Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-05-18
OPENING LETTERS.
some SECRETS OF THE ENGLISH GEN
ERAL POSTOFFlCE.

| Methods by Which the Officials BE-
4 come Acquainted With the Con-
| tents of Suspected Comm unications.
| Private Tests Which Fail.
| 1t is somewhat remarkable fact
shat 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.
To the outsider the secret service is
known as the postal secret inquiry
| branch, and not one in a hundred of
those in the employ of the pcstoffice
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 a minister of the government allow
| ed himself to be drawn into making a
| statement which admitted that the Sc
crets of the pcstoffice were used for po-
| litical purposes
| Such an admission was made in the
days of the first dynamite scare. when
4
| against the government of tampering
| with the correspondence of certain Irish
men. Lord John Manners, in reply,
evaded the question in an ambiguous
manner, but indiscreetly called atten-
| ton to a clause in the postoffice act
| which empowers the postal authorities
to open and even confiscate 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 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 postofice. 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
quarter that he least suspects
Quite unknown to him, he is kept IN
| der the observation of keen eyed
| watcher, who is securely hidden from
view in q secret alcove, almost within
touch of the sorter, messenger or what
ever the employee may be. Every move
ment is noted and analysed, and it
would take A 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 CT 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. II
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 ex-
amined, and, if necessary. copied, they
are restored to their envelope, which is
regummed the flap FURNISHED with Il
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 CT 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