Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-11-26
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
" ON TRIAL."
HENRY E. MlNNICH AT PHILADELPHIA

VIII OpCuluS u kOtt0r ana AD.
stracttns Money Enclosed.
In the United States district court a,
Philadelphia on Wednesday, Judge But
ler presiding, District Attorney Valentine
for the prosecution, S. II. Reynolds, esq.,,
for the defense, Henry f. Minnich, late
assistant postmaster at Landisville, this
county, was placed OH trial, charged with,
ON March 5, 1873, illegally opening letter
and embezzling $40 and SIS note, which
were inside. Our readers are tolerably
familiar with the particulars of this case,
which has been pending in the court fOr
some time. The details, as brought out
by the testimony of the witnesses, on trial,
were about as follows:
According to the testimony Of Postal
Detective H. G. Hopkins, Postmaster
Marshall, Route Agent Hublcy, Letter
Carrier Mayer and others, it appears that
Mr.. Hopkins, on March 5, 1873, mailed
three letters on the postal car, this side of
IIandisvillc, to Henry +. Miller, of Ian
disvillc. One of the letters contained $40
bill, the other i s. bill, both marked
So as to be readily identified. They were
put into the Landisville pouch, left off at
the station and delivered to the Office, at
which the mail was changed by the defen-
dant, who was assistant postmaster. Mr..
Miller called at the Office for his mail and
received the two letters which had no
money in them. The other letter was not
given him. Its whereabouts have never
been discovered. A rigid search of the
office and of Mr. Minnich was promptly
made by the officials. Neither the money
nor the letter was found.
subsequently it was found that Mr..
Minnich had that day paid Henry Her.
shey, coffee roaster Of this city, $47. Mr..
Hershey deposited the money at Reed &
Henderson's bank. J. Hay Brown, ESQ.,,
shortly afterwards drew $3.50 out of Reed
Il Hcnderson's in s. notes and deposited
it in the Farmers national bank. Soon
afterwards Il search among the latest re-
ceipts at the Farmers national bank dis
covered IS note which was identified as
the note put into the Miller letter sent to
Landisville and lost trace of at that point.
1t was also shown that on the day after the
alleged disappearance of the Miller money
letter, Minnich sent a letter to Miss Ella
Stoner, of this city, who resides at the
corner of Water and Walnut streets,
"2O2, y and that $40 note was enclosed
in this letter. Miss Stoner swOre that
after the first hearing of Minnich at AL
derman Wiley's, Minnich came to her
house and asked her to burn this note and
that she burned the $40 note in his pres
encc, she thinks at least he was on the
step in the back yard and could have seen
her burn it.
1t was shown that the clue to the incl
dent Of Miss Stoner receiving the $40 note
i'll letter from Minnich was given to Let
ter Carrier Mayer by a German woman
who had been sewing at the Stoner's when
it arrived. and who, being on visit to Mr..
Mayors house in the evening, said to him
that she wished he would bring her let
ter as good rs the one he had brought to
Nellie" that morning, as it had $40
note in it from Minnich. Miss StOner de-
MED on crOss-cxamination that Minnich
had told her to burn the note he had writ.
ten her; she said she had already burnt
that when he came, as she "burns all her
lctters.'
For tho Defense.
Mr. Minnich testified in his own behalf
that he knew nothing about the Miller
letter alleged to contain money. He had
changed the mail that day, saw nothing of
it. He admitted that he had sent Miss
Stoner letter and $40 bill enclosed, but
not any that had been taken from letter.
After the hearing at Wiley's he heard Hop.
kins ask for search warrant to search
Miss Stoner's house and as he had written
some letters there which he did not for fam
lily reasons care to have made public he
had gone there and asked her to burn the
"note" lie had written to her, not the
money.
A number of witnesses, leading citizens
of the community in which he resides, tes-
titled to Minnich's good character, and the
testimony closed.
Court adjourned over Thanksgiving
and the argument of the case was heard
to-day.