The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-04-14
JOHN w. GREGG.
A plain Statement of Facts Which Led
&c the Government Prosecution.

A plain Statement of Facts Which Led
&c the Government Prosecution.
| ITO the Editors CT the Unionl
| Rock ISLAND. April 12-Having Just
returned from Chicago, where have been
attending the trial OF my son. John w.
| Gregg, charged with the embezzlement of
| funds of the Chicago post office, justice to
him, to myself and to bis and my old and
| faithful friends, would seem to require at
| my hands an impartial statement of the
| facts of the case. Prior to and for most of
the FIVE years That my son was connected
with the money division of said post-office.
one Edward A Miller was the cashier of
said division, and on his removal therefrom
| IN March, 1878, it was aseertained that he
was a defaulter In his accounts to the
amount of about $4,000. Miller fed to
Canada, and an Indictment was procured
against my son for the purpose of connec-
ting him with said defslcatioD, aud char
eing him with the embezzlement of said
| SIS, 900 of postal funds The trial thereof
commenced on Friday the 4th inst, and
was completed on Tuesday following, on
which trial all the facts and circumstances
weret drought out fully and in detail On the
!
in any wise connected with said defacation
or that he had any knowledge thereof
until he was informed thereof by said
Miller after his discharge. That said in
! formation thereof was communicated by
my son John to the Assistant Postmaster,
and afterwards to the Postmaster himself.
1t was admitted by John that he had at
| different times, borrowed monies ia small
amounts from said cashier Miller. for
which he gave him notes or due bills at
the times of borrowing the same, that
in doing SO he but followed a practice
that had prevailed in said Office, without
any knowledge that it was in violation of
any law and with the intention in good faith
Of repaying the said due bills. That he
had paid portion of them and would have
repaid the balance but for the statement
of the said Miller that he had paid them,
and that the amount thereof was dueto him.
Upon ascertainiug that said due-bills had
not been paid by Miller my son offered
and proposed to pay the amount thereof
to the government, which offer was not
accepted, the prosecution preferring to
proceed against him for the entire deficit
of SIS, 900 The principal witness for the
prosecution was the defaulter Miller, who
had returned from Canada as states evil
dence and who tried to cast upon John
the responsibility for the entire deialcation
The jury after hearing all the evidence
exonerated John from the entire charge as
to Mlller's defalcation and found that be
was in 60 wise responsible therefor. In
der the instructions OF the court that the
borrowing OF the sums evidenced By the
due bills was Of itself a violation of law
the jury were constrained to find YER
diet against him to the amount of SLIPS,
being the sum admitted to have been Dor
rowed by him, and evidenced to bis
acknowledged due bills. The sum of the
whole case then is this that as to the
main charge of the complaint for the en-.
bezzlement of the $4,000. the jury, by
their verdicts. wholly exonerated him, and
held him responsible only for the $l2I8
borrowed by him OF Miller, for which be
had given his due bills (which he had at al
times acknowledged. and held himself liza.
to pay. Whatever may be the final re.
suit of the matter, it is great satisfaction
to his friends to know, as the evidence in
the case plainly showed, that for five
: years j ohm occupied a position where some
$4,000 daily passed through his hands
without any loss or diminution, not one
cent sticking to his hands, and that bis
accounts were always regular and cor
rect.
A clerk in store who goes to his en-
ployer's book-keeper or cashier and Dor.
rows from him five, ten or twenty dollars
and deposits his note fer the amount and
is ready and proffers to pay it back is not
certainly guilty of embezzlement. Such
or similar was my sons case. A horse.
thief will not nail notice on the stable
door that he has taken the horse. Divest-
ing myself as | think | can do, Of all pa
rental partially, am satisfied that John
w. Gregg is as honest and as free from
criminal conduct as when he drew the