The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-14
IN RUSSIA.
Forging Seals on Letters and Repsacink
stamps An O~n1cial's BIundcr.

The rtodus operdndi OF the political postal
censorship, which has for some time past
been unusually active In it's scrutiny Of
private correspondence. has not materially
changed since the time when the Nihilist
propaganda first sroused its energies.
The boiling kettle and steam d an
plication are still in vogue, except where
the intercepted letter bears a wax seal or
seals. To open and reclose a sealed letter
without leaving any easily noticeable traces
Oft having been tempered with is a process
requiring some little delicacy of manipula-
ton on the part of the inquisitbr.
A thin. sharply edged steel blade. heated
just to the requisite degree to pass under
and remove the seal intact, 10 used. but II
this is done Ciunsily. writes the Odessa
correspondent Of the London Standard,
then, unless the letter be appropriated or
destroyed, q new seal must be made. This
is effected by taking a mould OF the seal
with a substance whose chief ingredient Ia
gypsum, and the elaborate appliances OF
the cabinet noir quickly furnish from the
mould a new seal Of the same kind Of wax
practically indistinguishable from the old
one. 1t Is customary in this country 70
attach the postage on q letter as a wafer
instead OF q seal, that is, the posta ee h
placed on the reverse side of the enyelope.
covering the point Of the joining flap.
This almost invariable custom renders
the application OF the steam kettle a oom-
paratively easy matter. and IL the postaee
be occasionally destroyed IL is readily
replaced by new postage of the sama ia
nomination. and the obliteratinR stamp Of
the place Of origin is again applied A
suspect letter may be opened at the posi-
office OF its destination, but thai is Oh NO
consequence, as every branch cabinet nor,
possesses celebrating stamps for every
city and town in the empire. and shouid
the intercepted epistle be OF foreign orisin
the expert officials can very rapidly prensre
q perfect counterfeit Of the obliteratins
stamp.
A different process. and a very simnIe ono
10 employed when the cover of the ARRESTED
letter is OF stout texture, such "a the ofiC;al
stationery commonly used in the dipIomatic
and other Official services. and is sealed
n p or lower or one OF the end folds
OF the letter Is carefully out with a marrow
n extremely sharp paper knife. and tbs
slit fold Is retoined with a special kind al
very fine and strongly adhesive cement
which is OF various ooIors to match ths
particular shade Of envelope Operates
upon. Inc natural crease In the fold OF
very thick paper greatly assists the success
of this process.
IL was first publicly revealed some twenty
years ago through a curious blunder ON ne
part OF a postal inquisitor in st. Petersburv
A member OF the clerical stan at the Ouai
d0rsay a written a private letter on
official paper 70 a friend In the French
LEGATION in the Russian capital. The
envelope bore three seals, and was an
parently intact when delivered. y
On opening the letter the recipient was
astonished TO find enclosed a Russian trans.
lation of the same in pencil script. THE
postal inquisitor had Inadvertently enclosed
his Russian Transcript The indignant
receiver made a very strong protest In the
proper quarter. and six weeks later he was
politely informed that the -erring ofioials
had been severely reprimanded and that
there would be no repetition Of The irregu-
larity.