Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-04-25

of dishonesty are comparatively few
is a high tribute to the moral quail
ties of the postoffice clerks.
Years ago, on one Of the old star
routes, hundreds of letters containing
money, drafts, checks and other valu-
ables were stolen. At first both letters
and contents disappeared, but the
thieves changed their method of OPP
Grafton and simply stole the contents,
resealed the letters and sent them
on.
As the letters pass through the
hands of many clerks, 1t Is difficult to
locate the thief. Months of faithful
work result In nothing being discover
ed as to the identity Of the thieves.
Finally there was a happy solution.
One of the inspectors procured guam
tity of different kinds Of drugs and sent
other inspectors over the entire route,
with instructions to make tour OF
book Investigations, and while thus
engaged to place some one kind OF the
drugs in the mucilage bottles at each
office. taking care to make a memor-
andum which would show at what Of
flee the drug had been placed.
1t was not long before a registered
letter came through with the money
gone. The inspector put his lips to
the seal of the envelope, tasted the
mucilage, referred to his book and at
once named the office at which the par
ticular drug had been placed In the
mucilage. Then a lot Of decoy let
ters went to that Office, and the dis
honest postmaster secured the con-
tents and the inspector secured him.
This, it is contended, was one OF the
cleverest pieces Of work ever done by
the department. The inspector who
put the trap into execution was an
experienced chemist and knew what
he was doing.
There are two successful ways to
catch a postoffice thief-constant
watch and decoy letters. With these,
and a large supply OF patience, the
game will be landed. 1t often requires
months and sometimes years OF pa
ttent work to accomplish this. 1t Is
one of the most annoying and difficult
lines of detective work in which man
ever engaged and requires the most
earnest application. Not a. single cir
cumstance of detail must be over
looked.
Sometimes luck helps the inspectors
out of their difficulties. Once In a city
not far from Washington things were
in q fearful condition in the distrtbu'
ton division of the Office. 1t appeared
as though the inspector would never
catch the fellow who was making
away with valuable letters. One day
there came a terrible rainstorm anc
with it came happy thought to the In
spector who had the case in hand.
He carried a bucket Of water into
the loft and dashed 1t on tho over
head plastering, just over the distriou-
tors. Naturally leak was sprung, and
workman, who was taken into th'
confidence of the inspector, was SEM
to the loft to make an investigation
Accidentally-"on purpose'-his foo
went through the wet plasterihg, leav,
ing hole.
or course, to repair this 1t woulc
have been necessary to DO the wort
from the distribution room. and, as
this was not done, the clerks wen'
ahead with their work, while the an
spector looked down at their every
movement from the supposed accident
ally made hole. Finally. he was re-
warded by seeing one Of the Oldest
employes in the office slipping letters
into his pocket The inspector got ou'
of his place Of hiding. collared the
clerk and found the letters, every one
of them containing money. His con-
fession was full, and he went up for
number of years.
A German named Mamath gave the
inspectors a world Of trouble In tn'
same city. Thousands of letters were
missed. and no one knows how mucf
money was stolen. 1t was a case tna'
puzzled the department, and afte'
weeks of the closest investigation i
was declared that the crooked wori
was not done in the postoffice.
Then an outside campaign was pe'
eun. and Mamath was arrested "nll'
stealing letters from one of the stree
bo.e, He did not have key. but use
O. wire for extracting the letters. HI
'onerations were confined to the boxes
in the business section, and he ad'
mitted that he had stolen not less tnal
10000 letters before he was cauel'
The amount of money he got coui'
never be ascertajned, but he must nav
secured a snug sum. His own con
fession sent him to prison for a lonl
term Of years.
There are only a few arrests mao
in Washington, although there Us
Variable army of postoffice employees
there. They seldom go wrong, desplt
the fact that they are aware Una ma
there are no greater number OF III
snectors in Washington than in othe
cities.
A few years ago there was an IN
spector who was regarded as an e1cel
lent worker. He went wrong put
was after he left the service. HI
daughter received an appointment a
a. thriving town in Georgia as pos.
mistress. and had been there onl:
six or cigth months when the tathe
suddenly concluded that he wanted Z
go to the same place and start
real estate business.
He resigned his insl'ectorsnip GLE
moved to Georgia He got the iu
of the postofflce of which his daush'e
was the head and pretty soon the o,
flee was robbed Of several hunoreo Wv.
lars. It was a bungled job and no aii
ficulty was experienced in proving Una
it was his work. He did time IN oo'