The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-01-11
The Florida Investigation.

WASHINGTON, Jan. s. The special COM
gate the election in Florida, returned to
this city this morning. The committee
left Washington on the Sth of December,
and has therefore been absent exactly one
month. The members in Florida divided
into two subcommittee, and these sub
committees examined in all some 200 wit
nesses. The committee cannot report be-
fore the last week in January. The work
Of the committee was very thoroughly
done. The Republican members called
more witnesses than the Democrats and
both sides did their best to bring out the
facts which prove whether Tilden or
Hayes carried the State. The testimony
shows that Tilden had clear majority of
80 votes. leaving out the desperate fraud
in Alachua county, by which over 200
fraudulent Republican votes were cast,
and the frauds in Leon county. where 20
fictitious names were placed on one of the
voting lists and polled by the Republicans
1t appears from the statement of the evil
dence by Democratic members of the
committee that they will make such a re-
port of the facts as to convince fair-mind
ed persons that the Democrats crrried the
State. and that their victory would have
been admitted on the day after the cleo
ton but for the command issued from
headquarters that the State must be count
ed for Hayes Important developments
are expected from Florida during the
present week 1t is likely that the Dem
ocratic State government will take the
ground that as the late Returning Board
did not comply with the order of the
State Supreme Court in recanvassing the
vote, therefore there has been no legal
canvass. and that canvass by the new Re-
| turning Board will be ordered, and the re-
suit, showing majority of votes for Til
| den, certified to the President of the Sen
| ate and the Speaker of the House Of Rep
resentatives in Washington.
An important capture OF a gang of mail
pouch robbers, has lately been made in
press mail wagon, John Defrees, was in
league with persons who would with his
connivance take mail bags from the wagon
while it was on the way from Jersey City
ferry to the Post Office. Defrees has been
in the employ of Dodd's express company
for ten years. The other arrests are James
Crawford, John Kelley and Mary Jane
Collins At the rooms of the woman were
found several large bundles containing
probably 5000 letters, nearly all of which
had been broken open. All the bags thus
taken were from mails arriving by the
Pennsylvania Erie and other roads
through Jersey City. 1t is known that
checks amounting to $4,000 sent from
merchants in Philadelphia to merchants in
Boston, have been stolen from letters and
cashed by the thieves or their confederates.
One letter found in the trunk Of the Col
Inns woman, referred to a check for $4,000
mailed at Philadelphia, December 2Sth,
by Nelson Brothers It Co., of Philadelphia
to A. j. Tilson of Boston. On the 3Oth of
December it was paid by the Commercial
bank of Philadelphia on forged endorse
ment
The method employed by the thieves in
obtaining the money on the checks was as
follows: The robbers would take one sent
| by firm OF an individual in Philadelphia
to New York or Boston house 1t would
be payable at Philadelphia bank. The
Endorsement of the payee would be forged
on the back of the check. and beneath the
signature of the payer would be we'll coun-
forfeited, to give the bank evidence that
that the drawers of the check Endorsed the
Endorsement Of the drawee. Thus fortified
it was safe for member of the gang to
present the check at the proper bank in
Philadelphia where it would be cashed.
| The real number of these stolen cheeks
will not be known for some time, because
it will be some time before many houses
| will write to know about balances which
| they may suppose to have been neglected.
when the debtor has before sent check
in settlement. 1t is supposed that the
checks in Philadelphia were all presented
| by two persons, and the police are look
ing for them, having pretty full personal
| descriptions for clew.
| One of the first stolen checks presented
| was refused by the paying teller of q bank
| because he did not know the genuineness
of the Endorsement, which the person who
presented it claimed to be his.
III should get the signature of the firm
drawing the check in my favor beneath
my signature would that be sufficient ?"
| the presenter asked
YES" was the answer, and the check
was returned with what purported to be
the desired indol sement. Thereafter all
the other checks were presented in this
| way.