The Rev. T. H. Sikes writes to the Times to
describe a new swindle. While he was staying at Antwerp, a letter addressed to his wife there was opened by some swindler, who sent off a tele- gram to the writer in Mr. Sikes' name "to send as much money as she could to pay the hotel bill." The writer, a sister of Mrs. Sikes, sent off £10 in a registered letter ; but both letter and money were appropriated, and the Post Office declines to be re- sponsible. Mr. Sikes should apply to the Belgian Postmaster. General. To make a man think of that swindle, he must have been sure that he could send the telegram without detection, and could stop a registered letter to a particular address before it was delivered. No one except an employe of the Antwerp Post Office or of the Antwerp hotel could fulfil both those conditions, and the area of inquiry would be a very narrow one.
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