Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-15
Decoys For Mail Thieves

There have been several arrests and con-
victions of postal employees recently for
mail depredations, and in discussing these
instances a postoffice inspector at WASH
ington said:
Although we use the same old bait IN
catching postal offenders and the novice
ct the business and the old hands know
what II is as we'll as we, they keep on just
the same until the time-worn. but deadly
certain. 'decoy letter lands them high and
dry in the penitentiary, to wonder and la
ment at their leisure why they were so
weak and foolish to bite at 1t.
1.-The 'decoy letter is such a simple thing
that the average citizen may wonder at its
effectiveness, or why the thief doesn't sue
coed in lodging it. It is the greatest silent
thief catcher in use by men who make II
their business TO apprehend their dishonest
fellows, will always remain so and doesn't
need improving to insure its stability in the
criminal world.
There is an angle OF delusion in matters
criminal as In honest affairs, and the postal
thiefs slant is that he thinks he will not
be discovered: at the same time he knows
perfectly well that complaints OF missing
letters containing valuables are invariably
made TO the department, and that the de-
partment's machinery for the investigation
Is practically perfect, based upon years of
experience.
1.-THE postal thief. emboldened by initial
success and elated by the pleasant novelty
OF having in his pockets ready and easy
money for which he did not have 10 work,
goes along merrily until the innocent APP
pearing 'decoy letter is silently slipped in
the mails, to finds its way to his hands as
surely as does the fish torpedo the steel
magnet Of the battleship's sides.
DO they try to dodge the missve Of dan
ger? Oh, yes, they do try The explosion
does not necessarily follow the launching OF
the first letter II a postal thief is suspi-
cious Of a letter he will let II go through,
even though he is morally certain that Il
contains the coveted cash he is after In
these cases the 'decoy' continues its part Of
the silent detective just the same II the
dishonest employe allows II to slip by Il
tens the inspectors at the other end OF the
line, In its mute way. that the employe Is
on They just send another. and sim
others, IL necessary. until the inevitably
certain one lands in the pocket OF the THEW
ing employe. then to change its role OF de-
tective to documentary evidence which
winds up the career OF the victim Of his
own cupidity.
THE 'deooy letter contains all the out
ward and inward. for that matter, appear
ance Of an ordinary piece OF mail intended
for the addressee, who may be some private
citizen or business house whose mail Is be-
Ing tempered with. That's how We get 'en;
they can't tell the difference, It being a
case OF all look alike to me- Only postal
thief Is naturally cautious. and doubly 90
II he thinks he is being watched. But they
don't all look alike TO the postofioe in
speetor in charge Of the case. Their pri-
waite earmaTks as as big as a house 10 the
inspectors, and when they are shown IN in
court, one by one. I guess that they Iook
about twice as large to the thief on trial"
washington Star.