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(t- r ' , ;, ,. . ,;' . v, , ' - - ."' iOTW tsTmxTTV OTTTJTTn t -cmrL-crD 'Tirrrr: A TYTCTPPTT A TCTTrnMTYAV ' "XTrTCTC IK" 1922 J-410 XU V X!iXlJJLlVJr jrJXJAJXJ JJMmJKXMXJL X JJ.XUX1-!." ui auuj.wuaxx'1 -.i - i L0 PIRATES PROVING UNCLE SAMS IVORSTFOE IN FIGHT TO PROTECT MAILS FROM THIEVE, WW"' MK6T Keen-eyed Detectives Watch Suspects Frem Secret Gallery at Philadelphia Office While Millions of Letters Are Handled and Dishonest Try te Filch Valuables ' "FIND THE WOMAN" IS FIRST TASK OF INSPECTORS WHEN DISHONESTY IS DISCO FERED Illicit Leve Affairs Declared at Bettem of Most Lapses by Government Work ers Public Blamed for Its Attitude of Carelessness 9 as Large Majority of Federal Workers Are Temptation Proof BILLIONS of dollars ar consigned annually te the wonderful organiza tion of the United States Postefflce Department for aafe transit th payees in the form of money orders, checks, bends and currency. An unestimated number of millions of cold cash is "lest" in the mails every year, or "gees astray," as the customary phrase has it, since much of it is never traced. It Is net the fault of the Postefflce Department, nor of 999 out of 1000 of its loyal, conscientious and hard-working empleyes who work night and day, rain or shine, in their ceaseless round of duties for the public. The plain, blunt truth of the case is that the mails are robbed in many large and even in seme of the smaller postefflces by an infinitely small minority of men who are tempted beyond withstanding by the carelessness of the public. But the impetus behind these thefts, the motive behind taking the cash you have foolishly put in letters without registering them or sending it in safe form, can and has been traced te almost a single compelling human force. vtJ l,a Wm,, irvfB I Is Start for Operatives The French language describes the situation in three words cherchcz le femmel It is the unequivocal declaration of the ablrst of the postefllco inspectors, these keen-witted and incorruptible sleuths of Uncle Sam who guard such of your money, your family's besom secrets and closet skeletons and even such of your lovemaking as you intrust te the mails, that their chiefest fee te combat in detecting and punishing thefts from the mails is the one figure made most familiar through the movies. Wives and mothers will want te knew about this. Sentimentally, if surreptitiously, susceptible male empleyes in the (Treat army of the postal service de knew. The general public ought te knew. The principal cause of thefts from the mills Is "the ether woman." At the enticing second deer of "the eternal triangle" stands this "ether woman," bread and butter e the gela tin dmma writer and dear te the heart nf his accessory after the fact, the avid n.ovle director. This vnmplre person, substantive of the popular Juvcnlle and adult verb "te vamp," Is also net without her fasci nation for that large commercial mar ket of the films, America's 20,000,000 dally cinema fans, as either yenr own inner voice or your corner movie exhibi tor will tell you. Hut whoever suspected that builders f postelhYes In stone and steel, archi tects poring ever plans for them, Con Cen sresa voting funds and postmasters Im ploring mero adequate facilities all put tlielr wits together In fabricating and providing posteffice buildings nnd spe eial equipment te cause the discomfi ture and undoing respectively of the vampire and her victim In the postal service? On Trail of Vampires te End Mail Thefts It la a fnct. Kvcn unregistered cash in the malls would be safe were It net for her. The main Philadelphia postefflce, at Wnth and Chestnut streets, like nil Its branches and in common with nil but the smallest posteffices throughout the ntlen, Is equipped with a big "look out"' gallery, from which nil empleyes, night and day, may be observed at work. I his gallery, just beneath the high coil ceil ing. Is mnrltcd with shuttered windows, through which postefllco inspectors and superintendents watch suspected cm cm plercs. If the officials ever hear that nn fraploye who In married' Is Interested In 'another woman" nnd they court and seek such Information from any source they Immediately set n watch '"t experience In thousands of cases "as taught the sleuths that sooner or nlt ihe cmnle? "'eps up his "af fair," he Is extremely likely te succumb t0 temptation, fall from grnce nnd "'enl from the first-class mails and the Parcels pest. The vast majority of all postal em em Nejes, as noted, nre Impeccably honest, Dut In such a great army of men there re hound te be a very small percen tage who will preve Weak end untrust worthy, if there is ene branch of the government's business mero closely nnd "Sldly conducted than another, It Is the Postefflee Department. It Is a co-epcrn-' business Institution, the lnrgest of kind en earth, for the benefit of 110,000,000 Americans and all of their friends and relatives, and even enemies, "iroiigheut the world. Safeguarding its unctiens and maintaining Its strict in- i rij i a tremendous job, H. Jne rerty poeteffiee inspectors who ePte In the Pennsylvania and New Jcrsey district, and for whom detection of crln.'e nnd its punishment nre only part of the day's work, arc obliged te labor twelve, fourteen nnd sometimes sixteen hours a day. They nre direct representatives of the Postmaster Gen eral himself, and their word in a post pest office Is law. In their Judgment they can instantly suspend any empleye for dereliction of duty, from a porter te the postmaster himself. They are chosen only after having served a minimum of four years in the service nnd passing exacting examina tien and after their personal records have been Intimately examined from the cradle. Cevert Leve Affairs Prompt Men te Steal The majority of postal thieves and three or four a month nre detected In Philadelphia alone are married em pleyes, who steal bank notes out of the malls because sirens are calling them sirens who yearn te head secondary establishments and nre scheming te de se. It is an extraordinary human com mentary that in nine cases out of ten men will go te any extreme, even that of robbery when all the chances against detection are adverse, te previde for "the ether woman," when they would net touch a penny of ether people's money te previde for en honest need In their own homes. The bane of the existence of the post pest office inspector is the sinuous and seduc tive siren of both real nnd "reel" life, for the flamboyant lady of the latter proves her existence as an actual mem ber of society. The chief postefflce inspector of the Philadelphia district, C. II. Cearahan, Is authority for these statements. "Seme of the vampires," he de clared, "who have lest geed men postal jobs would net be selected for reasons of pulchritude In many cases I have marveled at hew they 'get away with It' when the man in the case had a really attractive and comely helpmeet at home. Hut we encounter ethers, of course, who could chnrm n bird out of a trce when they tern en their full bat teries." Gambling nnd liquor are responsible in extremely few Instances for the ruin ation of postal empleyes nnd their dis grace and punishment. Before prohibi tion came Inte effect, It is true, there was an occasional instance of robbery traced te excessive Indulgence In nlco nlce nlco hei, but new such cases are in negligible number. Secrets of Dishonest Seen Frem Gallery That stately gray pile at Ninth and Chestnut streets, the Kedernl Ituilding, which houses the main postefllco and United States Courts, is passed by sev eral millions of people yearly who little suspect the secrets It houses. A secret that reveals secrets within te the pestnl inspectors Is that gal lery, built like an "II" high ever the heads of the big working feree beneath the lefty celling ever the main fleer. Through the slits of the shutters of this lookout have been perceived swift motions of men n's they deftly slipped mail into coat pockets or secret pouches In their clothing. Motions se swift Hint the eye of the casual on looker would never see them. The scene In the postefflce as viewed from these observation windows leeks Ulce ene of confusion te the unfamiliar eye, but It Is really of perfect disci pline, regularity nnd orderliness te the practiced eye of the man who has worked himself for years en this or similar floors. Perched up in this secret gallery, the trapdoor entrance le which is kuewn only te the Inspectors nnd n few higher officials, sit men night and day, who, without being seen themselves, watch every operation. They oversea everything going en in the receiving, sorting, pouching, dis patching nnd general routlne handling of the mall, much of which is new done by truly wonderful machinery. Among the thousands of empleyes, probably all of the elder men knew there are watchers and realize what that overhead gallery means, and many of the newer empleyes may have heard about it, but nearly all grew oblivious and forget the espionage, because of the speed with which they work and thelc preoccupation. The strictly honest empleye does net mind the espionage. He only resents the thought, one veteran distributor volunteered in talking about the mat- A .l.nfc j1leknnaf Al weflW tnfin An creep into the Bervice, making constant watchfulness necessary. He takes no 1 personal umbrage. The naturally crooked or tee strongly tempted mall handler, or spy for out side robbers who gets into the service for a purpose, realizes the lookout gallery is there, but if determined te steal or te help ethers steal, he ignores It, takes a chance, and robs or abets the robbery of the malls anyway. "Whispering Gallery" Net Crime Deterrent On this head the chief Inspector re marked ns he glanced through the shut ters at the men working below : "Leng experience has taught us that this lookout gnllery, and all our main nnd branch postefliccs of any note In thp country have them, has no moral effect as a deterrent te crime. The system merely helps te catch and convict an Indoor thief when by n process of elim ination nnd careful detective work we have run down the right man te n moral certainty. Up here we blde our time until we have complete evidence. "Net se long age I steed up here with two ether inspectors watching n man for whom we had laid a trap. We actually laughed aloud as we followed his actions. "no deliberately stele nnd slit open thirty letters in an hour and extracted 6eme of our marked banknotes and ether people's cash. Thcse sorters and dis tributors can tell by the 'feel' of nn en velope when there le cash Inslde of It. "This Incident shows hew callous and careless In their pilfering seme of the newer empleyes have been. "We hnve even seen n man turn around and leek up at the blinds before stealing a letter with cash In It. lie looked, said te himself, 'Oh, I guess no body's up thcre new. nnd I'll just take n chance.' He took ene chance tee often, "Yes. I must admit that some of them are pretty brazen In the way they steal for their lndy loves, and we always have te 'leek for the woman !' One man slit open n letter in the new "West Philadelphia posteffice one day, where thcre is also a lookout. A man was working near him. The thief found only two one-dollar bills in the envel ope nnd was se disgusted he turned te his fellow empleye nnd said, Must leek, Hill. New wheddyc knew nbeut that?' It cost him eight years lu the peniten tiary." Average Citizen te Blame for His Carelessness The Postoffice Department is an un usually efficient institution as n busi ness concern, but te make It mere effi cient It requires some help from its patrons. Mr. Average Citizen Is really as much te blame as the "ether woman" for thefts in the mnlls. An empleye of the postefflce nt Plain field, N. J., stele, opened and took money from 300 letters, throwing the envelopes down a manhole. The envelopes were all recovered nnd the names of the senders found In most cases. Only one of these 300 persons who had lest money hail made a complaint te the posteffice authorities. On an average, net ene person in n hundred, aB a conservative estimate, say the postellico people, ever notifies the authorities when he or she has been se foolish us te nut cash into a lettnr. The sender knows that he should have rea. tcrcd the letter or better still have sent the money In the form of a postal money order, express order or check. But he Is as Indolent In reporting the matter T illlllllllllHI'illllllllllllHH kI xvi;,J'''"'BHHHHHHHHHHHBBHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHr''!s:' AhHHHHHy as he was in net sending the money In proper fashion. Sending cash in letters is putting a premium en crime It Is tempting weak men. It is helping the game of some vampire. Where thefts go undiscovered it is because the public Is Indifferent, blemcs itself, or "doesn't want te take the trouble" te report them. People are prene te eny, "Oh, the money is gene and it's my own fault, se what's the use of kicking. It is due te my own foolishness nnd I might have expected it." Seme folk also hate te admit that they have been se silly as te send ensh unprotected in a letter. Uncounted mil lions hnve been "lest" in this way in the malls. The postefflce welcomes constructive criticism and suggestions, especially the Philadelphia headquarters under its new Postmaster Kemp at his desk postmaster, Colonel Gcerge B. Kemp, who took offlce January 1. Colonel Kemp, the twenty-seventh postmaster of Philadelphia, since Benjamin Frank lin, Is the first who has risen from the ranks te the pestmastershlp. Such ap pointments are usually entirely political. Ills was net. He has been in the postal service for thirty -two years and for sixteen years was superintendent of the West Philadelphia stntien. Colonel Kemp, who saw service in the World War, hns completely reversed the usunl state of cxcluslvcncss of post masters In large cities. His deer is always open. One need net even send in a card. Kemp Willing te Hear All Real Criticism "I nm happy te say that any one with a complaint or n suggestion U wolcemo In my office," snld the Post master. "He may wall: In without an nouncement nnd he will he welcomed ns would be the most distinguished visi tor. I feci that the only wny te get satisfactory service Is by listening te constructive criticism. "If our pntrens cannot call, we nre glad te have them write. I personally open all of my own mall nnd give cadi case personal consideration. In im portant cases I Immediately send out n trusted man te investigate. Seme rou reu rou tleo cases, of course, I refer te depart ment heads. I send out special repre sentatives en about three or four cases a day. "When I came into office I was told nbeut three or four 'chronic kickers' nnd was advised te pny no attention te them. But I said, 'I will pay atten tien te them, for I want such com plaints te step. I want no reason for complaints.' I have since seen te It that the people who criticized the department are new well satisfied. I found there was justice in some of their criticisms. "We endeavor net te overwork our men. They arc supposed te work eight hours und no longer. Our hours nre like n -woman's skirt. They should be Sorting iheft Sh leh.iJ,,HbCT nm,l n no mernlnn first delivery, the most S f?.riu'," '2beAntereatl,V" my important of the.day, may answer a let quote irqm one of our Ecst-knewn I ter end pest It Rnd nave It collected by, 1$iLA.i t'miUJ? j?&m&j. ;&$& w?m&' --' :? y V' ,. ' ' '''.'. U-iAWJ; ', BBji V,, ' ..-:.. 'Xdfl!. ' ..- 'r&rifttJh'feW-t ' '";!" '::i"'"- - " - "2S WS mr&Fu&MjM MBBm.T ' t ';m-",.v-;- &$'' .- !! .C-';. "-I Bi :& UM "iS'TraBMBMS Yak '''VAVjBVABVaBBVvB 1 1 BBBBW8wBBBBwB StMUfKPSBmtJfSsSKttKBSSKHBSBiSlmKUtKtiBf' I yarararaKBBBUflHBYflrflYJ r-- 11 liliBliaHBBIiM plF .IliiiiililfcsiBlllilliiBiiBKffi wK$S$$M ' '''-2 '':. ':,j.T:..'.tm .&."sriz--.Ks ' Philadelphia pestprandial speakers. We new have arranged matters se that the carriers hnve n uniform leaving hour from their stations te deliver mall, and they must report early enough te be all ready en time. This has resulted se that when the carrier has covered his route and makes his collections from boxes, n putren who received a letter '- -,- -JmL JmMm isj mmMM f Mr c. ar - i i i i mm ii mm ... ,JM -a.lg.tf AflALW mail packages while under secret scrutiny as ' uz-VL'-$&''zmL--"-i'" ' "- - The Philadelphia "."fr.TT mms r m v "-V.ivv." r r " T ( ' . vi jJ P- ,& - 'Ax M'JP I sv the currier en his round." return collection Colonel Kemp talks niithertntively ' U,',..l 1 My.-y.' hi, jj... ,v 7$ 'IsmwWmffT Bfnl tPmM iff HP iff. KBm$mWim!Ss:SZm? i s si aKSK&A2$i. "&W j h mmtfr I -f" ' Postoffice nnd Federal Huilding vzhfci Postmarking fiOO httirs ,i niin- lite. Kveu at this speed seme are slipped out by tliievi-s niiil rmiilly of put.'i' il,- ,'i..t:ifni - n nffi-rtiiig Plii'.'iili'lji'u.ui-., .11,. I in fn.'i nil Americnnx. Things Surely Have Changed Sinvv Days of Leng Age "'ill' -I'M III', 111 ii t ii it 1 nm' t'lir ii-tiii'Miniili'i- Km Ktll'll llllll'-i'lf n ; In' ii(rpii'i, - i lilllnlli'il lillllinii e, , T. lll.i'l) lllll'-l 'l'. ! sluil-i Imlilcr in h. KiKllllTIi' r.llll'l'llll'il II l III,. n,.t ttir-i-fiii'liiiirf i'li. iitiui-nt of our kemtii- llll'llt, fill' It (HIS Villi',' (Ill' I'lilk of , tlip teli'grnpli li.'X-, the li.ll of ill,' ti'lc I phone uinl the lnuz of the newer radio , uie never lieanl. It Is the gri-aU'i-t of tin world's common uiniers ninl the .most cHicicm. Who else ceiihl take l.MHir nicoage te u miiiiiiiai' In Seuth Winn mi' a eirivi'i. or u me lire inn te your fiieml in the Philippine!, for ii cent'.' lu nt r.iiehliig the pub lic nn' ns vurieil us the art) numerous Irem tlie swiftest utrplniie te the her.se und buggy or the rural delivery route from the fastest railway mull trains te the deg teams In the frozen wastes of AiaSBI. "Hack In ICTC we postal men llke '-v. TX- SSlffli '. JBKaMPr!H3jiPl JsMm ZWmXZ&fiiP' J . K r- te recall, the Wotern miiiN wen ear rie.l onre a month in coaches from j Independence, Mi.s.-eiiri. te Saute Ki, j New Mcmce. The i undies were drawn 'by six fast and stui.ly iimiI. nnd gunrtled by eight men. fully nriiied, I If there was no mishap, the miiches i were nble te make the distance ' i-nn- ' tinueus travel of s.",0 mfles m two weeks. "Ompnrc this with a letur mailed n Pliiladelphiu. postmarked .". 1' M., Tue-day. rehniary 11. l!iL"'. di reeled te Portland. Oregon, that reached Port Pert hit d nt s A. .I. the fellow nc.. Satur. lay nieniing. or in tin- m. . nt-li.ilf dajs 'I'll,, sender ..i il is ,. ,, ,. u l'l-etiiiiHut hanker of Philinlelplru. . euld nef believe that mini ,eii'. In. , irrieij from the Atlantic te the Picitir i-i - tch time, lint refcreliee te tl e in i.l l, , . f.nls showed him lhat siji I: ..rue li being accorded everv diiv I "The Pluladelphia ie'st,.iTne ,. l,e third lart'esj hranch !u i',,. I'ii".il States and it requires .Mud r-i' i i .i i - p'eves and s(iimi ,"IHI m!.s mill , te transact )t liu-iness ''i,, tir t-e isq rnnrelliitlnn In the (Ciitral efli e .il.me, which Is done hy ,1,,'ti'i, ma. I .,,s .if the rare cf CiMi p'e.es ;t le.uuli'. i.n,!ie Mil) 'Kill n day an, I f..r tin iim ,.,(.,r s'lli--' iiiiiii 1 ,.",ni i.i ii ii; i.Miieiial I'le.-i - Th,. emid.'M an dm mi into hree shifts wiirl.iti i w rir -1 . r i, mr i -In "i!.". d.'ixs a se.ir I'ew IV I !.( thllt III sl, t,',.'., . '.(ill ' I. i C' ll-'lls ,,f the I li'l'li ',1 . l, ) ' " at nigl.t Our Ph lad 'it.' , I. ' ,s 'I. I r. e week- ut n,-. J,i ;,, ' ' . 11 'i, w e. I, ill the d.'M lllne ''l . . ' ew cenn en at si in the i m i, 1' rl.s linul three in ie imu u .-it ' nli'iirht i rew ,' as ,s :, 1 1, ,. , , ,,. ; at eleen and work- mi;l ,. .',t, '!''' I : 1 k of the mitaema in;nl i- p. t l.'ilU all (lls.ni, I,,. I hef. l-e I A. I 1 am u'lid of i he eii.ii'luiui iM .,ny te the .iilillc that it can creatli t,,. '. Kite the seriee In usin- unif. m, sizi.,l ineln,es; ,y placing the stump In i he hi n r riaht -haiul e. nifr. s (,nf t run preperh 'ie rnnreled h Hi nn. lime and In p'n. im; th,. i,ame mid ilddn ss of th,. sender i the upper Jeff. hand eel'lier. 1 1 i i 1 1 will in-etcnt lift 'L'eing le the deadleiier ellj.e in the .'(lilt of fli'lule of deluer ,,h, thnn twenty inlllleii letters wem te the deild I. Her oilier I, ist uiir he -aim the luilllfl of ihe sender did mil aiiear mi I lie cinelejie "Vldle we ha ir t , iisiieia 'had ejKs' ill ihe seree, J want t( ftJ ihat 'he elliptic. c ..f the Phriidelnlltit liiistelli.e nr.' a Ie.miI and ellliieni hedv of men Their innrale is lutfli and seeend te none in ii. corporal 1011 hi the city or State. i "The MrenV The vaiiiplre'' I)nH she cs le Ihe great harm of u fivv nf our men' I'm afraid she does t 'we watch out for her nnd her wIIch nnd very often we circumvent hci-V I can only say that If 'vamps' must Jiv'fl , victims, I wish for the Mljj(, f the I country they would pick them tiiilxide of Ihe pestnlfice depart lilent. "hhe niiK recently forced ns te ehr tain a further upproprlnlleu of SM.fMiO ....... .,.., ,.v,..,i,1i.i ,i, fxiciifj our f bok-eut gnllery se lt ,;OV,.ri ryry 2 k ,,0J .ef..0,lr 'work n Hoef, fi'i,ftl it l'i wiffleknily dn!Hcnt," l ' " , . J'q ,,.,'Vv:gfraA,.f.,.fi..iA 1 'S 1 m T'jw-I