The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-11-11
MARINES To CHECK
MAIL TRAIN RAIDS
Pesident Harding Approves Plan
for Armed GUARDS.
NOW MILITARY PROPOSITION
"Devil Dogs" With Sawed-Off Shot
guns, to Ride on Trucks and
Trains Carrying Valuable Mail
Matter, Says Hays.


Washington, Nov. O. President
Harding and his cabinet ordered the
marines to guard United States mails
from bandits Within "A hours as
many devil dogs" as are needed for
the service will be riding on every
train and mail truck which carries
valuable mail and stationed at every
point where valuable mail is handled.
They will have instructions to shoot
to kill.
Orders were telegraphed by Post
master General Hays and Major Gen
eral Lejeune, commandment of the ma
rine corps, instructing detachments of
marines to report at once to the post
masters and mail superintendent at
10 large cities where the bulk of
valuable mail is handled.
Jobs for 1000 Veterans.
Under the plan the marines will
guard the mails until a permanent
force of more than 1000 former serv-
ice men who saw active fighting in the
World war can be organized to take
their places.
Coincident with the announcement
of plans to wage military warfare
against mail bandits, Postmaster Gen
eral Hays ordered the suspension of
three leading officials in the New
York city post office. They are
charged with dereliction Of duty in
connection with the robbery of 81 ,000,-
600 worth of registered mail recently
in the New York financial district
The suspended officials are Elijah
M. Norris, superintendent of mails !;
Henry Lippman, superintendent Of
registry, and Walter s. Mayer, super
lntendent of money orders. They were
ordered suspended as the result of an
investigation conducted by postal in
spectOrs under orders of Mr. Hays
InexcusabIe, Says Hays.
"It was an absolutely inexcusable
dereliction of duty in New York." said
the postmaster general. He added:
"The investigation will be contin-
ued, as the matter has not yet suffi-
GENTLY developed to enable us to know
definitely whether or not there are
others guilty of definite dereliction of
duty"
Asked whether the postal authOri-
ties believe there was any collision
between postal employees and the
bandits in the New York robbery, Mr.
Hays said:
n Of nc hot
was an inside or outside job"
The plan to have marines guard the
mails was laid before President Hard
ing and the other members of the cab
met by the postmaster general. The
President and department heads gave
it full approval and Secretary DENLY
Immediately ordered General Lejeune
to issue the necessary instructions
and Secretary Weeks ordered the
army to equip the marines with sawed
off shotguns and ammunition.
In Federal Reserve Cities.
The marines will establish head
quarters in Boston, New York, Phila-
delphia, Cleveland Richmond, Allan
ia, Chicago, st. Louis, Minneapolis,
Kansas City, Dallas, San Francisco
and Los Angeles. Federal reserve
banks are located in these cities and
large sums of money are sent through
the mails from them.
AS a further move to safeguard the
mails Postmaster General Hays or
dered that shipments of valuable mail
be consolidated, so that it can be more
easily guarded.
"This is no longer civil PROPOSE
tion," said Mr.. Hays. "It is military.
We have ordered open warfare on the
crooks and bandits of this country
The United States mails shall be pro-
tected to the last postal card, regard
less of the cost and sacrifices
Eve are going to do everything in
our power to aid the postmaster gen.
eral to protect the mails to the limit
of the numbers of the marine corps"
said General Lejeune. eff more than
the 1000 men that have been asked for
are needed, we will use more, and the
men will guard the mails according
to the traditions of the marine CORPS