Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-08-19

SOME SECRETS OF THE ENGLISH GEN.
ERAL POSTOFFICE.

1t Is a somewhat remarkable fact
that the general public of England
knows very little concerning the secret
service OF the general postoffice, al
though the service is probably the most
complete of its kind in the whole world
| 10 the outsider the secret service is
known as the postal secret inquiry
branch, and not one in hundred Of
those in the employ of the pcstof1ice
knows the exact workings of the secret
service, as the department has the dis
tinction of being in the charge of GER
tain permanent officials under the di-
rection of the home secretary and the
prime minister for the time being.
Once, and once only, in recent years
has mipTster of the government allow
ed himself to be drawn into making a
statement which admitted that the Sc
crets of the postoffice were used for po-
litical purposes.
Such an admission was made in the
days of the first dynamite scare, when
an Irish member made general charge
against the government of tampering
with the correspondence of certain Irish
men. Lord John Manners. in reply,
evaded the question in an ambiguous
manner, hut indiscreetly called atten-
ton to a clause in the postoffice act
which empowers the postal authorities
to open and even confscate any letter
Or package which they might reasona-
bly, suspect covered some infringement
of the rules of the department..
The secret service is divided into two
distinct branches, the higher and the
lower, and the duties of the latter are
brought to the notice Of the public very
frequently, as it has to do with the pros
ecution of dishonest men in the en-
ploy of the postoftice. The great bulk Of
the robberies committed inside the
walls of the postoffice is attempted by
the younger hands and it is for that
reason that every newcomer is OCCASION
ally subjected to keen watching from a
quarter that he least suspects
Quite unknown to him, he is kept I'M
der the observation of keen eyed
watcher who is securely hidden from
touch of the sorter, messenger or what
ever the employee may be. Every move
ment is noted and analysed, and it
would take very expert man to Try on
any undetermined game and escape de-
lection.
On the continent the correspondence
OF private individuals is liable to the
scrutiny Of the police or other govern
ment agents, and no secret is made of
the fact; but, on the other hand. our
officials write indignant letters of de-
NAL and reputation, while all the time
they are perfecting the fine art of open
ing letters without leaving any traces
Of the operation.
Like most clever arts, that Of opening
a letter without causing suspicion is
simplicity itself. A glance at the quail
ity of the stationery decides the opera
tor on the means to be adopted. Some
kinds of paper will bear the steaming
process without leaving any traces, and
in that event the operation is very
simple The contents having been OK
amined aud, if necessary, copied, they
are restored to their envelope, which is
regumined, the flap FURNISHED with a
bone instrument.
Contrary to general belief, the sealed
envelope presents no difficulty to the eX-
pert. A piece of new bread, kneaded in
to firm ball, is pressed on the seal and
the facsimile is obtained. Various other
methods have been attempted in taking
the design of seals, but the enc we have
quoted has been declared to be far away
the best for the purpose, the bread be-
ing clean and less liable to leave any
trace Of tampering behind. This dough
has been modelled, and when the con-
tents of the letter have been obtained
the envelope is closed and resealed with
the dough mold.
When it is deemed unsafe to moisten
an envelope, it is cut open The opera
ton is delicate one and to any but
an expert very difficult to perform prop
erly. One end of the envelope is held
firmly between two fiat pieces-of wood,
the edge of the paper projecting about
the twentieth part of an inch. The eX-
pert passes the back of his knife rapidly
over the end, roughenlng and hattening
it, while an equally quick pass with The
razorllke edge cuts the envelope open
When the contents afe replaced the
edges of the envelope are stuck together
with hairine of powerful gum, sub
mtted to pressure for few minutes,
and no one not in the secret would
guess what had been done
So long as the flap and seal appear
intact the receiver is invariably salts
fed. Now and then suspicious CORE
spondents place sand, powder hairs or
other minute objects inside the envelope
by way of test. but this does not trou
BILE the expert little bit. He is on the
lookout for that kind Of dodge, SO is
careful to open the envelope over a
large sheet 81 pure white paper. When
these "tests fall out they are careful
ly collected and restored.
The officials in the detective depart
ment can tell some funny stories of
their own aa.uteness. When the charge
of ta1npering was made by the Irish
members, one of the Moderate party de-
Tended the government and declared
that he had satisfied himself by series
of infallble tests that his correspond
ence was inviolate. He was blissfully
ignorant of the fact, however, that he
never received letter that was not
previously overhauled by the authori-
ties London Letter