The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-08
USE OF }DECOY LETTERS.
No Better Means Known IS,
Catching the Mail Thief. sSssl

@ There have been several arrests and y
convictions OF local postal emplo ayes res
Gently for mali depredations. and, IN disc
cusslng these Instances. q postotfi IN, n.
spector snld sSs,
ALTHOUGH we use the some old BALI \
In catching postal offenders, and 4 the n.
novice at the, business and the old hand /.
know what It ID as well as we theyls
keep on Just the same until the time
worn, but deadly certain. ,decoy Letter
lands them hi gil and dry In the peri--sS /
ste1itlary, to wonder and lament at theirs
fleasure why they we're II 30 veal ~ and
foolish to bite at 81 IN sasg
8 ..The 'decoy letter Is such ~ slmpls 4
thing that the average citizen may Won
der at its effectiven esH, or W nv me timex
ldoesn, succeed In al lying IT. It rs the
greatest silent thief tchera In 4 use Dy
men who make It their business g Z. t ap:-:
prehend their dishonest Eel al.S
ways remain So, and doesn't nee nee 9 ms ~
proving to insure sta OtAlt
criminal NV asld. $ssi sf8ss} 4; s5 as
if4 l,'There IS m angle OF delusion in Snat.s
#ters criminal, as lin honest g fairs. and
& Inc postal sthief,s slant Is that he thinks
he Will not be disco vered |; at the same
time he knows peril tly vel that cons e,
plants o e missing let ters containing Val
8uables are invariably mad TO he y de.''iss
5nartment 6 and that the department. MS n,
4chinery for the 5inves tiga ton fiss pradtty
cally perfect, based upon! years OF 4 exs
5perienoe. 1. . u Il, b. w
successes and II elatcd BY \ the pleasant
novelty Of having In his pockets q ead rl!,
ana easy money for hich ne dtd n =,
have 4 to work, goes along merrtly v until
ina innocer,t {. appearing .decoy letter..tsisl
silently slipped IN the mails N to Ind -
/ wayl3 70 his hands as surel " as y does the
4 tlsh torpedo the steel snet n
tbattleshlp 8 81 es. " a,
ts"Do;4 they try to dog hs: missi yeSsoss
danger oh, they DO 81 !, e %.
$ploslonR does not nece ssaril H1s{
iaunchtnE Of the first letter. II a postal
#thief III suspieious OF q letter he Will! let
MI 20 through even though lie morally
certain that 1t contains the coveted sca L
he ID after IN these cases he deco DEC"
rnn tinues itIs part Of the silent detective
lust the same. II the dishones en- n ploye as
allows 1t to slip by It tells the ms pee tors
at the other end OF the line In ~ mute
way that the emp ~. is \. on
4 aary. until the Inevitably certain III ono ne
land g in the pocket OF the TIL eYing ems
sploye. then to change its role Of deteo-
live to 'documentaryi eyt dence, Whioua
winds 3 the career Of the fvtctl orEsIltss
own cupidity. III s . U, .s3s
y 1.".The decoy letter cont aims all the out
ward. ana inward for that ma tter. ap-s
pearance Of an ordinary piece Of mails
Intended for the add reese s. a' no & may
/ be some private citizen or business house
whose mail is being q tempered with
That's how we get EN- they can tell I
the difference, It being 4 case q 'all l
looking alike to me. Only Q poatapll thies
is naturally cautious, b and doubly So Y
he thinks he is watched But they don
ali look alike to the Post-of flee In spec
tor In charge OF the heir priY!ateg
earmnrks are as big as a house to the /
INSPECTORS. and when they are al own Up 4
in court. one by one. ! guess that hey A
look about twice as large to the thief !,
on trial .n--WashIngton S tar.