Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-18
MANY FRAUD D
ISSUED. HASKIN SAYS
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, July 1S.-The re-
cent avalanche of fraud orders from
the Post Office Department directed
toward oil operators, principally IN
Oklahoma, shows that the postal
fraud is in another of its periodic
cycles. III the last few months, ne
Post Office Department has round
it necessary to issue nearly a score OF
fraud orders, many of which have
related to the operations of swlndlers
in the southwestern oil fields, par
ticularly in the State of Oklahoma,
one of the newest and most highly
speculative oil bonanza districts
a fraud order is an order issued
by the Post Office Department Which
| denies the privilege of receiving mail
to the person against whom 1t is
issued. Mail addressed to a person
who has been convicted by the De-
partment of using the mails 10 de-
fraud is stamped in red letters ny
the postal authorities: Fraudulent.
1t is returned to the sender, proVld-
ed the sender has identified hiidseit;
otherwise it goes to the Dead Letter
| Office, eventually to be destroyed.
There are various kinds of CROOKS
and criminals. Probably The most
dignified one is the highway robber
or the pirate. The highway robber
must face danger in an acute form.
He must be prepared to fight or to
| fly for his life. He must be ready
to withstand h%ardships of all kinds
and he must keep under and IN
constant fear of apprehension. The
pirate must face not only the wrath
and retribution of mankind, but also
the anger of the elements. When
he can elude his human enemy, OIL
ten he can not escape the sea. He
fights both man and nature.
Not so with the perpetrator OF a
postal fraud. He does not face MS
victim on the highway, he does not
brave the perils of the deep. He
never sees his victim but operates
against him through the mails. He
makes Uncle Sam his ~accomplice, his
messenger. Uncle Sam is extremely
touchy on this subject. He never
Willingly lends himself to this sort
| of service and is constantly on guard
to prevent his mail service being
used for fraudulent ends.
Highly Trained Detectives
The Post Office Inspectors Consti-
tute about the most highly trained
detective agency in the Government
Service. They are constantly on che
lookout for frauds. Experience
makes them keen at seeming them
out.
The Oklahoma oil frauds are ex'
| tremely daring. Various operators
of schemes have been mixed up II
them and it may be still others viii
be found. Oil in the southwest has
been productive of a good deal oi
free advertising. News reports o.
gushers and big earnings, the 20
mantic fact that the Usage Indians
are drawing millions in royalties
from their Oklahoma lands an(
kindred information have laid thu
ground for the postal fraud perpe
traitors. They send glowing pros
pectuses broadcast through the mails
Some offer to sell their stock IL
companies. More recently they hav'
been offering to sell leases.
The offer of stock is one to which
the public gradually has become ac
customed. 1t is hard to sell stool
to people because they have been bit
ten so many times before. But Their
Is something which sounds technica
and important about the term "oi
lease" The unwary wage Garner
the widow and the school teache
feel that this must be all right.
In some cases there is q very re
mote possibility that the lease pur
chased might be valuable, but tn
possibility is so very remote that, Il
the cases recently investigated by tn
Post Office inspectors. fraud order
were speedily issued. The most glow
ing accounts are contained in tn
literature and therein chiefly lies tn
fraud.
An operator might simply say t
the public: Il have some land i
Oklahoma. Oil has been found i
!, Oklahoma and there is a remot
chance that my land may produc
some. If you want to take a lon
chance and gamble a few hundre
, dollars, here's your opportunity" b.
, that isn't the method.
The circulars sent out make tn
~rosiest claims. A recent one use
l by the lost Office Department q
evidence in the issuance of a frau
order said that leases offered wer
"a stones throw from a famou
| gusher. The inspectors found OF
that the famous gusher" was a we
a mile away, which had failed.