, it
was my business to believe one of the
three guilty, and yet l had to reason
that they wouldn't be idiotic enough
to purloin letters under my very nose.
simply didn't know what to think, and
next morning was knocked off my feet
to receive Il complaint from Washing
ton that three important letters posted
at Shelby ten days before for a city only
100 miles away had been lost en- route.
l telegraphed for enlarged instructions,
and upon receiving them l told Mr..
Harper must let 90 of the case tempo
rarily for another. | shifted my quar-
ters over to Denton, through which all
mail to and from Shelby must pass, and
made such arrangements with the post
master that every letter was counted
and its address taken. Imailed about 30
decoy letters i'll this time and at the
end Of IA days had the satisfaction of
knowing that / different letters had
somehow Or other been made away with
at Shelly. This was adding evidence to
evidence, but did not return to Shelby
to lay the matter before the old post
master.
went back there in the disguise of "a
farmers hired man looking for work,
and luckily for me no farmer wanted IL
Ai'ui' tiitlclOI0 lOdltu dDuuU tll6 VII
lase and was ill and out of the postoffice
half dozen times per day-always
there when the mail departed or came
ill., By looking through the glass door
OF one of the boxes | could see the gen
eral delivery box, mail tables, ETC., and
carefully scrutiniZed the conduct of the
three as they did their work. | kept up
this espionage for Il week before any
thing happened. Then the mail came in
one afternoon while the father was tenn
porarily absent, and the girls opened the
bag and assorted it. AS they picked up
the letters each pOcketed one with sly
look, and you may believe me when l
tell you l turned away with heavy
heart Instead of one thief there were
two, and those the handsome and win
some daughters of an honest and upright
old man. 1t would break his heart when
he learned the truth, but | must tell him,
and those girls must be punished.
| went to the hotel, threw off my dis
guise and then returned to the postoffice.
l somehow felt that the girls ought to
look guilty, but they did not. They
gave me cordial greeting, hoped had
come back to stay until the mystery was
thoroughly sifted, and no persons could
have borne themselves more imocently.