Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-04-13
NO.. g..
From tho Marshall County Times.
The POstODce AGair.

On the Goth ultimo, J. M. Scott, Esq,
OF Eldora, received two letters by tho
mail from this place, one writtens by
James l.. Williams, Clerk of the Dis
trict Court of Marshall County, and
the other written from some point in
Illinois; the envelopes covering said let
ters were apparently addressed by the
same hand, and neither In the hand
writing of Mr.. Williams. The Will
Office, dated March a6th; tile Illinois
letter bore no postmark, but the letter
stamp upon 1t had been cancelled with
the erasivc stamp of this office. Mr.,
Scotts suspicious We're aroused, and he
at once called upon the y. s. Mail
Agent, then In Eldora, exhibited tho
two letters to him and told him there
must be something wrong In tho Mar
shalltown postoffice. The Agent at
once took steps to ferret out the matter,
and ascertain where the trouble was
He came down on Wednesdays stage
from Eldorn, and put decoy letter, adj
dressed to Thomas r. Slater, Esq, Cen
cral Insurance Agent, Marshalltown,
Iowa, into the mail bag at Marietta,
the last office on the route before reacll-
ing this place. Soon after the mail ar.
rived here the Agent called at the Of
flee and cnquired for tho letter. Mr..
Chaplin, the Postmaster, looked but
could not find 1t. Col. Shurtz, tho
deputy, was then ut dinner. The Agent
went away and In short time called
again, (Col. Shurtz being present and
Mr. Chaplin at dinner,) and enquired
for the letter, but 1t could not be found.
The Agent then made himself and bu-
siness known, sent for Mr.. Chaplin, ar
rested him and Col Shurtz, searched
them and the Office thoroughly, but
failed to find. said letter or any trace of
1t aud its disappearance yet remains
mystery. Mr.. Chaplin says he knows
II came to the office In tho mail from
Marietta that day, and that he remark
ed at the time, when Inc saw 1t, that u
new man had come to town. assa.ss,....
In regard to the two Scott letters,
Col. Shurtz says that Postmaster RAN
dali, Of Marietta, came into tho POST
office here on Monday morning, the
18th, while he was making up the mail
that Randall assorted the Marietta from
the Eldora mail, and went out; that
he came back in about an hour and
asked ii the Northern mail WAS closed.
Col S. told him 1t was not. Randall
said he had two letters to mail for Eldo-
ra, and handed Col. 8. ono to stamp
The Col says he remarked 1t was too
heavy; Randall told him it was Just as
Jim. Williams gave 1t to him, Shurtl
says he told him he would weigh 1t.
! and If 1t was too heavy he would put on
a stamp and charge tito Williams box
says he weighed 1t and found 1t just
under weight; that he stamped 1t with
the Postofilce stamp, and threw 1t into
the bag; that Randall then took tho
stamp and stamped the letter stamp
upon the other letter, using the erasive
stamp only. Shurtz asked why he did
that, and Randall said that he had an
object in view; that he did not wish 1t
known for the present where it came
from and threw 1t into the bag, re-
marking that it was for Eldora also.
Mr. Randall denies the truth of Col.
Shurtz statement in regard to the two
letters; and thus the matter stands
We have made this statement just as
we received it from Postmaster Chaplin
and Col. Shurtz. Mr.. Chaplin has been
released from arrest and exonerated
from suspicion, as we are informed.