Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-06-11
Cleveland Postmaster and Lottery swim


dlerE.
As we anticipated, the bogus Lottery facts
stated by the Herald and Leader touched the
Cleveland Postmaster on the raw. Yet Mr..
GRAY, with characteristic audscity and disregard
fIr truth, IN face of his own indictment at the
November term of the CayahOga Court, the
statement of the Prosecuting Attorney made
in open Court, and his published admissions IN
his own paper, asserted in the Pldlndsaisr OF
Ia It evening that the Post Master here from th'
day he came into Office has been fgktiAg sad
sl7audlers 5y erery legal AID has PO'oer, as Tx
Postmaster Gensral and the ''Dealers' lkersslres
can testify
As full and conclusive commentary on such
official blOviating. we reproduce the following
from the Leader of Dec. 4th, 1857:
"Iu yesterdays Leader we challenged th'
Dealer man 10 deny that he rented the upper
part of his Post office buildings for Lottery De,
pots. that he ever published lottery paper
called the American Eagle" that he was in
dictcd by the Grand Jury, and dared him TO dis
p.ove by his Post-ofice clerks, that he ever
loaned the P o. hand stamp to lottery men. In
last evenings Dealer its editor acknowledged
the truth of the charge of renting rooms to
those bogus fellows, Fout, Carson Co., and
denied that he ever loaned the stamp to them.
Yesterday these lottery dealers were fined $500
t, $500 each. They had pleaded guilty, eonse-
ouently the prosecutor was not enabled to
bring in his evidence. But he stated to the
Court the following, which we copy from the
Herald:
Among the documents found were a num-
Der of circulars and lottery newspapers, done
up in wrappers ready for msiling, with postage
labels attached, and these labels bearing the
post-ofiee cancelling marks. The post Office
stamp used for cancelling postage labels was
also found in the lottery Office, and is in the
hands Of the police authorities The PrOsecu-
ting Attorney in making these statements, said
that the facts unmistakably prove direct COM
plicity between the post-ofhce officials in this
city and the lottery Office in question
Thus we prove our charge, the loaning Ofthe
stamp. by the statement of the Prosecutor. On
our other charges, viz, that he printed Ottery
paper called the American Eagle" and that
he had been indicted by the Grand Jury for EiO-
lating the lottery laws, he was silent as the
grave, thereby admitting the truth of them"
Being thus fairly cornered, Mr.. GRAY made
clean confession. We quote further from the
Leader of December 9Th, as follows;
" In the Dealer OF Wednesday evening, its
Postmaster editor distinctly denied that he
ever printed any lottery circulars. Being close
ly pressed on the subject, he confessed in last
evenings Dealer, that he did print lottery
paper called the Amsrisaa Eagle Here it i:
Some years ago when We were afflicted with
several partners in the publishing business, and
I / Beardsley was the business man Of the
firm. paper called the AMeriegR Eagle was
published at the Plan Dealer Office. one half of
which was devoted TO Literature, the other half
to LOitsries'
That viii do It is unfortunate feT hin
that lie did not make the confession before, and
thus avoid bresking the commandment against
lying.
After saying the above, our lOttery-pOst.mas-
master editor goes on to defend himself for vio
lating the lottery law, and even boasts that over
siI thousand dollars has accrued to the Post
Office department in consequence of his shrewd |
of the Lottery business"
OF the instructions of the Postmaster General |
the Cleveland Postmaster in his PlaindeAlsr Of |
asst evening. says
Tue object of the order from the P. O. departs
nent to the New York P. NJ and other Post Mas
'ers, was. where parties, under fictitious names
md REFUSING TO MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN were
n receipt of lottery letters, to either force such
persons to come forward in their true names so
hey could be found out and punished by the local
send their letters to the dead letter
ofiee.
In New York there were none to answer to
hese fstions, even their agents who got their let
ers refused to make their principals known. In
ueh case the duty Of OBTAINING such letters was
,lear and unquestionahle. In Cleveland the esss 4,
s quite different. Here these gentlemen Of " fe-
ion come forward and own up to their true
lanes and real business. They make no disguise
II either, and hold themselves amenable to the
aw. They are known net only at the Post or
ice, bat are on the records Of our Criminal
Courts, where they have in person plead guilty
md been fined as lottery deslers- So it will be
een the order from the Department did not hit
he Cleveland case, and the Post Mister very
properly asked farther instructions which he ex>
leets to-day. The Department and the Post
Master too must be governed by law, and there is
10 power N either to withhold letters from any
lass Of persons when the owners Of such corres> I
Ondenee make good their legal title to the same.
The Cleveland Postmaster it viii be seen ad-
aits that he knows oil about these gentlemen
f fiction" and pettifogs his refusal to observe
be instructions of the Postmaster General with {
be acknowledged astuteness of Water
treet Lawyer" Will he inform curious pub
c how much his rents and commissions are
ncressed by the bogus lotteries of these "gen- '
emen of feiionl'' c