POST OFFICE PAUL PRYS.
Legislative enactments have been found no less necessary, to defend
the sacredness of private correspondence from the prying eye of
curiosity, than from the plundering hand of dishonesty.
There are many who would recoil from the thought of robbing a letter
of its pecuniary contents, but feel no compunction at violating its
secrecy for the sake of indulging an idle or a malicious
inquisitiveness, if the commission of the deed can be concealed. This
may not be called a common evil, and yet it exists; and it is one
against which Acts of Congress have been levelled almost in vain, for
there is perhaps hardly any portion of the laws of that body relative
to the protection of correspondence, through the mails, about which
there is felt so great a degree of security.
This violation of the first principles of decency and propriety, not
unfrequently leads to results more disastrous than those which are
caused even by robbery itself. The person, too, who indulges himself
in this disgraceful practice, cannot be sure that he will always keep
clear of more serious misdemeanors. He who pries into letters for one
purpose, may be led to pry into them for another. When one has become
accustomed to tampering with letter seals, he has broken through a
powerful restraint to crime, and has laid himself yet more open to the
assaults of temptation.
Sometimes a state of things exists in a neighborhood which clearly
shows that some unauthorized person is acquainted with the contents of
many of the letters passing-through the post-office, before the
rightful owners have received them. Secrets of the utmost importance
are suddenly blazed abroad, and those of less consequence are used to
inflict much annoyance upon the persons whom they concern. Those in
charge of the post-office become the objects of suspicion, and the
inhabitants of the infected district, if they are unable to obtain
positive proof of unlawful meddling with their correspondence, at
least show, by their endeavors to prevent their letters from going
through the dangerous channel, that they have lost their confidence in
the integrity of the post master, or of his assistants.
For instance,--Farmer Haycroft's daughter had settled the
preliminaries of a treaty of the most tender description with a young
gentleman of a neighboring city, though without the knowledge and
contrary to the wishes of the parental potentates on both sides. Their
happiness, it is clear, depended on preserving their secret inviolate.
Should it come to the ears of their "potent, grave, and reverend
_Seniors_," a storm of wrath might be expected like that which is seen
when two clouds, heavily charged, unite in pouring out their burden of
lightning, wind, and rain.
Therefore, in order to avoid such a consummation, interviews were not
risked, as being too hazardous, but a correspondence was carried on
under fictitious names.
Much solicitude was felt by the inquisitive matron who presided over
the _Pryington_ Post-Office, to know who "Elizabeth Greene" (the _nom
de guerre_ of the Haycroftian damsel) could be. So she
cross-questioned the boy who inquired for letters for the aforesaid
Elizabeth, but he was decidedly non-committal. And, as a last resort,
she sent her servant-maid to follow the unwary messenger, and see
where he went. She returned with the exciting intelligence that Jane
Haycroft met him and received from his hands the letter which the boy
had just taken from the office.
This information but aggravated the thirst for knowledge which raged
in the breast of the post mistress, and she inwardly resolved that she
would in some way unravel the mystery that lurked under the name of
"Elizabeth Greene."
The town was shortly after astonished with the news of the proposed
"match," and as the post-office dame was not supposed to deal in
_clairvoyance_, the inference was natural that some less creditable
but more certain method had been adopted to bring the important fact
to light.
The detection of supposed guilt in cases of this kind was formerly
very difficult, and heretofore the Special Agents had rather undertake
the investigation of a dozen cases of mail robbery than to attempt to
unearth one of these moles, working under ground, and gnawing at the
roots of their neighbor's reputation and happiness. For these Paul
Prys generally leave but few traces behind them by which they may be
ferreted out, however strong the grounds of suspicion may be.
Tests have been devised, however, by which these dealers in contraband
knowledge may be unerringly pointed out and detected in their
contemptible occupation. A letter may be opened, read, and resealed
never so carefully, yet by means of these tests the opening can be
satisfactorily proved, and the opener brought to justice, at least so
far as a removal from office can answer the ends of punishment.
A knowledge of this secret plan rests solely with the Post Master
General and his Special Agents, and it can only be communicated to the
latter under the most positive injunctions of secrecy. It will be
applied in all cases where there is reasonable ground for believing
that correspondence has been tampered with.
The legal penalty for this offence is five hundred dollars fine, and
imprisonment for twelve months.