Money Letter Carriers: Money Transport in the Post Era

History of Money Letters and Their Carriers

The transport of cash by mail began in Germany as early as 1868, when the delivery of money amounts up to 50 Talers was introduced in several locations. In 1872, money delivery was uniformly regulated, with initially up to 500 Talers being deliverable. Over time, the maximum amounts were continuously adjusted, especially during the inflation period.

Money letter carriers, officially called "Geldboten" (money messengers), were exclusively male federal postal officials. They primarily handled pension payments and the delivery of postal money orders in larger cities. However, with the introduction of the postal check service in 1909, the slow decline of this profession began.

Risks of the Profession

The profession of money letter carrier was associated with significant dangers. The cash they carried made them attractive targets for robbers. By 1934, the records of the Reich Postal Ministry had already documented 92 attacks, including 15 robbery-murders. Attacks increased dramatically especially between 1930 and 1933.

For self-protection, the money messengers of the German Federal Post carried pistols until 1987, although these were rarely used. The postal officials received regular training in handling weapons together with police officers. From 1993 onwards, handguns were replaced by mobile phones.

The Adlon Murder: A Spectacular Case

One of the most famous cases in the history of money letter carriers occurred on January 2, 1919, at the luxurious Hotel Adlon in Berlin. Money letter carrier Oskar Lange, 58, entered the hotel to deliver a cash-on-delivery shipment to a supposed Baron Winterfeldt. Lange was known at the Adlon and had previously delivered shipments to the same recipient, who had given him cigars and ham sandwiches in return.

The alleged baron was actually Wilhelm Blume, a serial killer who had targeted valuable letters totaling 278,000 marks. Blume strangled Lange in his hotel room and fled with the loot. The crime initially remained unsolved, as Berlin was shaken by civil war-like conditions at the time.

It was only three and a half years later that Blume was caught in Dresden after attacking another money letter carrier there. The legendary homicide detective Ernst Gennat identified him as the Adlon murderer. Interestingly, Blume was not only a cold-blooded murderer but also an ambitious playwright who had even written a play about the Adlon murder.

The End of an Era

With the increasing spread of cashless payment transactions, cash delivery by money letter carriers became less and less important. After the transformation of the German Federal Post into Deutsche Post AG in January 1995, the last money messengers were transferred to counter service. In April 2002, the postal money order as a service of Deutsche Post AG was finally abolished.

The most famous money letter carrier in Germany was Walter Spahrbier, who gained national fame through his role as an extra in the television shows "Drei mal Neun" and "Der Große Preis."

Conclusion: Money Letter Carriers - a Dangerous Profession Made Obsolete by Cashless Payment

The history of money letter carriers reflects the transformation of our financial system. What was once an indispensable, albeit dangerous profession, was made obsolete by technological developments and cashless payment transactions. Dramatic cases like the Adlon murder remind us of the risks associated with the physical transport of cash and illustrate why digital transactions represent the safer alternative today.