The Postal Inspector's Decoy Trap
A persistent postal investigator nabs two local lottery men after months of elaborate sting operations.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The violation of the laws of the United States forbidding the use of the mails for immoral purposes yesterday got two dealers in lottery tickets into what may prove serious trouble. Basil Suponiska and W.W. Gilman are now under heavy bonds to appear before the United States grand jury. The arrest is in great part due to the detective work of Postal Inspector H.L. Thrall. Suponiska, a well-known lottery man, had been under suspicion for months. Inspector Thrall sent decoy letters from 'O.H. Bryan' in Kingston, asking for tickets. Suponiska took the bait and mailed the tickets, even offering a commission for sales. Eventually, a meeting was set at the Occidental Hotel. When Suponiska arrived, Thrall and Constable Terry King were waiting with a warrant. On his way to the commissioner's office, Suponiska implicated Gilman, who operated a cigar stand near Railroad and Yesler avenues. Gilman was found at his shop and, thinking the inspector was his Kingston customer, inadvertently confessed to his business dealings and even advised the inspector on how to avoid postal detection by using express services instead. Both men are now out on bonds provided by Agassis & McConnell.
“But you don't want to use the mails very often; you had better use the express. It is safer, but it ain't so cheap.”
Postal inspectors and federal stings were the cutting edge of 1890s law enforcement, much like federal digital forensics today. Lottery and gambling laws in the 19th century were a major source of civic friction, mirroring modern debates over the regulation of online betting and digital finance.
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