Show SLEUTH TRACES I Ii i BY GIRL I 1 Postoffice Inspector Solves a Stolen Stamp Mystery After Two Years Work Worl When a pretty young woman who is even yet et confidential clerk and treas treasurer treasurer treasurer for a Salt It Lake agency manager decided to steal postage stamps to pur purchase purI purchase I chase dress goods she did not take into account the fact the United States post postoffice postoffice office inspectors are interested in all such thefts The fact too that she w was wasso wasso as asso so implicitly trusted by her employer er gave her confidence bu bur after two years ears Postoffice Inspector C D Lowe brought her crime home to her Because s she he promised restitution r and because her employer said he could not do without her even if It she had stolen the stamps the inspector promised to use his influence to prevent her name being made public Apart from the identity of the thief the incident is of interest because it shows the tenacity with which Uncle Sams minions hunt all offenders against i the federal laws I The first hint of the theft came when 1 I a big department store in Chicago noti noU notified i fled fied postoffice inspectors it had received 1 a remittance of ot more than 20 O worth of stamps tamps Whenever any unusual quantity 1 ty of stamps is received by the mail j order houses house they the always tell the postoffice post i i office authorities so it can ean be ascer aseer ascertained I tamed whether the stamps were stolen Inspector Lowe Lone being as assigned assigned assigned I signed to the case found that the Salt SaltI I Lake woman who had sent the stamps was the sister of the cashier who it was later learned had stolen the stamps The girls employer was notified that she was suspected but hut he ridiculed the idea and added that he had not been losing any stamps His obstinacy made it necessary for the inspector to brin bring the crime home to the young woman in way wa It took two years but it was accomplished notwithstanding the th fact the stolen stamps amounted to only 70 The rhe money spent in tracing the theft was many man times this sum but buta a principle was involved Inspector Lowe after he was con convinced convinced convinced vinced the girl was taking the stamps went to State Chemist Herman Harms and got him to prepare a fluid which would leave a mark on the mucilage used on the Lincoln memorial stamps but upon no others He was w s able ble to do this because the mucilage on these stamps was not quite the same kind used on others The next step was to see that the agency where the cashier was wag employed got nothing but Lincoln memorial stamps This required the assistance of the manager who by this time had become tractable and was willing to find out if he was being robbed The inspector then asked the Chicago mail order houses to report all large consignments of memorial stamps Re Recently Recently when such a remittance was re ported Inspector Lowe Lo e soon ascertained that the private mark he had placed on the stAmps stumps sold to the agency appeared on the stamps sent to the mall mail order i house rouse when he explained this to the agency manager the latter was un unable unable unable able to believe the cashier had taken the stamps The inspector then visited the home of the young woman and amI her sister He stated his case plainly and showed how indubitable his proof was Presently the cashier confessed and promised never never to do it again Inasmuch as the government had lost nothing no prosecution was instituted The girls employer er even after he had heard the details of the confession said the agen agency agency cy C could not do without her so he ac accepted accepted accepted her promise never to take any anymore anymore anymore more stamps The first theft of stamps took place two years yen ago last August and Inspector tor Lowe has hu been working on the case ever since |