The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-09-26
SLEUTH TRACES
THEFT BY GIRL
POStOffiCe Inspector Solves a
Stolen Stamp Mystery After
Two Years Work.

When pretty young woman, who Is
even yet confidential clerk and treas
Urer for a salt Lake agency manager,
decided to steal postage stamps to pur-
chase dress goods, she did not take into
account the fact the United States post
office inspectors are interested in all
such thefts. The fact, too, that she was
so implicitly trusted by her employer
save her confidence, bUS after two years
POstOffiCe Inspector G. D. Lowe brought
her crime home to her.
Because she promised restitution, and
because her employer said he could not
do without her even if she had stolen
the stamps, the inspector promised to
use his influence to prevent her name
being made public
Apart from the identity of the thief.
the incident is of interest, because it
shows the tenacity with which Uncle
Sans miniOns hunt all offenders against
the federal laws.
The first hint Of the theft came when
a big department store in Chicago mott
fed pOstOfIice inspectors it had received
q remittance of more than $50 worth of
stamps Whenever any unusual quanti-
~ of stamps is received by the mail
order houses they always tell the post
Office authorities, so it can be ascer-
tanned whether the stamps We're stolen.
POStOffice Inspector Lowe being as
signed to the case, found that the Salt
Lake woman who had sent the stamps
was the sister of the cashier who, it was
later learned, had stolen the stamps
The girls employer was notified that
she was suspected, but he Tidiculed the
idea, and added that he had not been
losing any stamps. His ObstinaCy made
it necessary for the inspector to bring
the crime home to the young woman in
some other way. It took two years, but
it was accomplished, Notwithstanding
the fact the stolen stamps amounted to
only so. The money spent in tracing
the theft was many times this sum, but
a principle was involved.
Inspector Lowe, after he was con-
WINGED the girl was taking the stamps,
went TO State Chemist Herman Harms
and got him to prepare a fluid which
would leave a mark on the mucilage
used on the Lincoln memorial. stamps, /
but upon no others. He was able to do
this, because the mUcilage on these
stamps was not quite the same kind
used on others. The next step was to
see that the agency where the cashier /
was employed got nothing but Lincoln !
memorial stamps. This required the |
assistance of the manager, who by this /
time had become tTactable and was /
willing to find out if he was being /
robbed.
The inspector then asked the Chicago |
mail order houses to report all large [
of memorial stamps. Re
Gently when such a remittance was re-
ported, Inspector Lowe soon ascertained /
that the private mark he had placed on
the stamps sold to the agency appeared /
on the stamps sent to the mail order
house. Even when he explained this to /
the agency manager, the latter was I'M
able to believe the cashier had taken
the stamps.
The inspector then visited the home .
Of the young woman and her sister. He
stated his case plainly, and showed how
indubitable his proof was. Presently /
the cashier confessed, and promised /
never, never to do il again. Inasmuch /
as the government had lost nothing, no /
prosecution was instituted The girls .
even after he had heard the .
details of the confession. said the agen-
cy could not do without her, so he &C
cepted her promise never to take any
more stamps
The first theft of stamps took place
two years ago last August, and Inspec-
tor Lowe has been working on the case
ever since.