The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-12-16
Postal Spies.

IL has always been denied by the French
police that under any circumstances is
''the sanctity OF private correspondence
violated" but everybody who has come.
in France, i'm contact with political move
ments or the criminal police, is well
aware Of the fact that the cabinet nolr.
or black cabinet, is as much today a part
OF government and police machinery as
1t was I'm the days Of Louis XIV, who IS
generally credited with it's invention.
The black cabinet, according to the
London Express, is an office in the Paris
prefecture OF police. where letters and
pneumatic cards Communicated from the
general postoffice are opened, read and
possibly photographed. and where tele-
grams are examined and translated If I'm
foreign languages or i'm cipher.
The employees OF this office have n com
plete outfit for dealing with letters. for
opening the letters or abstractng the
contents and for removing seals or repro
duCine them.
When the envelope is so closely pasted
as TO render the simple method of steam
ing To open too dilatory. various methods
OF getting AT the inclusures are practised
Sometimes one side t. opened with N
very sharp knife. the separate covers be-
Ing afterward skillfully gummed together
when the letter has been read When a
blBck-edged envelope has been used this
tampering can be most effectively con-
cealed 10y The use Of a little ink
Sometimes an implement resembling a
brad-awi Is inserted at one corner Of the
envelope and twisted around so dexter
ously that the contents can be drawn
out In the shape OF q spiral still
or the stamp is removed aud q slit cut
I'm the paper beneath, through which the
letter Is distracted, and after perusal,
returned
When the letter is ready for forward.
Ing the stamp is gummed down again into
it's place and hides all trace of the opera
Ton Seals are easily disposed or A very
thin sharp blade OF steel is heated and
passed under the WAX. removing il bodily.
As easily Is II aftcrward put back into it's
place.
All these tricks are the same as those
pfacticed by postoffiCe thieves
When Ia the course uf itS nanipuIatton
an envelope gets So disfeured that n
would be obvious 10 the receiver that N
mas been tampered with. 70 IL usually
suppressed. This happens often I'm tho
case OF missivcs whose scnders adont
colonel Picquarts method OF baffling the
cabinet noir
The only way have discovered 9"
OF rendering letter absolutely inviol.
able IS 10 use two envelopes. one smaller
that the other. You put the communIca.
ton into the smaller envelope smear this
All over with gum. and place n i'm tho
second envelope. ON which YOU write tn
address The black cabinet can not set
at the contents without entirely destroy
Ing the entire envelope"
However. iu such y case The chances
are y hundred 10 ono thai tho Letter
would never reach its destination.
criminals, couspirators and politicians.
Who suspect that their letters may be tam
pcrcd with ~ the cabinet noir often take
idvantagc of the circumstance To dune
he police. to throw them OF the scent
Major Esterhszy has more TO suffer
rom tho cabinet rolr than perhaps any
nan living and while the "srsire" was
20 its hciEht devised various schemes for
'rotectlne the numerous letters nc dis
rn,l. r9.sssd dslr from LONDON aePRilsdGlgPIa