Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-09-01
POST OFFICE

parts ia itGi,cs which Mr.. ". has generOuSty and
conveniently omitted, to which ask tho particular |
attention of the reader.
POST OFFICE,
Richmond, Aug Cd, 1881.
Srn-Owing 20 tho number Of complaints which
have of late been made about the irrcgularity of
tho mails between Richmond and Charlottesville,
got tho consent of Col. Preston, and on the 2Sth
ui:. visited that route with view of aScertanng
if practicable, where the causes of such irrcgulari
ties oxiS;cd-Gnd ct the time, ii being crtra
trouble expense If The route being ,rich let
iers enclosing rcnt;Gnces IF paiue dolly conrcy
cd, determined 10 test tic honesty Of Tie officers,
tcsH their correctness in distribution, &c 1t
not that any losses had been sustained Oh this
route OF late, or that any suspicion rested any
part ofthe route, that deemed this step cxpcdicnt
but "a is rceN knorn that euery Post Master has his
as1i,iaat or assistants. and their uNswoRN
agents, in irho'n they confis. Thus IL as rendered
impossible for correct opinion to be formed Of
tie honest and correct management Of 7o,t office,
from the character Of such Post Masters.
Honinc briefly sta;ed the object of the in-estiga-
zion, 'oi proceed TO make knotrn to you the result,
far as relates TO your office On the 22d ult let.
ter enclosing u s. bank bill If directed to-, e.
Peetcd in Richmond, va. postrarked -, july Oh,
marked Nth 90 cents postage FAD, mis-seat to
your Office, IN package containing letter from
for your office, directed 10 ACCOMPANYING The poc-
kGge post bill to correspond ri;h the letters.
On the SSth ult. as was going up the route put
letter into the mail, enclosing fifteen dollars d.
rcctod to 'the Editors of the Fincastle Patriot"
postage, accompanied with poet bill to correspond
with the same. This letter and bill first duly
nveloPed tied with Irvine string, and directed to
Finsaste and 1 afterwards took the envelope of,
with view to expose tho letter, and then deposit
ed the whole of the package in tho mail in
manner to give it tho appearance of having acct
dontaliy come loosc III tho mail bag. l went into
your Office while the mail asserting, and wac
reading newspaper. When your assistant oauo to
my letter. he examined ii very minutcy for some
time, which under existing circumstances appear.
cd rather suspicious, and finally laid it aside as
thought. but could not be certain, az he teas as
sorting the saaI The floor 5.ana the counter and
could not his kSnd lrhen ii ,cas Dozen A,
soon as the mail left your Office, opened it, and
my suspicion was confirmed. My package was
missing. could not for q moment bcliere that al,
assistant 30 Ichcm tceTe entrusted the dTd,,ous and
responsible duties Of o6ice IKE yours could 30
so inexperienced not 10 knoic better than 10 re-
tain letter IN his office from the 27d to ths 9ota ,
hdt trGs plainly directed 10 Richmond, and cnclo.
| ing moneY. And in addition TO that hi, siopD;,o
the letter before alluded to, directed to F,ncastle
| enclosing money. Your not being at home | CON
sldorcd 1t my duty 10 take out a search warrant
and accordingly did so, but returning TO your
Office, put interrogatorics to your assist
ant, preparatory to commencing legal search and
soon found, very contrary to expectation, after
what had occurred, that the whole difficulty had
originated from your assistant being ignorant o.
his duty. In The first place. he did not kno,p thct
the letter 1ohich had been mis-sent 10 pour office
should hare been forardrded, and again he ,ras mi
4 the le' Ter directed to FlncuStlc sbp
nave gone on In the mail from which he had taken
IT. AS soon rs | discovered this [ dismissed The
onlcer with the warrant, and asked him to expi,n
The case to the magistrate, and request him to Ger
rect any wrong impressions that might be enter
tanned in relation to the subject Ibelier. Mr.. Da
r;s, your ASSISTANT to be rery pious and t5oyiay
| yourg man, and 1 perfectly satisfied thai
| he had no bad intention in retaining the letters
but that 1t proceeded wholly from inc xperiencc-
I! iodS my 'rish to hare You and trent nm to
Wilmington for that purpose but scGs disapDoi:isE
! sly object IN girins you this statement u.s. that in
e"ae ''To"g impression may hare gone abroad in
your neig"borhoOd you may hare it your payer TO
correct 1t. shall furnish copy al tAi. later 10
t6s Post Master General.
Respectfully, &c.
A. F. Z. ROBERTSON.
1t is obvious TO every candid and impartial man
after reading tho above that Mr. Ncuto,,s o,;oc.
was, to impress on the mind of the public a belief
winch he himself could not have entertained with
my letter before him. | understand his object to
be- to make 1t appear that |, without sufficient
ground, took search warrant fro,, which
! injury resulted TO the character of his ofgica
thcreoy charging me with improperly, ard in en- |
deaVoring to substan:iate that charge the reader
VIII rendiy see the weak stratagcm 10 which he |
mas had recourse. Who would have attr;buted tho
detention of tia letters alluded to NJ fife ,rLor |
such circumstances, to his Dcputys being IGNORANT
OF the duties OF his Office before the fact was ascer
| famed by an investigation Mr.. N. harps upon
tho Flncaste letter, land by the bye he tai cs csro
to mention othcr) There is n dali, NIL
from Richmond, via Pcs TO Guyandotte, in
Cabetl county, and that letter should not havr
bccn stopped at Fitc's-but that aside: TO what
cause could the detention for one week of r,e
letter directed to Richmond, and enclosing money
have been attributed? which, together with eycTv
circumstance connected with it, Mr. ~ has dccli
ned noticing in his publication. Had it been his !
wish to have vindcatod the character OF his Office
against the malicious reports which had grown ont
o. the circumstances that occurred thro nv instru
mentality, and he had not been disposed TO publish
inc Whole ofmy letter. would checriuliy have iond
nm IN publication which would la We exionerated
ms Deputy from the charge OF having Intentionally
violated the law, and have attributed his HAVING
cone so to the true cause, namely, his ignorance oil
the duties which dcvolvod upon him. In relation
TO the contemplate Institutions in the conclusion
OF MI Ms publication e1nanating from the quarter
which they have, the reader will tako them
Tor what they are worth. | will merely remark
that The the cap IS so admirably suited TO Mr. n
that am induced to believe he must have taken
his own head for the model when he manufactured
1t. am not in the habit, Messrs. Editors, of en-
gaging IN ncwTpaPer controversies, and if Mr. y
should again trouble the Public with the ss,lo,rs,
io"s subject" "5rOnderful PACKAGE" s'r1issio7"
&C he may take the field TO himself and cniov i;
undisturbed. A. F. p ROREpTSST
Fo'T OTFreE, Richmond, Aug. %, 1881.