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Show Postman Who Stole Stamp, Set for Jail, Is Freed SAN FRANCISCO A mailman who stole a 3-cent stamp was freed in a federal court, but was discharged dis-charged from his job. Frederick Gambrell, 50, appeared in court expecting the maximum sentence of six months. But the judge was curious to know why he had stolen a stamp after serving the post office for 29 years. "I've got no excuse," he said. "I don't know why I did it." Then he told how as a mail pickup pick-up man he sometimes kept loose stamps that fell off letters. He was caught taking a stamp recently and discharged. Gambrell said he, his wife and their two children lived in a cheap hotel because they had heavy medical medi-cal expenses. His son is blind. "But we lived within our means," he said. "I never meant to cheat anybody." The judge asked the government prosecutor to dismiss the charge. The prosecutor suggested a conviction convic-tion for the record, then probation. "The record is less important than this man's life and his family," the judge snapped. "Case dismissed." |