The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-10-03
Postal Department Is Very
Active in Its Effort to Dis
cover Authors of These, and
ScurriIouS Letters.
PUNISHMENT FOR THIS
OFFENSE VERY HEAVY.
Greatest Number of Offenses
Come in the Fall Months
And the Officials Believe the
Weather Affects.

Weather Affects.
The malicious tendencies, Of the
people are governed by the seasons
of the year. The statement is a broad
one, but Postmaster Spekenhier, his
corps Of local assistants and in fact
the entire federal postal force are in
clined to think that the tendencies of
the people as a whole the country over
are influenced at certain seasons in
the year toward wrong doing. 1t
seems so to them at least for the
number Of criminal acts of various
character invariably occur at certain
seasons in the year.
This fall, as has been the custom in
past years at this time of the year,
local postal officials are receiving
many complaints against anonymous
letters Of scurrilous and defamatory
nature which are not alone being
sent through the Richmond mails but
are also being written by Richmond
people. Complaints are being regis
tered almost daily with Postmaster
Spekenhier in regard to the practice,
which, although young this year, is
rapidly increasing. Postmaster Spek-
enhier is led to the belief that crime
waves are always governed by the
weather. in that little or no complaint
Is registered against the anonymous
letter practice, except in the fall
months.
The practice is a dangerous one, the
maximum penalty for such an offense
being $4,000 and five years imprison-
ment. or both The court hearing the
case may determine just what SEN
tence shall fall on the writer Of the
letters AS the practice is most
abominable one, both Postmaster Spe-
kenhier and the federal postal officials
will endeavor to capture every anony-
nous and scurrillous letter writer in
the city of Richmond. The task is not
a difficult one either. In fact, it IS
about the easiest task the inspectors
have to handle and an arrest invaria-
bly, results when but once an inspector
starts on a case.
Disguise Is Futile.
The writer in most cases during the
course of the letter, speaks OF only
those things known to himself and to
the one written to. A disguise at
handwriting is always futile, as the
correct writing invariably is used be-
fore the letter is completed, and by
watching the letters to the complain
ant the source of the letter is ascer-
tanned. while further proofs are al
WAYS forthcoming and an arrest natur-
ally follows. The postal inspectors
and postmasters have a system which
they use and which will bring retribu-
ton upon the heads of the annoyers.
Several months ago we'll known
young man in Richmond wrote sour
rilous letter The writer's identy was
easily ascertained. Hearing that fed
eral inspector was camping on his trail
the young man left the city suddenly
and has not since been heard of by To-
cal postal authorities.
Recently a complaint was made
against a defamatory letter. and
glance at the hand writing Immediately
determined the fact that the woman
for 1t was a woman-writing the let
ter, was more than sixty years of age.
The cramped nervous hand" deter
mined this. The writer of the letter
is now known definitely, other proofs
having been gained.
Still another man wrote an "out-
law" letter trying to disguise his
handwriting. This was unsuccessful
as he at different times drifted back
to his natural script The identity
of this man has also been learned by
the systematic set of tracers used by
the postal officials.
Postmaster Spekenhier is inclined
to think that at least 95 per cent of
the scurrilous and defamatory letters
are written through a spirit of Dique
or jealousy.
Souvenir post cards of different
character can also be c,assed as sour
rilous and defamatory when sent at
wrong times. If a woman should
her husband and she should receive a
card bearing an inscription making
light of her husbands death and re-
commencing a new matrimonial bur-
eau. or other such inscription, they
can be classed with the scurrilous let
ter and proper fine assessed. The
practice in Richmond has to be brok-
en- ND. saws Postmaster Spekenhier.