Evening star., 1923-12-01
j. s SEEKS BUYER
Of STOLEN STAMPS
Postal inspectors Trailing
$4,000 Worth Clerk Ad-
mits Taking.

Postal Inspectors Saffell and Zant-
Finger of the Post Office Department
are in St Louis today investigating
the trail of stolen stamps which led
from the division of stamps here to
a business Arm in the western city.
following the arraignment yesterday
afternoon of Herman c. Davis before
United States Commissioner Mac
donald and his confession to the theft
of $4,000 worth OF stamps.
The postal inspectors left yester-
day for st. Louis, following the con-
fession OF Davis. twenty-five years a
trusted employe of the division of
stamps, that he had. over a period
OF years. taken damaged stamps and
sold them to the St. Louis firm at IS
cents on the dollar. Davis was ar
rested Wednesday. After his sworn
statement, made to Frank J. Kelly.
was released under $1,000 bond for
the action of the grand jury.
W. I. Glover. third assistant post
master general. under whose Offices
comes the division OF stamps. con-
ferred today with NJ. J. Eidsness.
chief OF that division, and. although
no statement was forthcoming con-
cerning the conference, it was
thought to have been upon the sub
ject Of greater safeguards in the
handling OF the stamps which are
sent here by postmasters for redemp-
ton.
The fact that Davis was able to
get away" with at least $4,000
worth of stamps. and possibly many
thousands of dollars more yet to be
brought to light. makes IL probable
that more stringent methods will be
devised to safeguard the destruction
Of damaged stamps sent here by
postmasters.
day that the very fact that so many
of the supposedly damaged stamps
were able to be sold at cut rate"
and then used. shows that perhaps
many thousands of dollars worth of
these stamps are not in reality
enough damaged to warrant their
destruction.
Bargain Prices Banned.
AS to what extent firms or persons
throughout the country have pur-
chased postage stamps at bargain
prices" which is expressly against
the law, Post Office Department Of
ficials were unable today to hazard
a guess.
1t is believed by them that no one,
not even a child, is ignorant of the
fact that postage stamps are sold at
their face value and that any one
offering them at less is doing SO at
his own loss.
Officials regard it as inconceivable
that any firm could purchase stamps
consistently over a period Of years at
less rates than they could get them
from a post office. and not be aware
of the fact that there was something
decidedly queer" about the proposi-
ton.
Tells OF Thefts.
In his confession Davis declared that Il
was while working on a committee OF
three, in the office of the third assist
ant postmaster general, charged with
the destruction Of damaged stamps
forwarded to the department by post
masters throughout the country, that
he conceived the idea of reselling the
stamps.
When the stamps were placed In
packets, preparatory to their destruc-
tion Davis said he made note of the
least damaged, and later would Sc
crete quantities of them, which after
ward he sold. receiving 10 per cent OF
the face value of the stamps.
Davis said that he had been a stamp
collector for many years before con-
ceiving the idea of abstracting TIE
damaged stamps and selling them
The stamps, in many cases. were
| merely slightly stuck together, OF
soiled by water.