The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-02-18
The $500 Letters-Imporiant If True.


testified: In the latter part OF February,
1875, was coming down Pine street,
near Fifth, when Mr.. Joyce accosted me
and said there were two letters in the
street box winch he wished to get back
he pointed to the box on the southwest
corner of Fifth and Pine; / asked Col
Joyce to describe the letters before l
q. opened the box; he said one was ad-
dressed to w. o. Avery, Washington,
D. c., and was marked personal in the
corner; the other was addressed to u. T.
Babcock, Washington, D. C., also mark
ed personal; opened the box, although
it was of my district and searched among
the letters; l found the two and handed
them to Col. Joyce.
Mr.. Storrs-Did YOU get a receipt?
Witness-No, sir.
Mr.. Storrs-ls it not customary!
Witness-Yes. it is; l said. look here,
Col, I want a receipt; if you want to put
them in the mail again l will go with
YOU and see it done.
Storrs-What did he say.
Witness-He said, 80, that's all right,
hunkdory," or something like that "lts
only blind"
Storrs-Is it frequent to give letters
back2
Witness-No, sir.
Storrs-You sometimes do it.
Witness-On business route 1t is ire
ouent. That is, letters are put IN and the
parties forget an inclosure, or something
like that, and they are returned to them.
Storrs Did you report that matter to
the postottice?
Witness-No, sir.
Storrs-Why?
Witness-Well, 1 thought it was SO
| trivlous that there was no need saying
anything about it.
Storrs-Did you usually report?
Witness-l usually carried blanks in a
satchell, which l had parties sign VINO
wanted d letters back, and then tomp' -e
tho writing,
Storrs-How did you happen to re
member time on this occasion?
Witness-I had been looking around
four or five days for house; l had just
been to the Polytechnic lookiL g for man
had heard had house; was
on my way down to make a collection.
1t was my day to collect for seven other
carriers.
On the CrOss.EX animation
this witness had been a mail carrier five
wears. Never gave letters to Col. Joyce
at any other time; it was frequent thing
10 return letters on business routes; re-
collected circumstances particularly y be-
csuse it was of his beat; had opened
boxes frequently on business streets and
| returned letters but could not recoIlect
the names of any persons for whom he
had done it. When pressed very hard
the witness said he had returned letter
to e.. w. Flshback and had returned
them to many business houses on Main
| street. but could not swear to any partlcu-
lar one firm. lie was repeatedly pressed
to recollect the name of anybody else for
whom he had taken letters out OF boxes,
Int he could not remember one. de car
ries blank receipts and had receipts with
him when he gave letters to Joyce, but
Joyce refused to give hun receipt, say
ing: 'Oh, that's all right, hunk derl,. or
something like that, ats only a bind 1t
occurred on the last day of February,
1875, about o'clock p. NJ. IN the after
noon; did not tell the Postmaster Of it
nor anyone else about the office; men
toned the matter first last Saturday
night to his wife; had been reading IN
the papers the testimony of Mr. Everett
/ about putting letters in the letter box,
and recollected that he had given Joyce
! ;usI such letters a eminated over matter
! 1a1l ht ttyt4 20 n n ( y
/ evening Sunday; after going on duty
he went to the Llndell Hotel and saw
| General Babcock; he sent him to Judge
| Porter, to whom he reported his stor, .
He gave the full details of the matter
10 no one but Storrs and Porter, outside
of mis- own family; no one had been to
see him about it before; he went to the
Lindell Ho.el. but he consulted with no
one but his wife; he repeated the ad-
dresses OF the letters given to Joyce
bv him as General o. +. Babock and Col.
VI. o. Avery; he would not admit that
hmd talked about the matter to any body,
except some letter carriers at the post
o.fice. Colonel Deyer pressed him very
hard, but he would not acknowledge he
had aav intercourse or conversation with
any other than those mentioned above.
Witness went into a long account of his
various occupations since he had lived in
tha. city, but gave nothing more bearing
on the case. 1t is understood the prose-
cution viii! offer testimony in rebuttal OF
| this evidence, tomorrow.
Strrs then asked for the
Deposition Ofthe President,
which vas produced by the clerk, and 1t
WAS read py Judge Porter. A several
objections had been made to the 1ues'
,ions and answers, Judge Dillon during
the noon recess looked it over and mark
ed the objections oyerruled or sustained,
leaving the deposition, however, 1t Is
said. in very nearly the same formilt was
/ originally. This document, so far as Is
now known was surrep -iously obtsined
last night and telegraphed in full to a
! Chicago paper, and for this reason 1t Is
omitted IN these dispatches. 1t is SAID no
] - ,nl ~ y