The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-22
DISHONEST POSTAL CLERKS.
An Inspector Says They Are Sure to
BE Detected Some Time.
WASHINGTON Star.

Washington Star.
1T is because one man thinks himself a trife
run into dishonest channels" said an old post
office inspector l can account for the frequent
arrest in all parts Of the country OF employees
OF the postal service, especially clerks in post
offices and letter carriers, only upon this hy-
in his composition of dishonesty, because he
knows better than the public that once we get
them in Jail. And still they go on ali over the
land pilfering from letters believing themselves
safe; 1t must jar some Of them when they
tumble into the trap We set.
1T is a matter OF corresponding interest to
remember that, as these dishonest clerks well
know, the trap which places the manacles
around their wrists is the same old trap, like the
same old bear trap, reliable and certain to hold
tast once ~ Is sprung, only II catches their pill
fering hand instead OF their feet. 1t is the de-
coy letter which the postal thief quickly and
slyIy. picks up and secreteS about his person
or elsewhere, and once it is in his hand the
trap is sprung. the hand Of the inspector on the
case closes about his wrist, and he walks TO
the station house to ruminate how easily he
was caught once the inspector decided upon
the man OF the force who was the guilty among
the honest.
Now, since every postal employee in the
United States knows that once the officials are
suspicious OF theft along mis- route or postal
car run that the inspectors lay all sorts of traps
TO land him behind the bars, why will they
steal money letters with apprehension practically
inevltable? Because human nature is the same
In ali callings, and the postal employee is cast
In no different mold than the rest Of us: il is
only his environment: Yes, they know instant
money, as a bank teller can tell by the feeling
OF a bill before he looks at it that it is coun,
reason esie5 why we Gsh h for t them AND NTH that ats is the
letter, and land them, thus safeguarding the
public and the department from loss.
The decoy letter looks no different from anv
other letter, and IL feels just the same to the
dishonest hand Of the postal thief as any letter
containing money. We usually place from three
to five marked 81 bills in the enveiope' The
instant the fingers of the dishonest man strips
money. and he win steal it if he can. Because
OF his eagerness and Discrimination TO let any
latter urffh Tnnnnyv un" Nv hf-
catch him when we learn to a certainty the
route upon which letters are stolen.
Some employees are very foxy, and go a long
time before they are detected. They often try
TO place the guilt upon an innocent fellow-car-
and getting their mail from the distributing
tables. they handle the mail belonging to other
letters in the other fellows lot, and include them
In their own. TO be p~urlolned at leisure and
upon the innocent carrier, and he is placed under
secret surveillance. Decoy letters are mailed
and by other means 1t IS endeavored 10 fix the
guilt upon him. II our usual methods fail, we.
too. become suspicious that an innocent man
IS being worked, We drop him, and try to
locate the actual thief, and IL Is not long before
we have him in jail Sometimes two dishonest
employees VIII work together, but as a rule
postal thieves are Ike the lone highwayman
and prefer TO go II alone.
You see, the dishonest employee foolishlv be-
lieves that he can beat the game, and an arrest
in a large office has only a Temporary deterrent
effect upon the other secret thieves therein
low for a brief time, 5Ut not for long. II e. %
singular but true official fact that once a man
begins to steal money letters he seldom volun-
tarily stops. and We have had men confess that
they had been at this nefarious business for
years, and would have remained az II as long as
they were in the service but for their arrest
II is an easy way TO make money for the time
being 10 the clerk or carrier whose salary does
not meet his expenses. He becomes emboldened
by the confidence in his eleverness 10 secrete
the money letters, fOrgetful that with each re-
port OF theft the efforts Of the inspectors are
redoubled to entrap. him, and the closer are
drawn the meshes OF the net slowly but surely
being entwined around them. Very often the
guilty man Is positively known to the inspec-
tors for months before they can catch him red
handed. the thief in the meantime believing
himself undetected."