Ten Years Among the Mail Bags: Or, Notes from the Diary of a Special Agent of the Post-Office Department — John Shaqi
Ten Years Among the Mail Bags: Or, Notes from the Diary of a Special Agent of the Post-Office DepartmentHolbrook, James
History
Ten Years Among the Mail Bags: Or, Notes from the Diary of a Special Agent of the Post-Office Department
Holbrook, James
Postal service -- United States
This set of packages, however, passed the suspected point in safety
on this occasion, and several times afterwards, for the very good
reason, as it subsequently appeared, that, in the absence of the post
master, an honest person overhauled the mails.
The snare was laid once more, and with better success.
Upon a certain day, as the mail was leaving Boston, a letter
containing some fifty dollars, in good and lawful money, duly marked
and recorded, that it might afterwards be identified, was placed in
the package of letters for the post-office which had suffered so many
losses before, and to pass through the office over which he of the
tight coat presided. This package was watched by the Special Agent for
the distance of seventy miles or more, until it had arrived unmolested
within ten or fifteen miles of the suspected office.
About this time I again fell in with General Pierce, who kindly
offered to act in concert with me until the result of that day's
experiment should be decided; he taking the stage which was to convey
the mail, and I intending to follow after by private conveyance, both
to meet again, and to examine the contents of the bag after it had
passed the office at C. The object of this temporary separation, as my
readers will readily see, was to prevent the possibility of any
recognition of my person, which might have been incurred had I been
seen traveling with a gentleman so well known as the Hon. Mr. Pierce.
Much curiosity would inevitably be manifested to know whom the U. S.
District Attorney had with him, and speculations on the subject might
approach too near the truth for the interests of public justice.
The united efforts of the sixteen legs which impelled the "leathern
conveniency" containing my friend, the Attorney, were soon too much
for the four that hurried along "Cæsar and his fortunes;" and the
first-mentioned vehicle ere long was "hull-down" in the distance. I
had often been over this route before, yet in some incomprehensible
way, either by turning off too often, or not turning often enough, I
got upon the wrong road, and came near making a bungling job of it.
Pressing on as fast as possible to get a glimpse of the stage once
more, I had driven furiously for several miles, until, becoming
convinced that I was not likely to overtake it though I should go in
that direction till doomsday, I halted at a farm-house which stood
near the road, and addressed a man who apparently had been engaged in
cutting wood in the yard, for he stood, axe in hand, with an unsplit
log lying before him. The sound of my wheels had undoubtedly arrested
his attention. Dropping his axe with alacrity, he lounged up to the
fence, and leaned his elbows upon it, evidently prepared to refresh
himself after his bodily toil, with a little social intercourse.
"Is this the road to G.?" said I.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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