POSTAL PILFERERS.

NZ Truth, Issue 309, 27 May 1911, Page 8

POSTAL PILFERERS.

What Happened at Hillend.

The Iniquity of Inquisitiveness.

The pious and long-suffering people of Hillend, which is near Naseby; for some time past have suspected that their letters to Cousin Willie m Philadelphia, and John D. Rockefeller/in Noo Yark, and the replies thereto have been subjected to a sort of censorship by the parties who. run the Post Office at the Hillend centre of population. The post office there was m the charge of one McKay, who ballasts the line ' for the Government m the capacity of ganger, and as the job of packing sleepers and tightening up fishplates occupied most of his time,, he deputed the onerous duties of His Majesty's mail to

HIS DEAR SON AND DAUGHTER

A plant was. laid for the- juvenile aspirants for Joe Ward's Postmaster Generalship, by that astute .and gentlemanly party who is known to the initiated as JDetective Ward of Holy Dunedin, and the young stamp cancellers fell m all the way.

A party called by the rare and uncommon name of Wilson, who hangs his hat up m Australia, forwarded a bangle (gold) to the girl of his heart, which rejoices m the name of Miss East, and enjoys the blessings of penny postage m Hiligrove. The lady never got Mr Wilson's gold circlet, and Detective Ward then started to unravel the tangled skein and look for the bloodstain on the carpet.

When the tall "tec" had finished up, he collected the juvenile postmasters namely, Annie Margaret McKay, Who is sweet seventeen and rather good looking, and her brother, Charles Edward McKay, a dreamy poetical youth of 19, who is badly m need of a hair-cut, and charged them with having tamperect with the pledge of love— to wit a postal packet.

Both the postmaster with the long hair and the nice-looking young npostmistress pleaded guilty to tar-

pering with George V's mail bags last week at Dunedin Supreme Court.

The lady's .trouble was taken first, and Lawyer Moore softened the keen edge of the sw.ord of justice. Lawyer Moore told his Honor that Mister Wilson's packet to Miss East had been opened by Annie, WHO HAD COLLARED THE BANGLE. Then Annie became frightened and threw the golden circlet away as her conscience was working overtime. When Detective Ward spoke to her she admitted juggling with the jewellery. This was the first time that Annie had strayed from the cheerless path of moral rectitude, and he I asked for probation for her.

His Honor Mr Justice Sim reckoned he would hear what Charles Edward had to say about the same matter.

The Paderewski-haired postmaster then climbed into the dock alongside his dear sister, and fixed his dreamy be-spectacled eye on the top of Gaoler Scanlon's head— just where the thatch is beginning to tell a tale.

Lawyer Moore said that Bonnie Prince Charlie opened the packet before Slater Annie and, on finding

out its contents, dosed 'it up again. The Costs man said that Charles' beautiful hair had been m the post office for five years, and had given every satisfaction. Charles had confessed his heinous sin to the detective at once. Ho asked for probation for Charles.

Mr Fraser, TC.C, Crown Prosecutor, said that the police inquiries showed that complaints had been frequent about Hillend 's love-letters and bills being opened before they i reached thir eager owners. Tnquisi- | tiveness was the cause of the whole trouble. Annie

HAD YIELDED TO A SUDDEN TEMPTATION. Annie's father was a ganger and kept the post office at Hillend. His Honor admitted Annie to probation, and warned her to be a better girl m future. The longhaired, poetical Charles Edward [ was fined £5, and ordered to be detained until such time as the filthy lucre was forthcoming, such dctenjtion not to exceed two months.