Evening star., 1908-01-30

department, which cover all charges of
dishonesty against employees of the serv-
ce numbered 36SO1 last year, com
pared with oJ,O7I in the year 1906 These
include mistakes well as dishonesty,
improner payment of money orders, i'm
nroper sales of stamps. padding OF can
,eIlations in order 10 secure increase OF
alary failure to make proper remit
-ances and reports. eVasions OF tie pay
nant of proper rates OF postage, mailing
# indecent and improper matter, ob-
structing delivery or destroying letters.
and all such matters. The increase from
he previous year was due 10 tne new law
and regulations in the classification or
matter In II .:;33 cases people sent out
natter of a higher class with postage or
, lower rate than was lawful ne IN.
,reasc was also due To the VOCATION OF
he postal regulations by concerns onsr-
ng premiums for tags or coupons Inc
department collected S4t,olJ as hnes Tor
such offenSes alone.
II NAV be interesting to know the de-
tails of the other cases itiNealiSa.eo'
which are as follows:
irregularities Of postmasteys. ............. l.,
Post offices located in i'arroonis. ..'-'''.'' ~
CARRYING NAL by private express. s......... -
Unlawful use penalty envelopes ......... - -
Forging money orders --....---... 49, -.
En,hezzleuent OF valuable letters. $40
Opening destroying letters. rs...........'. -. -,
Stealing mail ~
Washing postage stamps. .-........-. %.
'tbstructing mails .-.--''.'''' o.
Lottery matter in mails -, - ~.
Indecent matter In malls 49,, .,'
II proper of mails. ........''..- o'o''
Mr.. Vickery reports during the last
wear 1.II1 post offices were entered py
burglars as against SOP during the year
i9.si a decrease of 12n per cent Inc
number of offices burned was 'oo as
against - dui.ng the previous year; III
postal ears We're wrecked III comparison
With l3l in 1906. and 5.2i4 pouches OF
nail were reported lost. damaged. rlned
or not regularly accounted for, III which
tho loss was apparent rather than real.
because most of them were m!ssent ana
afterward recovered.
The reports of postal cars burned ana
wrecked are quite significant. there be-
ing an Increase from Il in 1903 to lt7 in
1907. which shows that railway accidents
are increasing very rapiuiy.
Grimes of Yeggemen.
The burglaries are mostly committed by
..yeggmen," that is. malicious tramps who
are tempted to rob post offices because or
dinary stamps can be easily disposed of
for cash in small amounts at almost any
place and cannot be traced. Mr.. Vickery
suggests that nothing will go farther to-
ward breaking up this business than print
ing the name of the post office upon
stamps when they are received. and he
thinks there ought TO be more severe
penalty for such crimes than the five
years Imprisonment which is now the
| limit.
| AS the .'yeggmen.' who Use nitro
| gycerin to blow open post office safes.
are generally armed and desperate and
prepared to kill in case of attack or pur-
| suit a penalty of fifteen years imprison-
ment is recommended. Mr. Vickery says:
The so-cal!ed yeggmen, who have in
| recent years overrun the country. have
practically superseded the old-time safe
| breakers. Formerly the men who robbed
safes were few and skillful; they carried