National Republican., 1880-02-26
A REGULATING CLERK.
Arrested for Abstracting Money
from Letters.
How an EmpIoye Of the Postonice Depart
ment hns Managed to Cover Up IA Long
Series OF Petty Thefts-The Gov
ornment Made Victim of Mis-.
placed Conference.-The
Arrest Yesterday.
A LIre sonsatIon In tho pend Lrtter onlco.

Live Sensation In tho Dead Letter Onice
Detective McIllfrcsh yesterday arrested Al
the st. james Hotel man named Edwin x
Hayes, n clerk IN the Dlad Letter Office
charged with abstr citing money from letter
passing through his hands. Hayes was talJeu
to Police headquarters and detained for
hearing In tho Police court to-day. The dis
coveries leading to the arrest caused much
amazement in the Dead Letter Office, III
Hayes was one Of the most trusted clerks. IL,
came from Tennessee and was appointed as
clerk in the office IN February, 1875. He was Sc
highly recommended that Major Dallas, tho
thief of the division, detailed him for duty 10
his room rs corresponding clerk In the fol-
lowing September lie was placed In charge OF
I'm important desk aud in custody of money
letters. Soon after this he began u system OF
peculation. In explaining his conduct Hayes
says that he was embarrassed by debts in Ten.
nessee, and he thought he would pay his debit
in this way, and replace the abstracted money
rs soon as possible from Ii Is salary. Tho let
ters which came into his hands were such al
had been opened, found to contain money
returned to the postmaster at tho maiini
office, aud by him returned to the Dead Letter
Office at the expiration of thirty DAYS, nc
owner having been found. IL was Hayes
duty TO receipt for the letters aud to keen
them in a safe, provided for the purpose, and,
If possible, to iind the whereabouts OF the
writer, or person addressed through system
of discovery" circulars, sent out to persons
who might be named incidentally In the let.
tors themselves. In this way Hayes accom-.
plished the delivery of an Unprecedented
number of this class Of letters. Under tho
rules of the Dead Letter Onicc, the clerk
in charge of each subdivision makes
monthly report to the chief of the
business transacted during the month
The clerk in charge of the money branch
where Hayes served had so much confidence
in his integrity that he took tho figures sup
piled by Hayes each month and incorporated
them IN his report without any examination
Of tho letters or contents of the safe to verify
the report, aud IL was thus possible that these
populations, which begun almost Immediately
upon the mans assignment TO thut duty, could
remain undiscovered. On the lst Of january
last change was made in the money.brauch
Of the office, Mr.. BTainard succeeding Mr.,
Kellogg as clerk in charge.
Mr.. Bramard evidently did not care to fol-
low the example Of his predecessor in placing
implicit confidence in his assistants, and when
he was ready TO prepare his first monthly re.
port Il clerk was designated to examine and
verify the figures. Mr. Hayes thereupon went
to Chief Dallas and expressed himself as
strongly opposed to such proceeding, saying
that some mistakes had been made The
chief expressed some astOnshment that SO
careful u clerk us Mr.. Hayes was reputed to be
should fear the discovery of mistakes but he was
soon enlightened upon the real reasons for Mr.
Hayes dislike TO have the examination made
for in the same interview Hayes confessed
that ho was short" about $50 or SO. This
gave rise TO Il careful and tedious investga-
ton of the books which finally resulted in
the discovery that the entire sum abstracted
by Hayes amounted to $500. This money was
taken from eighiy'siX different letters. Hayes
preserved with scrupulous care all the letters
aud envelopes for the reason, probably, that
le knew that an application from tho owner
Of one of these letters would betray his guilt.
Having the letters in his possession, he
could, if such an application was made,
transfer the necessary amount of money
from some other letter to the one called for,
and thus, perhaps, cover up his pecuation for
II timo. The system of checks in vogue in the
Office, holding each clerk to the srictest ac-
count for all letters placed in their hands,
and enabling the officials TO trace letter at
once to the responsible person if it should be
missed, would have rendered it utterly i'm.
possible for Hayes to have carried on his pecu.
lations So long without discovery, if it had not
been for the implicit confidence rcposed in
him by his immediate superior. Hayes will
have Il hearing in the Police court to-day. lie
is about thirty.ilye years OF age aud has q wife
and child In this city. He IS represented rs u
man of exceptionally good habits, his only ex-
pensive pastime being pool-paying.