The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-09-05

United States Postofice Inspector
Il. A. Allen went up against it good
and hard a few days ago. He had
an experience he Will not soon for
Get. Although a government ofic-
ial he was made to toe the mark,an
it was an unsophisticated mountain
farmer who brought him to time.
Mail Pouch tobacco tags frequent
~ oct people into trouble and re
oofelv figured in Inspector Aliens,
Int first In those of A. y. Mcein-
mis- farmer residing two miles east
&c Tunnelton. On the occasion AL
lon moi. his match, it was McGinnis
he had gone to see. The latter was
blIsily engaged on the mountain slae
harvesting his hay. State Senator
sam. b. Montgomery and Col. Al
Lon drove out from Tunnelton IN q
hunqv 10 where McGinnis lives and
found him on the mountain SIDE;
Inspector Allen diPloma1cally
explained to McGinnis that an act
of his had made him indebted TO
Uncle Sam to the stupendous
amount of ten dollars. That act
was the sending of written letter
to Bloch Brothers in package OF
tobacco tags. Written letters are
FIRST class matter, while tags are of
n lower class. and McGinnis paid the
lower class rate an dthus laid HIM
self amenable, with the penalty $40
as stated. All would have been well
had not the letter been detected
within. and then it was Mr.. Alien
was delegated to collect the fine.
That was his mission to McGlnnls
place. But McGinnis talked ssas-
sv'' and expressed himself in a man
ner that meant he would not pay
The inspector then told him it was
his duty to arrest him, if he did not
pav. and so on. At least McGinnis
not having the needful forthcoming
got time from Allen and gave his
sixty-ay dote.
All was well and Col Allen and
Senator Montgomery babe McGin-
mis- good-day with the hope that we
would get along nicely with his har-
vest. All was lovely, but the dove
of peace. soon took her flight, for the
genial inspector and state senator
were too much absorbed in a dis
cussion as to whether the note would
he paid cheerfully, or were too
ratified over their experience to
notice a Good-sized haystaclS, such
as are built on mountain sides, to
steer clear or it with their buggy
and over It toppled.
They thought little of this and
were about to proceed, when Nc
Ginnis called and beckoned them to
stop. They obeyed. 1t was not the
note or the fine he now talked about
but in stentorian tones such as are
characteristic of an irate noun
taineer he commanded Allen to re-
build that havstacl. The inspector
hesitated, but he soon realized it was
now his turn to pay the penalty. Tho
farmer even made him go two hum
bred yards to, barn to get fork
for the purpose. He went. And
| he put up that haystack. too.
MeGinnis chucBled and Mont
gomery laughed outright, and the
inspector worked like an old hand
! 1T the business. Tt may have at
| forded him pleasure, hpt the only
real pleasure he seemed to ct out of
II was his retore to the farmer, when
he got through stacking the hay,
that he had done that same thing
for sixteen years, but whether IN
spector Allen spoke truthfully about
himself in this particular IT is
dead sure thing he worked IN the
! harvest field that day the same as
Maud Muller the day the judge rode
by.