Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-09-20
CENSORSHIP " !. RUSSIA Ia.
Forging SEALS on Letters and Repiac-5s
ing Stanps.

Forging SEALS ON Letters and Repta
ing Stamps.
The modus operandi Of the political
postal censorship, which has for some
time past been unusually active in its
scrutiny of private correspo dence, has
not materially changed since the time
when the nihilist propaganda first
aroused its energies.
The boiling kettle and steam yapor3
application are still in vogue, except
where the intercepted letter bears
wax seal or seals. To open and re-
close q sealed letter without leaving
any easily noticeable traces of it hav-I
ing been tempered with is a process re-
quiring some little delicacy Of manip-
ulation on the part of the inquisitor.
81 thin, sharply edged steel blade |
heated just to the requisite degree to
pass under and remove the seal intact
Is used. but if this is done clumsily,
writes the Odessa correspondent of the
London Standard, then, unless the let
ter be appropriated or destroyed,
new seal must be made. This Is eff
fected by taking a mold of the seal
with a substance whose chief ingredi-
ent is gypsum and the elaborate app
planes Of the cabinet noir quickly fur
nish from the mold a new seal of the
| same kind Of wax practically indistin-'
| guishabIe from the old one. 1T is GUS
tomary in this country to attach the
| postage on a letter as a wafer In
stead Of q seal-that is, the postage
is placed on the reverse side of the en-
yelope, covering the point Of the join
4 ing flap. s ss.s ss. HI: zss, 81
4 This almost inyarfable custom ren-
ders the application Of the steam ket-
4 tie a comparatively easy matter, and
If the postage be occasionally destroy
4 ed it is readily replaced by new post
4 age of the same denomination, and
4 the obliterating stamp Of the place of
4 origin is again applied. A suspect let
4 ter may be opened at the postofice OF
4 its destination, but that Is of no con
sequence as every branch cabinet noir
8 possesses obliterating stamps for ev.
. cry city and town in the empire, and
8 should the intercepted epistle be Of for
! eign origin the expert officials can very
1 rapidly prepare perfect counterfeit Of
Z the obliterating stamp.
A different process, and a very sim
! pie one, is employed when the cover Q
! the arrested letter is Of stout texture
2 such as the official stationery common
!. ly used in the diplomatic and othe
e official services, and is sealed. The uI
Y per or lower or one Of the end folds Q
the letter Is carefully cut with mai
i row and extremely sharp paper knife
e and the slit fold Is rejoined with
special kind of very fine and strongl
9 adhesive cement, which is Of variou
u colors to match the particular shade
envelope operated upon. The natur,
!. crease in the fold Of very thick papt
q greatly assists the success of this pro
ess. 5s :&.. s. .. x.
a 1t was first publicly revealed son
ot twenty years ago through curio'
q bIunder on the part of q postal sinquiE
IS tor In st. Petersburg A member of t
g clerical staff at the Quai d Orsay hi
q written d private letter on official p
q. per to d friend in the French legatit
~ In the Russian capital. The envelol
~ bore three seals and was apparent
y intact when delivered.
q On opening the letter the recipe
was astonished to find Enclosed a Ru
re sian translation Of the same In pen
OF script The postal inquisitor had ina
4 yertently Enclosed his Russian ira
script. Tie indignant receiver made
yery strong protest in the proper qua
II ter, and six weeks later he was poll
It IL informed that the ''erring officis
es had been severely reprimanded a
ne that there would be no repetition
70, the irregularity 0