The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-09-24
VIM. UPHAM,
L. p. WALTON,
HARRY BRADLEY,
GEO. II. HODGES,
CHARLES PAINE,
CHARLES X. HOPKINS,
Sept. 10, 1880.
State Central
Committee.
THE POST OFFICE ROBBERY.

Keyes, the individual accused of iobbng the Post
Office at DanyiIle, passed examination last week
and the evidence against him was of such ma ture
that he was bound over for trial at the sitting of
the Court next December. In dofau; Of security
in the bail he was committed TO jail Reyes con.
iessed several heils of money and that he had pur
Joined many letters which he destroyed.
A statement, apparently o6ictai of the history Of
the robberies committed by Reyes is published,
garnished up in style not little ridiculous
through the whole of which there is kept up a la
bored attempt to hide from public view the official
neglect which alone enabled Reyes to perpetrato
for so long time his thofts upon the property Of
confding and abused public, and which closes up
with spenetic outbreak of official bile, against us
worthy Of the head and heart of any common black
guard,
Complaints have been frequent about the irregu-
lariy the receipt of the contents Of the mails
which pass through Danvio from tho West, South
and East Letters have been mailed repeatedly
and not received, which would pass no other Office
except that at DanvlIe; and it is presumed that
they were taken from the office by the prisoner,
who, it is stated IN the published account adj
mitted to the apartment where the contents of the
mails deposited In tho law regulating the
post Office and prescribing the duties of post mas
tiers we ma the loIloWlng, IN Sec. IL:
''And it shall be the duty of the Post Master, at
all reasonable hours, every day of the week. TO
DELIVER, on demand, any letter, paper or packet,
to the person entitled 20 authorized 10 receive
the same
In the account above referred tot is asserted that
Reyes, Sin the hurry Of busin ess was permitted
to the post office room and take what the law
positively onioined upon the Post Master to dciirer
to him, besides granting him access to whatever
oIe ,;oht ho,,o hoo,, a.
the same law, Sec 2, find the following:
s'Every person who shall be- IN any man ner en- =
poyed in the care custody, conveyance, man
agement of the mail, shall be subject to all penal
ties and forfetures, for violating the injunctions
neglectng the DUTIES required of him by the laws"
BY the same law, the bondsmen of any post mas
ter made responsible for the neglect ofany of
his duties. If there had not been any neglect of
duty in the present case, it is plain there would
have been no robbery of money or letters from the
post office. The violation of duty was in not hand
ing letters papers 20 the prisoner, and in admit.
| ting him to the apartment where the contents of
the mail were lodged, and thus exposing them con-
trary TO law, to be puroined. Whatever may be
the penalty required by the head of the General
Post Office for violation of law, the person by
whose neglect the public suffered should restore to
the looser, dollar for dollar, all monies that are
known to have been taken from the office. Com
mon justice, if nothing else, requires this much
That would not restore the numerous letters which
did not contain money; nor "exonerae the post
master" from a neglect of plain duty specified
and enjoned by law, and which the oath of office
requires of every post master. If the "hurry of
business" prevents any officer from attending to his
official duties, another person who has less private
business should be permitted assume the official
robes Strange times these, when a public print
declares public officer "exonerated'' when, in the
same article plain and palpable violation of off,
cial duty is admitted-a violation which has sub
jeced the patrons Of the mail vexatons and loss
es, and that too, for weeks in succession
While the carriers of the mails IN this section are
uncommonly prompt and faithful in the discharge
OF their duties, it is pity that neglecs in the in
ternal department of the post Office should be the