Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-13
GEORGE A. LEONARD
On Protecting the Malls

TNliE apprehension of quack doctors. black
l. mailcrs. mail robbers and the work in
general of the postal inspector office was
outlined today by George a. Leonard, chief
postal inspector for this district
Mr.. Lconard'S district comprises the
states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. lie
has forty men working under him. who's"
duty it is to protect the mails and protect
the users Of them.
"QuHch doctors here are giving US Som6
concern AT present. These frauds use the
mails extensively to instl fear into the
hearts Of the afflicted and mulrt them of
their last dollar in their wild rush to get
cured. Some of these advertise that they can
cure anything from cancer to blindness, and
in many cases the remedies they use are
composed of water, sugar and milk.
"Onr firm We had under investigation IN
Pittsburgh said it could cure anything. Even
insanity could be cured by the firm Of quuCks
in short while: No one is ever discharged
as cured by these doctors, for they feel that
a cured patient is one less customer.
Many Quao!ss Jailed
"Mnny of these QuHckS are resting in Jail
now, while some 50 about unmolcStcd. In
be experts and must have legal eye to Cvi-
dcnCr. so that the CnSc is got up from be-
ginning to end and the only thing necessary
for the district attorney to do is to go into
court and present it,
'BluCkmailcrS have done n land office
business in the last six months if the number
of cases we hav" under investigation can b"
used IA criterion. We have had NOR"
blaCkmai cases in the last six months than
in the last few years put together. When
hn nfE ,ft mol
mailcrS we usually land them in jail. and
as an instance Of this you have the recent
case of PasQua", The Crank, in the Nor
ristOwn Kidnapping case. who was largely
caught by his us" of the mails
."OthCrs brought to justice recently in
cuded tn" man who tried TO baCkmal the
owner Of Man o. War. Many people be-
icvC il is an easy matter to apprehcnd these
blackmnierS. but they are mistaken. II
keeps II man ou the job day and night,
"AnothCr phuS" Of our work is protecting
the pcopl" from those who use tho mails to
dcfraud, These apparently clever people
sooner or later get their just dues. Schemes
10 dcfrnud take time to nip, and the prog
ross We mad" her" shows that they get il in
the neck before long
som" schemes are rather intricate and
tlkC diplomat to detect, but when On"" wr
get on their path they may rs we'll give up
and plead Tor mercy. Some companies of
apparent firm standing were brought to the
the mails to drfraUd the unsusprcting public
Malls Are Guarded
"'rhls office also has the duty of checking
UP on the poStOtiC" employees and see that
they are not awaiting themselves of their pO-
stiOn to steal from the mails and gain in
this way profits not lcgitimately earned
Here the inspectors must likewise he careful
for when once a man Is caught he in.
variably loses hls government position. We
cannot afford to make mistakes here. nd
when the men once arrest suspect you can
almost be- sure he is guilty.
1--WE must also check up on the accounts
Of the pOStmaStCrS and see that their records
are kept right Routes for the delivery of
mail in the rural districts must hr regulated
so thnt the greatest good may come of the
postal service
"Storckecpcrs in general ought to be- on
their guard against dealing with people they
don know well when they present money
orders for tn" purchase Of goods When
postohrcs ar" robbed the money order mad
il usually taken and fictitious orders issued
for all kinds of sums. These pcODlo then
try to dispose Of them as best they cnn, and
in many cases they urc successful
"Denlers are out when they transact
business with these people, and too often
they fall for the government paper and take
too much for granted
May Collect Rewards Sow
There are fifteen postal districts in the
country working under the postmaster gcn.
ernl. The recent ruling that CmplOyps rou
claim n $1,000 reward If they nnnrchopd n
mail robber is good one. OF especial i'm
portance TO me is the order authorizing the
arming of essential employees so that they
may better cope with the robbers.
II would so one step further, and arm