Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-24

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OBSERVER.
The Hartford Post Once.
For several weeks past rumors have been
| current on the streets relating to miSmanage-
ment or something worse in our post office, but
| they were OF so general character, and it be-
| ing understood that the department was inves-
| tigatng the matter, it has been thought proper
| to withhold the facts and the rumors from pub
| LEGATION until affairs had taken a more definite
| shape. The announcement this morning of the
removal, by Postmaster Whitaker, of Mr., Oliver
| Woodhouse, who has been connected with the
office for twenty-five years, and about half that
| time has been chief clerk, makes it proper to
state the facts SO far as we can obtain them, in
| order that the relations of Mr. Woodhouse to
the postmaster and the reasons for the dis
charge may be understood.
1t will be remembered that early in Mr.. Whit
akcr's administration be was unfortunate in the
| appointment of one Of his intimate friends as
money order clerk, who was shortly caught en-
bezzling money, ran away, was pursued, arrest
| ed, bound over, forfeited his bonds, and is now
at large. His successor, appointed by MIR.
Whitaker, was the defaulter's most intimate
| friend, TO whom the criminal had disclosed the
secret OF his crime before making his flight. The
two appointments were, to say the least, unior-
tunate.
Subsequently another change was made, and,
on the recommendation Of Gov. Jewell, Mr.. VIM.
F. Clark, who had served the governor as eXccu-
tive messenger, was appointed money order
clerk, upon salary of $1,000. The salary Of the
money order clerk we understand is proper
toned to the amount OF business. Clark dis
covered after a while that the amount of
business done in the office entitled him
to salary of S1150, and so informed the
postmaster. The postmaster told him to make
out statement TO that effect to be forwarded to
the department He did SO, and for one quarter
his salary was raised to correspond with the
business. The succeeding quarter, however, he
was paid by the postmaster at the old rate.
rms, with the fact that pay rolls were signed in
plank, excited Clark S suspicion that he was not
receiving the full amount of salary drawn for
MN by the postmaster. He went, accordingly,
to Gov Jewell, who recommended him for the
place, and communicated to him his suspicious.
Inc governor declined for some time to move
III tue matter, but at length wrote to the pay
master general, asking for a copy of the pay roll
OF the office. 1t was forwarded by Postmaster
General Cresswcll, The pay roll disclosed that
Clark pay was correct, and that his suspicious
were untounded. But in the course of the in
quiry, MIR. Woodhouse, the chiefclerk, who, it is
not too much TO say, has the entire confidence
OF TINS community as a man of integrity, was
called in by Gov. Jewell to make comparison
OF the pay roll with the amounts actually re-
ceiyed by the clerks. The pay roll was for the
quarter ending March 81, 1871. The amounts
on the pay roll and the amounts actually re-
~ nv Nstoc vi lllltG VIZ. NcOI8c
Il. Merrill, Gilbert Matthewson and L. NJ. Dick
inson, did not agree, each being recorded on the
rolls as having a salary of $40, while receiving
only 500. Here was a difference of 1920 per
annum charged the Hartford office by the de-
partment which was unaccOunted for.
Governor Jewell, upon consultation with the
member of congress from this district and other
prominent and influential friends of the admin
lStratlon, decided to call the attention of the de-
partment to these discrepancies, and ask that
the affairs of the Hartford postoffice be looked
into. Postmaster Whitaker was at the same
time informed by friend, with whom Governor
Jewell had consulted, that these disclosures had
been made, and that if he could explain he had
betterdo it,
Meantime detectives had been sent on by the
department, who proceeded at once upon their
arrival to take testimony of the clerks That
being done, they called upon Mr.. Whitaker for
| his explanation. He stated that he had Just
written the department asking an investigation,
to which they replied that it had been ordered
| already and was pretty nearly concluded. They
then took the postmaSter'S explanation in writ
ing; little later, the postmaster desired TO
withdraw it, but his request was not complied
with
Mr. Whitaker's explanation is that he has
paid each clerk the whole amount of salary he
agreed to, and that the whole amount received
from the government for clerk hire has been so
| appropriated; the discrepancy of 1920 arises,
he says, from the fact that he was paying his
two brothers, who were clerks in the office that
| amount in excess of the sums charged them on
| the pay roll; in other words, that he paid the
S42O excess to his brothers, and did not keep it
| himself We do not understand thatsMr. Whit
aker undertakes any other explanation than
| this. The quarterly accounts are regularly
| sworn to by the postmaster and under a rea-
| Sonably strict construction of law the crime of
| perjury has been committed; but the postmas-
| ter reasons that as he paid out for the clerks
q 10 tlnyoioc ro1 f-nr, Aha
ment under that head, it is matter of small
| account whether he has or not paid it out ac-
cording to his sworn statements.
His excuse for paying his brothers more than
the payroll showed was two-told; first, that he
had delicacy about having two of his own
family appear on the books of the department
as receiving large salaries; and, second that his
brothers were employed a larger number of
hours than the other clerks, and that be was
obliged TO pay them larger salaries than the rest
to keep them, they having received large offers
to 90 elsewhere. On the other hand the clerks in
the office say that the Whitalers are not en-
ployed as many hours as some CT the others,
and that the only one who does any work in the
mailing department is entirely incompetent for
the place, being iIliterate and ignorant, and liza
Bile to constant blunders. 1t is also said that
the two brothers when examined by the detec-
tiyes at first denied having received any extra
pay, and afterwards stated that they had received
portion of it.
1t is notorious fact that the Hartford post
office has been for the past two years the sub
ject of more complaint from business men and
Others doing business through the mails, than
any other in New England; most of this time it
has been under the visitations of detectives.
The present investigation has had nothing to do
with the matter of the general administration,
but has been directed solely to the question of
the postmaster's personal honesty. We have
stated the facts as they have been brought out
MIR. Woodhouse, the chief clerk, has had more
or less to do with the inquiry, from the nature
of his official relations, since Gov. Jewell called
him IN for comparison of the pay rolls
Hartford Post, august 22d.