The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-03
BOX AGAINST WALL
CIV POsTOFFICE INSPECTORS
WATCH EMPLOYEES.
SECRET ROOM REVEALED.
81, THE WHITFIELD BUILDING, ON
WHITAKER STREET.

.n,nd the wall, Up Against the
cofIiug, a BOX Large Enough TO
,,oId a Man Was Found by Work.
...e,--PecphOIes in the Box and
,r,,rough the Walls Commanded a
,-,,v of the Clerks of the Omce
-. Their WOrk-En trance Through
n-t,,te Oaice of POstmaster-Such
socret Places Form Part of Depart
..,ept's Elaborate System to
Abolish Fraud.
r-ocle sam, in the Postofflce Depart
-. at least, takes a more than avun-
,o- interest in the welfare and actions
-. n,s employees. Every little while some
~, Indication Of this regard Is brought
uebt from a source to which the OBJ
4 &c of it have never or scarcely thought
to look.
I'm to the time of completion Of the
rer, government building, the Whitfield
| n,ildng at State, President and Whita-
/ ,.r streets, was used as the Savannah
postoffce. In the course of some reno
/ ,.,+ions and repairs that were in progress
| a few DAYS ago an indication of the way
1 d, which the department watches those IN
4 DC service was discovered.
Rebind the partition of the large room
/ m which the greater portion of the clerks
and other employees of the Postoffice, es-
III ,ooiaIlv those who handled money and
|lotber valuable, worked. and close up
| AGAINST the ceiling, a box, large enough
4 Ia hold a man comfortably, was found.
I There we're peepholes in the walls of the
Nom behind which the box was located,
,lrough which a perfectly satisfactory
lw of the clerks could be obtained.
Entrance to the box was through trap
IN the Office of the postmaster, which was
/ on the second floor of the building.
This was the pleasant little device ar
ranged by the department for the use OF
the INSPECTORS These gentlemen make
nariodical inspections of all the poStof-
4 fees in their several divisions, and their
&hspection is of men, as well as of meas
A rres. The system of checks and counter
checks pursued throughout the entire
country is a perfect one, so far as the de-
partment is concerned; supervision is I'M
n easing and eternal vigilance well under
N stood to be the price of safety. In view
d the complicated and mammoth BUSH
ness the department transacts, any other
view of the matter would be the very
"A pothesis of absurdity. The department
recognizes that human nature is weak
"a and fallible and that there is a black
sheep in almost every large flock.
4 The postoffice inspectors are a some
a What numerous body and they do valua-
BE work for the department in very many
FL lines They are detectives as well as
81 accountants and they cause the arrest
n Of those who commit crimes that relate
81 to the transportation and control of the
"a mails as well as audit the books and in
IS vestgate the general conduct of the CT
fees They are given a free hand in all
The Dostoffices and they go and come with
freedom that is modified only by the
mandates of their immediate superiors in
their division of the department
In every postoffice of any size In the
country there are conveniences by means
Of which an inspector, himself concealed,
may watch the clerks and other employees
Of the office, while they are engaged in
their daily Vocations. In some of the Of
fees the appliance is as simple as that
discovered in the old Whitfield building;
others they are of exceedingly ngen-
bgs and complicated construction. Pass
ages from some other room in the build
hg follow devious windings through the
mms of the postofice clerks, and the
tsDectors are permitted to watch what
a going on from many unexpected posi-
tins
The Inspector takes up his position in
Ii concealed ssageway, or closet,
shout the knowledge of any other than
be postmaster himself. He goes away
Inn the building and the city to make
b report, through his immediate super
he, TO the postmaster general. The
tTks never know what is going on and
@ postmaster is rarely told what has
hn discovered.
Of course, when everything in a post
nee is going a.ong smoothly and there
las been no unexplained disappearance
letters containing funds or other val
Abes, the use made by the inspectors
the hidden passageway is more or less
usual and occasional. If reports of let
gs mailed and never received begin to
Nme in, the passageway, in connection
Win other agencies of detection, Is put
immediate and almost constant use.
Tie man who is suspected is subjected to
surveillance that never permits him to
e lost sight of for a single moment.
letters containing marked coins or cur
fncy are sent through the mails and
NE suspected clerk is given an opportu-
NY to handle them. While he is engaged
this, viet.ant eye watches his every
Movement. Should he chance to open a
eter and abstract the contents the
reliability is that he will be arrested on
ne next corner.
In way, of course. all this is known
the men whom the system of eurveil-
@nce principally affects, but they do not
cover when and where the inspector
at work They do not know just how
being w ND . hn vpho
as acquired the habit keeps It up. until
detection arrest, disgrace and pun
nment follow in due and regular Sc
Hence