Willmar tribune., 1909-07-28
PROVING HIS GUILT.
By kiNGs5URY WEIGH.


copyright. 1909, by American Press Asso-
ciatiOn.]
1 am a postoffice inspector and have
had 4 good deal to do with ferreting
out crime In the. extraction of money
from letters. l work ON certain prin-
ciples that l have evolved by long ex-
perience, and it is usually very easy
mQt tier for me to hunt down a culprit
This is because when man begins to
steal he continues his thefts. They
are not committed by various people,
All one has TO do is to find that one
person. Besides. there are various
traps we set for him which he is not
likely to suspect.
l once had case where got some
information in advance which seemed
to facilitate any investigations I might
make. John Crawlins, a merchant,
complained to me that his letters were
being robbed in passing through the
postoftice. l asked him If any one in
his employ had access to his mail, and
he told me that it was received and
taken to the postofice by a clerk
named Robert Byrnes. Byrnes was
taking the money If any one in his en-
ploy was taking it, and he interposed
no objection to my Investigating in
that direction. He had suspected
Byrnes and had watched him.
1ncognito l made the young mans
acquaintance, or, rather, the acquaint-
ance Of the family Of which he was a
part. He was the idol of his mother,
widow; two younger sisters and a
sweetheart, Marion Swift. I saw that
something was troubling the mother
and set about winning her confidence,
suspect1ng the cause of her worry to
be her son. He was gay, free hand
ed young fellow, and whatever was
on his mind was sure to come to the
surface. His mother finally told me
that her boys generous nature was
likely to prove his ruin He made
both her. his sisters and Marion Swift
presents that she was sure he could
not afford. She had heard Of the ex-
traction Of money from his employers
mail and was in great distress for
fear her son was the culprit.
This was pretty direct clew. Nev-
ertheless there was one thing that pre-
vented me from following it with
proper persistence-sympathy. Mrs.
Byrnes was lovely woman, Marion
Swift was an attractive and innocent
girl, while Robert was a boy whom
every one loved. To confess the whole
matter, hadn't known Mrs. Byrnes
an hour before had made up nv
mind that she was the woman l was
looking for for wife.
never occupied so much time In
solving u detective problem-not that
l couldn't solve It, but because l
didn't wish 1t solved. 1t looked to me
like one of those cases where young
mans heart runs away with his hon
esty. and / have known number of
them. If fixed the crime upon him
l would wound myself through not
only his mother, but his betrothed and
his sisters, aged respectively fifteen
and twelve, all Of whom l had come to
love.
However. l have always believed
that it is weakness to tamper with
human fraflties. and to shield young
Byrnes would be to my own dishonor.
l knew way to prove his guilt, and l
| determined to use it.
Nine times in ten in placing a sheet
Of folded paper in an envelope one will
put in the folded edge first because
the letter will go in that way easier.
l asked the merchant to write a let
ter to one of his correspondents to
whom he was used to send money. He
did so. I put it in the envelope with
the folded edge down and, sealing It.
told him to send it to the postoffice at
a certain hour by Robert Byrnes. He
promised to do so, and left him.
The longest interval have ever
known in my life was that between
writing and receiving that letter,
was in a private Office at the post
office when one Of the clerks handed It
to me. held it in my hand fully ten
minutes before had the courage to
open 1t. If the envelope had been
opened there were nine chances in ten
that the letter would be found re-
versed. Finally I tore of the cover.
It was as had placed It.
Though was much relieved, l was
not convinced and determined to make
the experiment again and again till I
was sure. But my suspicion, induced
BY the boys mothers information, was