The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-06-21
Decoys For
Mai Thieves
Letters Mailed, by INSPECTORS srina.
The3 Best Results

! EHsEE
From the Washington Star
There have been several arresss
and convictions of local postal en-
! ployes recently for mail depreda-
lions. and in discussing these In
stances a postoftce inspector said:
Although we use the same old
bait in catching postal Offenders. and
the novice at the business and b
old hand know what it IS as well as
we. they keep on just he same until
the time-worn but deadly certain de
coy letter lands them high and dry
in the penitentiary. to wonder and
lament at their leisure Why they were
so weak and foolish to bite at 1t.
"The .decoy letter is such a sim
| pie thing that the average citizen
may wonder at its effectiveness. or
why the thief doesn't succeed in
lodging Il. It is the Sreatest silent
thief-catcher in use by men VINO
make it their business to a2?reheod
their dishonest fellows. will always
remain so. and doesC'c need ,mprov-
ing to insure its sta biIity in the Grim
inal world.
There is an angle of celusioa in
matters criminal as il honest affairs.
and the postal thiefs slant is that
he thinks he will not be discovered:
at the same time he knows perfectly
well than complaints of missing let
tiers containing vaIuabieS are ;nvari-
ably made to the department. and
.b,, +h@ Jap,rtrart 80 nacf,jrerr for
the investigation is practically per
feet. based upon years of experience
The postal thief. eClhol,lened by
initial and slated by che
| pleasant novelty of having in his
! pockets ready and easy MoneE for
which he did not have TO work. goes
| along merrily until the i~nrocent-ap-
| pearinS~-decoy letter is silently slip
ned in the mails. to fc.3 :tS way TO
! his hands as surely Is does the fish
torpedo the steel magnet OF the ba.-
tleship's sides.
DO they try to dodge this missi*e
Of danger? Oh. yes. tney do t-E-
The explosion does no. necessarily
follow the launching ot the first let
lcT. IL d poSLdl
of a letter he will Lee il go through.
even though be is morally certain
that it contains the coveted cash he
is after In these cases the q g cy
continues its part of tie silent de-
tective just the same II the lisbon
est employees allow il to slip by IL
tells the inspectors a. the other end
IS ~ IT, ~ &c -,y%o % that f1,a
employee is on: they just send AZ
other. and still others. if necessary.
until the inevitably certain one lands
in the pocket Of the .aieving en-
ploye. then to change It's role OF de-
tective to documentary evidence
which winds up the career Of the
victim of his own cupidity-
"The, .decoy letter contains all the
outward and inward. FOR that matter
appearance of an ordinary piece o.
mail intended for the ajdressee. who
may be some private citizen Of bus
mess house whose mall is being tam
pered with. That's how We get en-:
they can't tell the difference, it be-
ing a case of tall looking alike to me
Only a postal thief is psturally eau
tious. and doubly SO If ne thinks. he
is being watched. But they don't al!
look alike TO the posto9ce Inspector
in charge of the case TER priva+=
earmarkS are as big as q nous to the
inspectors. and when they are shown
up in court. one by one. guess that
they look about twice as large to the |
thief on trial"