The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-01-28
THE POSTAL. THIEF.
DY CHARLES D. LEWIS.

| As "a postof1lce inspector did not hear
of tho doings at Shelby until two OF
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 added blum
der to failure.
| Tho 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 10 years when the
complaints came in. The postoffice was
an L Of his residence, with front add
ed. The inspectors who preceded me
had locked the ground over and left the
case mystery. Everybody 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 tho bags with duplicate key, hut
watched without result, except to DO
satisfied Of his honesty. Then l made
myself known to the postmaster and re-
oeived warm welcome. He was very
| much distressed about the thefts, and to
the best Of his knowledge and belief all
Z had taken place in his Office. There
+. were only about 20 persons who rented
. boxes, and oil other mail was put into
the general delivery. AS the father and
bis two daughters were the only ones
handling the mail or having access to
the interior of the office it seemed that
one Of tho three must be the thief, and
yet I 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 large number Of lot
tiers, with private number on each en-
velope. The first batch of ten came
through all right, but out of the second
two were missing. The whole ten had
left Denton in the mail bag, as l we'll
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 in his cart that trip he might be
considered out of it. The mail had ar.
rived at Shelby at 8 o'clock and been
called for an hour later. Next day
batch Of six letters came through all
right, and go on the next, and on the
third ten were received. I helped to dis
tribute tho mail and counted three let.
ters and recorded the number. Father
and daughter all knew this, and yet at
8 O'Clock three Of these letters, together
with two for a certain merchant, which
! had particularly noticed, were missing
and could not be found.
That evening, after the office closed,
we turned 1t upside down, as it were,
but nothing came Of 1t. The old post
master was in 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 idiotio enough
topurloin letters under my very nose.
simply didn't know what to think, and
next morning was knocked off my feet
to receive complaint from Washing
ton that three important letters posted
at Shelby ten days before for city only
100 miles away had been lost en- route.
I telegraphed for enlarged instructions,
and upon receiving them I told Mr..
Harper must let go 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 4,
made such arrangements with the post
master that every letter was counted
and its address taken. INHALED about 80 |
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 post
master.
went back there in the disguise Of
farmers hired man looking for work,
and luckily for me no farmer wanted q
man. l therefore loafed about the vii
|age and was in and out Of the postoffice
half dozen times per day-always
there when the mail departed or came
in. BY looking through the glass door
If one Of the boxes I could see the gen.
sral delivery box, mail tables, etc., and
carefully scrutinized the conduct Of the
;hree as they did their work. l kept up
his espionage for week before any
hing happened. Then the mail came in
me afternoon while the father was tenn
,orarily absent, and the girls opened the
Tag and assorted it. As they picked up
he letters each pocketed one with sly
ook, and yo7 may believe ME when
ell you I turned away with heavy
leart. Instead Of one thief there were
wo, and those the handsome and win
ONE daughters Of an honest and upright
lid man. It would break his heart when
le learned the truth, but must tell him,
nd those girls must be punished.
went to the hotel, threw of my dis
Mise and then returned to the postoffioe.
somehow felt that the girls ought to
ook guilty, but they did not. They
ave me cordial greeting, hoped had
ONE back to stay until the mystery YVES
sifted, and no persons could
ave borne themselves more innocently.
T. M. Wicr's. Fifth and King Streets,
the place. Dundee oats, large 2pound pack
&c, frst-class soods,7c. American groats,l large