Richland beacon., 1873-06-07

I
However exaggerated may have been
the statements on either side, by the
respective newspapers in Ouachita,
| it is quite evident that Mr.. PETIT
BONES statement is a truthful picture
of the whole affair, and in it Major
Selye' will see himself as the public
sees him:
Editor Opdchita Telegraph:
MY attention has been called TO the article
in the lntelligencer of the 2Sth inst. As it
contains insinuaiions which seem to reflect on
me, shall in as brief a manner as possible
review the whole transaction, so far as have
had anything 10 do with it.
The facts are follows: Ii is generally
known that the car used for mail purposes
was an ordinary box car which had been fit
ted up by running partition across the car.
Now. in order to fully understand the matter,
it will be necessary TO describe the fixtures
an general situation Of the mail room. Up
on the left side Of the car was broad shelf
running the eutire length of the room. and
undernea this shelf for about half the dis
lance was paper case or two row. Of large
pigeon holes This shelf and case was nail
ed 10 a very strong manner to the floor to the
lining of the car TO the partition and to the end
of the car. Running across the end of the
car, was a similar broad shelf which laid on
the paper shelf and the two were firmly fas-
tened together, not only by nails, but by an
iron rod screwed 10 the floor, and alss nailed to
the end and side of the car. Upon this broad
shelf was fastened the letter case, and upon
which the letters were distributed. | state
these facts for the purpose Of showing that it
would be necessary TO take down the letter
case first, then tear up the shelf on which it
rested and then to take up the paper case be-
fore it would be possible for any one to get at
the robbed letters. Now, the leters-the
robbed letters-were found behind this paper
case and between the two walls Of the car and
il was still necessary to take off the inner
wall Of the car before exposing the letters, so
that il would have been an impossibility for
any one to have got at the letters in less than
an hours time and then only by the free use
of hammer and cold chisel.
Now as TO my part in the matter On the
morning of Dec. 10, 1872, l went into this
car for the purpose of taking out the letter
case, &c, preceded by the foreman of the shop.
Mr. j. E. Parlee. We proceeded first to take
down the partition, but before we had COM
pleted it, and probably about ten minutes af-
ter our first coming into the car, Mr.. ID. p.
Grant came in to assist us, and remained in
the car the whole time. After .taking down
the partition we proceeded to take down the
letter case in the end of the car ; and behind
this case We found the two unopened letters
and one Newspaper, and no more. Next was
torn down the paper case located on the side
of the car; and upon removing the case and
tearing off a portion Of the inside lining, the
robbed letters came into view. | was per-
sonay assisted all this time by Mr.. Parlee,
and he and myself took some of the letters
out from between the walls, they lying at the
time on the floor. Mr.. Grant, coming over
TO the part of the car where was also picked
up some of the letters, and after looking at
them, and noticing particularly, as he distinct
ly remembers, that they were open, handed
them to me. | should have mentioned that
two or three Of the letters were lying on the
brace which runs from the corner to the floor.
Just as we had removed the letters found on
the brace, Mr. c. n. Tull, the master machin.
list of the road, came in, and saw Mr.. Parlee
and myself remove the balance of the letters.
| was, previous to this time, never within this
,NSsand so far as l remember never made
repairs on the outside even.
AS to the "oscilating" motion which Mr..
Seyle charges with having placed these letters
where they were found, | will say that this
car was no more of a "dilapidatcd concern"
than are all of the cars on the road Its trucks
are precisely similar to those used on the new
baggage car which took the place Of this one
exactly like all the cars used by the road
without exception it has the same springs,
the same amount Of side motion, and the same
amount of rock. Nothing less than an earth
quake or an upset could have "oscilated"
those letters into the place where they were
found.
/ am no more the Sfirst discoverer" than
are Mr.. Parlee and Mr.. Grant, and it is not a
reasonable supposition that three different
men should have adopted the same plan" Of
entering a mail car in broad daylight and
spending an hour or tive in tearing car to
pieces to rob a few paltry letters, liable at any
moment to be surprised by other workmen, or
even the Superintendent Of the road.
The article in the Intelligencer must be
treated as Mr. Seyle's; for, if not actually
written by him, he certainly assisted, for there
are portions Of the article which are almost
verbatim with conversation Mr.. Seyle had
with me on the day previous to the appear
ance of the article in question. Moreover,
Mr.. Seyle stated to me (after my having infor-
med him that had been told that an effort
would be made to saddle the crime on me)
that unless it could be CLEARLY proven that |
was alone in the car for considerable time"
That he did not think such thing could be
done further, he said that "from my state
ment which he did not doubt" he did not be-
lieve me party to the matter, and mot to
give myself any uneasiness about it, But it
seems he changed his mind very suddenly,
Judging from the IntelIigencer's article. If
Mr. Seyle believes what he has published, Or
allowed to be published, why does he not do
his duty, as he has taken hIs oath to do, and
arrest me and bring me and other guilty par
lies ifthere be any to justicea l am here.
propose to stay. do not and shall not de-
part from my statements in any particular
and l invite Mr.. Seyle, or any other man, to
m investigation of the affair, so far as may
have had any connection with it-only beg
that he will not spend six months time in
sending "decoys" to strap me.
c. S. PETTIBONE.
Monroe, La, May 81, 1873.