Arizona weekly miner., 1875-08-20
POSTMASTER ABSCONDED.
HEAVY DEPRECIATION. -AMotJNT
 NOT AScERTAINED
Probably not Less than from S1O,OOO
 to S15,0O0.
People Excited-Oficers in Pursuit, etc.

James $. Giles, postmaster at Prescott, whose reckless conduct during the past three or four months has been the subject of general remark wound up his official career on Saturday night by decamping with whatever funds it has been possible for him to collect from the sale of mo- ney orders and otherwise. How much he has ta- ken it is impossible thus far to state An exaIni- nation of his books shows that he has sent away no money order advices since the l1th of July, and that lO6 applications have been made since that time, aggregating s3,G6S.S6, besides there is hiatus of one week when the applications can- not be found but this is probably but a small part of his peculatious. Ex F. NJ. Allen, at the solicitation of the bondsmen, has examined the books and finds no registry of any foreign money orders, except three, during his entire term ex tending from November last until the present. So that it is probable he has sunk several thou sand dollars in this way. 4 large number of money orders sold elsewhere and sent here for collection have not been paid, the holders being informed by Giles that he had received no ad- vices to pay them. It has not yet been ascer- tained whether he has purloined any letters from the mail or not, though it is quite clear that he is mean enough to have done so, and if that branch of his duty first-cass thief has been neglect ed it has been because he was too stupid with liquor to think of it. So far as heard from, all registered letters that have not been retained in the office, have gone through all right without being tempered with. Several, however, that ought to have gone out by the last two mails were found in the office untouched though some of them contained several hundred dollars in gold notes, checks aud greenbacks. Why he didn't rifle them of their contents is "a riddle that no fellow find out" Notices by postal card and otherwise are coming by every mail, as we are informed, notifying the P. NJ. of the pre- scntation of orders in Kansas and elsewhere without advices. Some of these run back into June, so that it is probable he began stealing several months ago, which still further compli- cates matters and renders it more difficult to ar rive at anything like a correct estimate.
 Great excitement prevailed on discovering that he was gone, and nothing was talked of in the streets, saloons and stores for several days but Giles, Mike McCoor' and "Fatty Smith," the two latter having been seen with him on the Mo- have road. Smith, formerly Sheriff of Mobave was probably on his way to Cerbat, and Mehan, alias McCool was evidently in with Giles in their travelling outfit, and it is generally believed was cogifizant of the whole m alter and perhaps to be a sharcr in the spoil. This is inferred from the close relations that had existed between him and | the F. NJ. for some weeks before they went away McCool bought span of horses, light wagon and complete travelling outfit of provisions, etc, l it is believed, with money from the r. 0. and started on Saturday morning by himself in the l direction of Mohave. Giles, having bought a | horse, left Saturday night, and at o'clock Sun day morning walked Wm. Simmons, at William son Valley, and got bottle of whisky, saying he was in a hurry to overtake McCool and Fatty | Smith, with whom he had business. MT. G. Cor nell, one of Giles bondsmen, being in the Val | ley heard of it in the evening and, rightly inter- prcting the situation, sent courier to town and at 12 Nj. on Monday, Deputy U. s. Marshal Par ker and John Bchan started in pursuit and the | last heard of them was at Mineral Park at mid night "Wednesday, when Parker sent word to the stage driver at the Willows that they were forty five miles behind Giles and party at the Park, and still pushing on after them.
 James s. Giles is about forty years of age, nearly six feet tall slight built, sandy beard and hair, face inclined to freckle slow in speech, husky voice, of rather solemn men, affects itera- ture, especially sentimental poetry which he Is apt to quote in conversation, lacks in education, | is native of the eastern shore of Maryland but betrays no provincial accent or use of language in his speech, is cosmopolitan in his manners, Is | apt to grumble at table, and in fact is the cham 1 pon growler.
 l He came to Arizona in 1864 from Missouri, and was Postmaster here, farmed on lower Granite ! Creek, etc., and went East in 1869 with several thousand dollars, lived in Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas, and returned here broke in 1874, got assistance and went in with B. H. Weaver and bought out R. Mcacham, but he and Weaver did not agree and soon dissolved partnership. lie was appointed Postmaster, took the office in No vember and it is thought has been fixing for this robbing ever since.
 The bondsmen resident here arc John Raible, Gideon Cornell, Dan Hatz and Gideon Brooke 1; J. H. Pearson and the estate of James Grant are also in for their share and are in San Bernardino. | We understand the bond is S20,O00.
 There being no Mail Agent within thousands of miles, so far as is known, and the people | clamorng for their mails, the bondsmen took the responsibility of designating Judge Cartier to take temporary charge of the office until P. NJ. is appointed, and thus matters stand.
 New and greater excitement prevails at Flor | ence, on account of the discovery of vein of | bright native silver six inches square in the Athens mine. We recieyed dispatch this morning which says three young men have taken out s20,0O0 within the past few days, and the | like has pever been before seen on American or Mexican soil The miners have had to stop work to allow people to examine the vein.
  1 PROGRAMME os Music selected by the Eighth | Infantry Band, for to-morrow's Entertainment on the plaza:
 l. Garibadi March.