Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-07-12

ard destroy one letter mailed by Dun,more Chambers
addressed H. Bacon Co., Chicago, and did steal and
take from said letter the of eighteen dollars in Hi
nos Bank bills, whose par value eighteen dollars in
money and of the actual value of twelve dollars. the
of said Dunsmore Chambers, and by them
enclosed in said letter, mailed a. aforesaid.
And also for that the said defendant, the LIST day of
june, lSl being employed in the postoice aforesaid,
did then and there embezze and destroy one letter mail
ed at Columbus Ohio directed TO Mrs. RebeGca Mock,
Musrat Iowa. which said letter received by said
defendant, and by him unawfully detained and de-
stroyed
And also for that the said defendant did, the 2s,
day of April 1851 he being at that time clerk in the
postocr aforesaid in the city aforesaid did then and
there steal and take from said postofce five hundred
postage stams of the denomination OF three cents EACH
and of the value of three cents, the property of George
Worrs postmaster at Atalssa, in said Muscatne conn
all of which acts and were contrary to the prors
ions of the of the United States and against he
d entity of the said United States Of America.
l. J. b. Grinnel, special gent of the Posoflce De-
mcut. depose and thar have heard the ioregc
ing info nation read, and know the contents thereof,
and that the same is true as verify believe
FIRST DAY.
This Court was opened on Monday. July s,
1861, at 10 o'clock, a. NJ, by ii. NJ. HoXie, U.
S. Marshal for the District of Iowa.
The counsel for defendant presented a mo-
ton that, as there are several distinct offences
chargedin the information against the accused,
the plaintiff be required to elect the specific
charge upon which it wishes to proceed to
trial
This motion was contested by the counsel
for the plaintiff who contends that the Gov
ernment had a right to 90 into a preliminary
examination as the information stands, that
it was unnecessary to elect one specific charge
and that tn. object of the examination was to
ascertain what there was existing against the
defendant.
1t was finally agreed that the examination
proceed on the first count in the information
With the understanding that the remaining
ones be held open until further authority in
the matter is presented to the court by the
plaintiff.
The accused is charged first with secretine
and destroying one letter written by }. Hard
man. addressed 10 Messrs. Jones & White
l02 Randolph street, Chicago, H., containing
five dollars.
EVIDENCE FOR PROSECUTION.
J. Hardman sworn.-I mailed letter OF
the 18th OF last month, addressed to Messrs
Jones & White, l02 Randolph street, Chicago
Illinois, containing five dollar bill and ar
artificial tooth (letter presented and cxamin
ED This is the same letter sent except tha
instead of the figure there is 4 blot and af
| terWard is written the word ''one.' On tn,
afternoon Of the 18th of June, Mr.. Aaron
Stein came to my office and brought the letter
He asked if had mailed it. answered thai
had. 1t had apparently been opened anc
resealed. took the letter, but before opening
1t, told him it contained five dollars. Upor
opening it found it the same as now exhib
tied, containing a one dollar bill and u frag
mented tooth. Do not know who opened thu
letter. put the letter in the drop on the righ
as You 90 in, about the middle of the sid,
boxes between and 5 o'clock, P. NJ.
Cross Examined blot was over tn,
figure when | opened the letter. Don't re
collect any other blot The ink used by me
was dark at the time | wrote the letter. Have
Inc bottle from which the ink was used. 1
is labeled and was obtained at Burnett's. Mr.
Stein came the day after | mailed the letter
The bill sent by me was upon the State Banl
Of Iowa. Don't recollect what branch. Tn,
envelope in which the letter was sent was en-
closed to me from Chicago, and in openin.
the letter with scissors, accidentally cut
strip OF one end of this envelope, of perhap,
half an inch in length.
Aaron Stein sworn.-I am cleri, in the pos
Office, and was on the 18th and 14th of June
Il. B. Williams and James 1iahin were en-
P Dyed, beside myself, at that time [ gener
ally make up the mails On the 18th. thinl
Blake Williams attended to the stamping o
letters. (The letter was here produced.)
saw this letter on the l4th of June; it wa!
shown to me by Blake Williams. lie remarke,
that it was no wonder that money was lost il
going through the post Office, as some people
Were! very careless about closing thei
letters Under the impression that all wa
not right, and seeing that it was addressed t.
dentists in Chicago, l went Immediately t,
Messrs. Hall & Kulp, to ascertain whether the,
had placed the letter in the Office They knew
nothing Of the letter, and |, therefore, called
upon DIR. Hardman who, upon looking at it.
at once remarked that it was mailed BY him
but that it had been tried with He then toif
lie of his own accord what the letter con
tanned. Atterward, upon opening it, we found
il as now exhibited | AN acquainted with
BIake's hand writing, and believe the word
one" on the letter to have been written by
him. account book presented.) Have seer
him writing in this book. On the night O
the 18Th Blake and Charley Cadle slept in tllt
office, believe. generally leave the Office a.
about , in the evening; think Blake was no1
there Oh the night Of the 18th when left.
had one key and Blake the other. Have nc
knowledge beside that already stated as to who
opened the letter Blake kept box and bed
III the office. lie was employed by Mr.. Mahir
from 10th Of April till 18th of jane. He had
been employed in the Office previous to that
time By his father, who was the former Post
master '.... ~
Cross Examination.-Have been in the post
Office since the 18th of April Mr.. Mahin
took possession ON the 10Th On the 18th of
June, James Mahin, Blake Williams and my
self were employed in the office. Have under
stood that Blake was Is years of age, and
suppose James Mahn is about Il. Do not
know, but suppose neither of the BOYS was
sworn, as | understand that only bows of a
certain age can be sworn as clerks in the post
office. Blake was retained, | suppose, for the
public accommodation, as he had previously
been employed there, and doubtless understood
the business better ehan some of us.
Two letters were shown to me on the after
noon of the 18th, (and this, think, is one of
them,) that had stuck together after being
thrown into the drop. l was asked what
should be done with them, and replied they
must be torn apart, as they were going in diff
ferent directions. My attention was called to
this by the Two boys. 1t was the next day
that Blake showed me the letter now here.
Upon my asking where he got it, he replied,
out Of the front box. The boys took turns in
staying at the Office to assist in delivering the
evening mail. think Blake was absent that
evening. If he was, James Mahin and myself
we're there don't recollect whether left both
he boys there, together, on that evening.
Mr.. Jacob Mahin has been in the office, and
he carrier of the Journal; others, also, have
'een in for a moment on business, the notice
n the door not having the desired effect.
The carrier for the boat got the mail bag once
uring my absence, through Charley Cadle,