The sun., 1901-06-23
FRAUDS WORKED BY NAIL.
SOME or THE harm DONE Df THE
PRIVATE LETTER BOx.
nost Of the Correspondents so Condueted IL
nl-sitir,ste. SAYS Post once Inspector
-swindIcs. Exposed Cases Of BiArkma"
-w,meu Patrons Of Private Letter Boxes.


n,,lo success. A great deal has been ac-
compiished and many offenders have been
exposed ard punished. but under present
conditions the Postal officials have not
Tho authority that would make II possible
FOR them to stop the evil completed.
Postal officials may require the idcnti-
nco,ion of any person to whom letters are
addressed and this rule. when enforced
causes mighty fu,tering In prNate
latter box establishment. But there the
D.nortments authority stops. The os-
tablishment Of private letter box concern
"a not a violation OF United Stntcs laws
and though probably 90 per cent. OF the
boxes arc used for illicit purposes. II wouin
be difficult 10 prove that fact
Occasionally an exposure of private
letter box methods In connection WIN
.one notable criminal case stirs up wave
-, nublic sentiment against the evi'. nut
the wave, like most Of lis kind. quickly SUD
aides. After the Nlolineux trial there was
much .ak Of a law making 1t crime 70
p,nintain or patroni1e private letter pox
..,ab,ishnent A hill to this effect was
Introduced. hut was not passed, and now
tho interest in the matter hns subsidized
There nre $50 OF the establishments
runninc in New York. and s.28o private
boxes are rented. ~ is estimated that
pbou 500 letters are received daily by
,bese box holders The inspectors know
that n vast majority Of these letters con-
Germ nlegitimate business, but It Is hard
20 establish that fact, or oven 10 discover
the identity Of the box holders
The man In charge OF the onCe naturaily
pro,ects his patrons and a common way
ri efrecting this is the forward order. The
insncctor calls at the office and demands
information about a certain man VINO II
known 10 receive mail through me ONCE.
The manager knows nothing about the man
Tho man has not to the managers knoWi-
edge called within two or three weeks.
II any letters have come for him, matter
about which the manager Is most dubious,
thev must have been forwarded TO the
address mentioned on a forward card
which the man in question lett before
going out OF town. ,,,
shown. IL directs the manager 70 Forward
ali mail for box Y TO a certain Washington
address The manager washes his hands
of responsibility. The inspector knows
the order is fake. but what can he do'
The man wanted has, of course, not lett
town. but the forward order Is kept for
emergencies, and the only way TO get the
man l. 10 wat ch the Office until he calls for
mail which he probably will not do,
thanks to a tip from the manager
Professional crooks seldom take ad-
vantage of the private letter box, Al
least that il true of crooks who go in for
heavy work. though blaCkmailers, petty
confd ,nce men, &C, find letter box shell
ter convenient The professional criminal
hq, wholesome distaste fol, black and
whit records and dislikes the paternal
slp,:vsion Of the postal department.
Moreover. he knows that the average man
who keeps a private letter box establish
ment is for sale and fairly sure to split on
a patron, if il is made worth while.
There was time WHEN he green goods
men made use Of private boxes. but me
gangs are far too clever Tor mat now, and
conduct all their correspondence 10y cipher
telegram
Confidence games. blackmail. bogus com
mercial firm business, racing tips and clan
destine correspondence between men anC
women furnish most Of the cause for The
private letter box system. OcCasionaly
there is a reputable person who finds II a
convenience TO have private letter box
for perfectly legitimate purposes. Trav'
cling men. i'm particular, often get theiI
mail in this fashion. A travelling man
may not have a residence or business house
in the city, yet Is often here ana receives
held at the general delivery he is oblgec
10 90 down TO the main Post Office TO get il
and that is a nuis ince. So he hires letter
box i'm whatever loc ltion is most convenient
FOR him and calls there Tor hs mail
The few cases Of this sort do not COM
ponsate for the evil side of the business
generally. according. 10 the postal officials
and even this excuse for the existence
OF the private box might be removed by
the establishment of general delivery
departments in the branch post offices
Thi, thing has been done both in Bostor
and in ST Louis. and. in course OF time
New York will probably follow suit. After
that the private letter box system will not
have a leg To stand upon and will lose it'
few respectable" patrons.
One of the most ambitious swindle'
carried on within recent years througl
the assistance of a private letter box wa
run to earth by the inspectors. and The
two suavc and clever promoters are i'm
nlorlaliled in the Rogies Gallery. ThcS'
two men rented a private letter box anC
then. adopting the name Of a well-knowr
wholesale firm, sent out host OF letter.
asking for quotations on goods IN thei
line When the replies came IN, the bogu'
firm placed big orders all over the country
Ih. firms 20 which the orders were sen
looked ND tic names Of the customers
found them quoted a. solid and trust
worthy and shipped the goods. Tho order
l1t Dfpn sent on NOCU n INll" r'llf'lul
ihatal, the goods whether from San Fran
CISCO or Philadelphia, would reach Nov
York al about the same date When IN
b.ll, of llding We're received by the swim
dlcrs they hurried to the freight offices
took out the goods, rushed them to auctio
rooms sold them and pocketed the pro
Gee t. The creditors. not receiving pune
tu1l plvmcnr. looked the matter mp, bu
found no trace OF the swnilers save a
eDply private letter box.
Auoh her dcl. OF the same kind was workr
recently in tae name OF one OF the large fur
nituYc h"nS in New York. AMI Quantitie
cf funniturc AMI parts of furniture wsr
auc'ipnct OF before it was exposed
Murh Of the ll."gii!matc brokerage busl
ness i carried on through the .privat
letter boxes, and the postal authorize
are constantly being called upon for Eel
BY country ~pcCulatorS who have bee
taken in This class Of fraud has bee
especially common since the era of findr
ciol PROSPERITY began. Farmer, and res
don't, ui ,ml!l towns have money 10 invC>
an hear Of the blg fortunes lhlt are bein
raaIr by speculation. The lruS er,' Cll
cl!lr, come their way and appeal 10 the
imlginltIons The broker refers for II
dpr,tnont 20 "a reputable banking firm
which j. probably only the broker hlmse
w - an pthrr namc.
lh' htvsn'i phnG"s and the hrpk,
begins cG.lia2 fCr mon'y for margins. Ara
Ia E., avucr/Cd ont all that he thinks Wi
b. uhrlifupir he announces to his CI
tum,r tr1t hr las failed without a,sn
unl IS g0rr.s L. tnI'aSo or Denver or -uir
nlh.y town Perhaps the victim hurrr
I, New York. lie tnd> private letter ho
o .t.Y. 4. tt,f f", l. .NI La On,