Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-12
ROGUJES' POST OFFICES
Ingenious Arrangements of Crimin-
 a1s to Give Warning.
Secret-Service Officers Uncover Some Singular Systems of Conveying
 Intelligence Among CrA0kxS.

So elaborate and ingenious as to ap- pear almost incredible are the methods by which professional criminals com municate with their accomplices, says the New York Times. Nobody knows better than the rogues themselves that by sending their messages through the ordinary channels they place both their liberty and their plans in jeopardy. But it is so important that they commu- bicate with one another swiftly and secretly, to elaborate some scheme of rascality or to give warning of danger from the authorities, that the clever criminals set up peculiar post offices, that are distinctly their own.
 The United States secret service agents and the United States postal i'm spectors run across a large number of varied systems of this kind. From the stories they tell of post offices they have discovered, it appears that noth- ing is too audacious for men playing a game, the loss of which means for them a term in stripes behind the bars.
 Out in Iowa a few months ago." said a secret-service man, who was trans ferred recently to the New York office, myself and four of my associates were detailed on baff1ing case of counter feiting. The state had been flooded with spurious coins, and some less cEev- erfy made bank notes, and later it ap- peared that the same stuff was going into all parts of the country. We couldn't locate the plant, and it was evident that the work of manufacture and distribu- tion was being directed by master mind that was wise enough never to go near the plant
 There was suspicious newcomer in small town on the Mississippi river, who attracted our attention. He was man of some education, and very re- served. He lived in fine style in one of the best houses in the place. We watched him for nearly month. There was nothing to give any force to our suspicion, but we kept him under eye. He never got a letter at the town post office that he was not willing that any one should see. In fact, he very fre- quently read them on his way home, and then threw them carelesSly intot street They were innocent-appearin notes all of them, containing not cIeW.
 Every morning at about seven o'clock a young milkman went to the mans house and left quart of milk The milkman was newcomer, too. He had arrived about week before the other fellow, and had bought out a small dairy with money which he said had been left him by his father upon his death A stout cook at the fine strangers kitchen always took the can of milk and handed the young mi1kman the can that had been left the day previous.
 These cans, as we learned afterward, had false bottoms, in which letters were placed to and from the fine ap- bearing newcomer The letters were from the men who were operating the plant (which we subsequently uncov- cred in town 80 miles away) and from agents in various cities who were @shov- ing the queer These,answers were the master minds instructions The milk man and the cook were faithful accom- plices. The miEkman had been set up in business there for the sole purpose of delivering the correspondence that di- rected the whole works"