Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1921-11-11
j. S. MAILS TO
BE GUARDED
BY MARINES

Washington, Nov. with orders
to shoot to kill if necessary to pre-
vent mail robberies, 1000 marines
were ordered to duty yesterday as
guards of mail trains and trucks
and at postoffices in Is cities. The
men will be armed with pistols ant
sawed off shotguns, Postmaster Gen
eral Hays announced after a con
ference with Major General Lejeune
commandant of the Marine Corps
Mr.. Hays said that a special force
of one thousand men who fought
the Germans in France will be or
ganized as permanent arm of the
postal service to fight mail bandits
He said that as soon as this force
can be recruited it will replace THE
one thousand marines who toda!
took their places on mail trains
trucks and at postoffices.
Arrangements for the services Of
the marines, the postmaster gen
eral said, were made with the secre
tary of the navy. The matter was
discussed at yesterdays cabinet
meeting when President Harding
approved Mr.. Hays plan to check
looting of the mails.
The postmaster general also an
nounced that as result of the re
cent New York robbery, orders hal
been issued suspending from The
service three New York postoffice
officials, e. M. Norris, superintend
ent of mails; Henry Lippman, super.
intendent of registry, and w. S
Mayer, superintendent of money or
ders.
Probe to Continue.
Investigation of the New Yorl
robbery, Mr.. Hays said, will be con-
tinued, as "the matter has not vel
been sufficiently developed to en-
able us to know definitely whether
there are others guilty of derelic
ton of duty The robbery should
have been and could have been pre-
vented, he said.
Some of the marines, General Lee
jeune said, would board trains las
night, and within "a hours would
be on guard on practically all trains
in the country carrying valuable
mail. Men for duty in the east
south and central west, he said, will
come from the Marine Corps pos
at Quantico, Va, while those fOl
service in the west will report from
San Diego and Mare Island, Cal.
Among the cities to which they
would be sent for duty are Boston
New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland
Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, st
Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City
Dallas, San Francisco and Los An
geles.
kilograms were sent last night BY
the Postoffice Department instruct
ing postmasters and postal inspectors
at these points to cooperate will
the guards.
Hays is Determined.
Declaring that it is proposed tc
protect the United States mails ste
the last postal card, regardless o.
cost and sacrifice" Mr. Hays sale
he wanted it known that the Post
office Department has declared
"open warfare on the crooks an6
bandits of the country"
During the II months ended last
April 8, according to Mr.. Hays, 8
total of $6.3OO,000 was stolen from
the mails, but in the six months
following the announcement thai
postal employees would be armed the
total stolen fell to $S1S,S69.
The advisability of enacting leg
islation authorizing the government
to pay death benefits to the families
of postal employees slain by bandits
was discussed by the cabinet yes
terday.
AS a further deterrent to mai
robberies, Attorney General Daugher-
ty has suggested to the district
attorneys in the various states that
the courts be urged to impose heav-
Ter sentences where convictions are
obtained for mail robberies. Mr.
Daugherty expressed the opinion that
the widespread unemployment is re-
sponsible for much of the crime in
the country.