Show OFFICIAL phiys 1 SNEAK THIEVES OF THE FRENCH government delicate method employed by in letter with a little they gum scaling win or metal fastener tho incident which occurred in the french chamber concerning the violation of the secrecy of a letter addressed to M Delca eso by a high official of tho ministry of marine has stirred the public which is surprised that fench proceedings ce take place under the third republic created in 1830 the cabinet noir was a permanent office under louis Philippe and napoleon III alio used and abused it in order to learn the political secrets of their opponents it was generally believed by tho public that the office had long barn by the present government ant after the incident mentioned who detill believe in the secrecy of the post of tho telegraph or of tho telephone exhibit an incredible credulity which is extremely rare at this fin de eincle those who are fo imprudent as to write their inmost though tg concerning any politician in power will be wise no longer to imagine that a letter which arrives at ita destination apparently unopened has not been read by ft third party As is well known it is also easy for an official to learn the secrets of the telephone by applying his ear to the receiver sat the central office and by eo doing to intercept phrases which are both instructive tive and amusing it now appears that the postoffice post office officials also give themselves up to the delicate pleasure of satisfying their curiosity they employ 20 different methods in order to assuage their professional in if an envelope is closed in the ordinary manner by a thin layer of gum they have the choice of two ey stems when the paper is hand etring they slip with great precaution a very thin but not cutting blado between abo two gummed parts and with a little practice they aro soon able to separate the paper without anear when the envelope is thin and brittle they open it by the primitive and homely means of steam these proceedings are extremely simple and the correspondence of many masters and mis tresses has often been slyly treated 1 in the way by an inquisitive domestic this industry requires very little edill and lie only capital y a small amount of patience the more suspicious individuals fasten aitu sealing wax and imagine that they aro consequently perfectly bafo from any surreptitious attack the offic leof the cabinet jioia however are not EO easily defeated by judiciously bending and twisting alie part of tho paper surrounding tho seal they gradually ri macli alie latter winch finally remains broken in their hand sArith u very thin layer of paper adhering to it afier examining the contents of tha letter they replace abo seal intact at tho exact place which it previously occupied and both the sender and receiver of the letter remain in blissful ignorance of their maneuvers other correspondents even more bus licious pi cious are not with gum and wax but supplement them by a small metal fastener which is guaranteed by its inventor to render any tampering with a this although its efficacy is far from that promised by tho stationery stationers station ers certainly complicates the work of the intruding official he rises to the circumstance however and after carefully removing the stamp end making a cross cut on the square from which it has been removed he imro sluwa a nail etcel instrument with a special hook at the extremity thia hook grips u corner of the letter and by carefully twisting the sheet round the etera of the it can be finally extracted without any apparent injury it by chance the note paper is refractory and cannot be twisted owing to its stoutness the operator cuts the entire length of ono bide of the envelope the contents are easily obtained in this manlier but the re closing of the envelope requires much delicacy of workmanship and ia in fact almost worthy of an artist about a millimeter of each of the cut edges ie carefully folded inward gummed and pressed together until dry this the work although rather difficult to a novice is boon acquired by practice there anro many other tricks employed some of which epsay volumes for human ingenuity it sometimes happens nevertheless that a letter baffles all tho eikill and experience of the entire department in that case choir arc rough and ready they suppress it altogether tho exterior appearance of the letter addressed to AJ delc isu betrayed tho work of the cabinet noir this proves not lack of skill of in trusted with such an important but underhand duty but simply negligence london globe |