Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-11-06
WAR AGAINST CRIME
GOOD WORK DONE nv POSTAL
SERVICE.
Mighty Army Ever Engaged In serv.
ing and Protecting the Public
swindling Advertisements
Detected and Barred.

Just how much of its amazing de
selopment this vast country owen to
Its postal service would take volumes
to tell. A mighty machine Is this.
whose pulsing is felt In every home
and place OF business. however re-
mote, from Alaska to Florida. IL Is
served by a mighty army OF 319,S9S
employees, strategically disposed In
some 10000 Offices. which handled last
year 1851 .090.610 separate pieces of
mail.
II Is evident that to protect these
postal myriads, and to see that their
units are not used for fraudulent pur-
poses, Is the work of a Titan, who,
however looms unobtrusively as Post
master General George Won l.. Meyer.
Crimes OF all kinds connected with
the post office are published in jour
nal never seen by the ordinary public
the depreciation bulletin OF the serv-
Ice, which must be read by every sol
der OF the postal army under pain Of
fine. And, as you may suppose, the
work OF what / may call the secret
service of the post Office. Is immensely
interesting.
Monday morning frequently brings
startling wire to a state center
Post Office robbed last night safe
blown with guncotton or nitroglycer-
in" An inspector is on the spot as
fast as express trains will carry him.
And a stringent inquiry is begun on
the spot. Occasionally suspicion falls
on an inside man, who, if convicted. is
taken before the federal courts and
sentenced TO at least three years. |
may mention here that every post of
fee In the country is periodically over
hauled by an expert and everything
from staff to stamps checked and
rassed "All we'll" And incidentally
all complaints against postmasters,
carriers and clerks are sifted, for
charges more or less well founded are
often laid against these for intoxica-
ton, laziness, lettering, carelessness
or downright dishonesty.
But the fraudulent use OF the mails
through swinding advertisements is
vastly more difficult on account of
legal technicalities and flaws of which
swindlers know so well how to avail
themselves. John Hill, Jr, OF the Chi
cago board of trade, estimates that
every year the people OF the United
States contribute the enormous sum
of $100,000,0O0 to get-rich-quick and
safe investment" swindlers alone.
All classes are affected, from the
laundress to the lawyer, clergyman
and merchant. There are victims I'm
the cities, on farms, ranches and plan
tations. and in every hamlet and little
village. For distance is swiftly
bridged by the United States mail and
the public's money flows freely and
quickly through that gigantic artery.
Only the other day an enterprising
seed" merchant was sentenced to a
years Imprisonment and a fine of $500
Amateur florists all over the country
had for years been receiving gorgeous
colored catalogues from him and In
every case he announced the discovery
OF rare and marvellous flower and he
agreed to send small quantity OF the
precious seed for one dollar a package
In the first flush of enthusiasm few
let such a chance go by
Even professional florists subscribed
On each package was the usual trade
notice that no guarantee could be
given as to terminating power, but as
such notice is quite usual in the
trade few buyers baked.
Much anxious watching, careful
and wedding awaited nothing,
however. and 'for the most part the
gardeners concluded their methods
were too crude for so exotic flower.
A New York woman thought other
wise. On receiving her packet she
took II to an expert and found that
the priceless seed" of that wondrous
bloom consisted entirely OF palm leaf
fans crushed into seedlike fragments.