The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-11
Will co HARD WITH DOE
Tempered With Mail in the
Butte Postoface.
HE MADE A. CONFESSION
Has Been Under Suspicion for Some
Time-It Is Not Known How Many
He Has Opened--A Mass OF
Them Found in His Room.

A sensation of no small dimensions
was sprung last evening when Hans
Z. Doe, one of the most widely known
employees of the Butte postoffice. was
arrested for tampeIfng With the United
states mails. The postal authorities
are said to have very strong case
against him. In fact. he has confessed
to having opened one letter, and it is
not unlikely the case will go very hard
with him.
1T Is not known exactly how long
Boe's Illicit transactions have been 60
ing on. but they are believed to have
extended over a period ofSat least six
months. For that period Postmaster
Irwin and Assistant Postmaster F'layin
have been aware that irregular tran
sactions We're being carried on, but 1t
was long time beforesrthey had so
much as suspicion as to who was re-
sponsible for them. Postmaster Irwin
was determined to ferret out the mys-
Terry, and called on Postoffice Inspector
j. ID. Wood to assist him. The irregu-
larities consisted of the opening of let
tiers, it was supposed for the purpose
or extracting money sent without reg
lsterlng. Every now and then it would
come to the notice of Postmaster Irwin
ana his assistant, Mr.. Flavin. that
letter had been opened, but watchful
as they We're, they We're unable to de-
tect who was doing the tampering. AS
time went on, the party responsible
grew holder and instances of letters be-
ing opened grew more frequent. With
In the past few weeks letters mailed at
Anaconda to parties in Butte which
pass only through the hands Of two off
GERS, would go astray and never reach
their destination.
The poetoffice officials felt the mat
ter was coming to head and that they
would soon catch the perpetra,tor. A
couple of days ago a drop letter mailed
by w. A. Clark to a party in Butte
was opened. Doe was on duty alone at
night and a part of his duty as dis
trlbuting clerk was to place memoran-
DUN slips in pigeon hole for the in
formation of the carriers when they
came on DUTY in the morning. The open
ing OF this letter proved Boe's downfall.
by some mlschance Doe placed the let
Ter IN the pigeon hole with the slips to
the carriers It was discovered there
the next morning. 1t had been opened
ana resealed and the officials became
satisfied they knew the identity of he
party who was opening the letters, but
they decided to wait till they had more
evidence. Il came last evening" A let
came to the secretary of the local COM
mission, who is Assistant Postmaster
FlaVin. IN the early part of the even
ing Doe Was again alonei in the distri-
putlng department, and it was known
the letter came to the Office during that
time When Mr.. Flavin reached the
postoftce after dinner, he found the let
ter lying on his desk. AS he picked it
up he noticed a postal card stuck to it.
hn 1n,,n ~ IA
been. opened and sealed up again with
mucilage. Knowing the letter could
have passed through no ones hand but
Boe,s, Mr.. F'lavin sent for Inspector
Wood and Doe was called into Mr. r.
wins private office. When accused of
opening letters, he ait first stoutly de-
MED his guilt, but when confronted with
the evidence that no one else could
nave opened Mr.. Flavin's letter. he at
length confessed he opened that letter.
but still denied ever having opened any
others. He said he opened Mr. Flavin'ts
letter out of curiosity to know what
the civil service commission had to say.
Mr.. Flavin decided to have Doe ar
rested and sent for Special Officer
Charles Ray. When Officer Ray enter
ed Mr.. Twins office, Doe broke down
and cried like child. He was taken to
the city Jail and locked up.
Boe's method of opening a letter was
to roll penholder under
the flap, and it is said
he had the art down to a nicely.
In examining his desk the postoffice Off
Gals found big stack of his private
letters each one of which in being open
ed had had the flap rolled, indicating,
as is supposed, that he had adopted that
method for practice.
1t is not known to what extent Doe
has profited by his transactions. but if
he has been opening letters as long as
he is suspected of having done, and has
taken money from them. it must have
been considerable, as he had a bank
book in his possession, when searched
at the jail, showing be- deposited in
Hoge- Brownlee's bank ION January g.
s25; on the 5th, $50; on the; 18th, s199.57:
on the 9th, $96. and on February Z,
$75. As his salary was only $75. or
whereabouts. and he is not known to have
any other source of income, it is sup
psed he extracted the balance from the |
letters he opened
Late last evening Officer Ray and In
spector Wood went to Boe's lodgings |
in South Wyoming street. and in his |
room found a great heap of letters adj
dressed to people in Butte, which had |
been opened and never re-mailed A
bank book on the Silver Bow National |
bank in the name of Hans C. Doe, as
treasurer of Scandinavian society,
was also found which appeared to be
perfectly straight.
Doe has lived in Butte a good MANY
years, and up to a few years ago was
prominent as republican politician. A
little over three years ago he passed a |
civil service examination and was APP
pointed a mail carrier. Later he was |
made distributing clerk. He is we'll ed |
ucated and was looked upon in the office |
as very clever man.