Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-11
THE EVENING STAR.
IL. lSS1.
General TyIer,s Accuser.


SUITS GIVEN HBR BY TIKI BALTIMORE rosr-
MASTER.
The principal matter OF interest in the trial
OF Postmaster Tyler in the coward county
Md. court. last Saturday, was The evidence o.
The plaintiff. Miss Mary A Murray, VINO sues
LOT .2o GOO damages FOR alleged Indecent assaults
c ci1h i nsF os Inc fostmaster When she was
clerk under MIN. She is prep9sseSslng iD ap-
pearance. and gave her testimony In straignt-
forward manner. though several t!ues she
burst into tears when relating the derails OF
the assaults. She testified that in the month
Of July, 1877, a few weeks after her appoint
nent, MI Tyler came 20 her room, while she
was alone and asked her for registered
letter. She went TO get it, aud when
she placed her right hand on the shelf OF the
safe where IL lay Mr.. Tyler took her
lett hand and acted In an Insulting manner.
She quickly withdrew her hand anu ordered
him away, asking him never TO come into her
presence again. She was soon after removed
10 the ladies' delivery department. one day.
when she was alone, he came TO her as he
stated, for a letter. He drew her toward him
aid tried TO compel her TO Kiss him. This &C
CURED aside from the window, where no one
could see him. Another time he Came In with
The same excuse and Old the same thing again.
on another occasion he drew her toward the
water cooler at the same place, and pulled her
G8hd so hard that IL was bruised. She told him
TO leave her at once: that he had several times
lnsulted her, end must not come near her
agali. There were three such occurrences In
The ia0les' delivery department Each time he
uritd TO place his arm around her waist i,
attempted 10 kiss her. ON several occasions ne
atbt her 10 ut ct him, so that be could drlIt
vii b her TO the park, and also asket-Nae,h,.;
lie could not see Ter al her boarding house
She replied that, II he had any business with
her, the post Office was The proper place In
which 10 transact 1t. and not her boarding
house.
Some time after her removal to the ladies' de-
livery department she felt that her position
was UNSAFE and went TO see Tyler about IT, He
said TO her, III you had done as wanted you
TO do, you could have had your own way" She
replied, "What dc you mean, General?n lie
answered. 1T is not necessary TO explain what
wanted you to do Others have done IT," AT
this point Miss Murray wept bitterly, and II
was some time before she could proceed. She
never met Gen. Tyler but he asked her to kiss
him. Whenever she had occasion 10 go TO his
private Office he always inSulted her Waen
an investigation was made by the special
agents OF the Post Office department, she sew
tfal times refused to testify, but at last as her
name had be u assailed, determined 70 go BE-
fore them. Gen. Tyler then came TO her desk
and said: 81 hear you intend TO testify against
me-" she replied: YES; the papers have
asked why have refused 10 testify ana have
10 do II In my own defense" He asked her
what she proposed to testify, and she tod nim.
He then said: III you testify TO this thing you
purer woman never lived" She replied: Gen
eral, your wife is no better and purer woman
than l am, is she?" He replied: NO; don't
believe she Is. | have been friend of yours
since you have been here II you testify to
these things | will swear on stack or Bibles
as high as your head that never did such a
thing"
THE CROSS EXAMINATION,
conducted by MT. Stockbri6ge and Judge Mer-
rick, was long and searching The Baltimore
sun reports II as follOws:-Much OF it related 10
the position OF the different rooms where the
alleged assaults occurred In enGeavor TO show
that they We're open 10 public view and sur
rounded always by clerks In the immediate
vicinity. Witness before coming TO Baltimore
had been employed In the bureau OF printing
and engras ing at the Treasury department in
Washington. In the same room with her at
the registered letter department there were
Mr.. M. L. Forbes. Miss Julia Blackman and
Miss Lowry. AT times, however, she would be
alone In the room for some time. There were
five clerks In the money -order Office one OF
them facing her loom, and all near by. The
assault at the safe occurred early 1n the morn
Ing, she thought between and 10 O'Clock.
When the doors were open parties at the safe
could not be seen by the clerks Ia the money
order Office. Did not call out to them, as she
relt too mortified and ashamed to let them
know what had occurred. She had told the in
vesttgat1ng committee all the insults. she could
think OF at the time, but she was so mortified
she might not have remembered ALL
Mr.. Stockbridge.-WaS it more notifying to
testify there than here? Witness. tweeping.)-
No, sir; was never placed In such position
as this before!
Witness was shown letter which she recog-
niZed as having written at the suggestion OF
Miss Julia Blackman. who resigned her posi-
ton In 1879 II is as follows:
"Baltt'nore June 13.-Dear General: report
going 10 resign. l should be very thankful IL
you would add to your many kindneSse5 and
give Ler place to me-. Very respectfully,
MARY A. MURRAY"
Miss Bleckman had been in Gen. Tyler's
Office and came 10 witness from there. Told
witness she was going TO resign, and said;
MARY, Why don't you apply for my place?
Your eyes are very weak aud you must take my
place. Gen. Tyler has often asket me why
YOU old got apply Witness at flrst declined
to write the application. bnt Miss Blackman
nsisted she must do so. Miss BiacHman finally
dictated the h5ts. and, after witness ht9
written It, took it to Gen. tyler. Witness sar.
her whole life at the post office was series OF
prosecutions and insults, specifying as the
Chief OF them the continued requests OF Gen.
Tyler that she should kiss him. She only went
to his office on business or when he sent for
her. In 1878 she applied to MIN for pass 10
60 to Washington. The three last assaults
upon her occurred during the summer or
spring OF 1878, and she presumed the pass had
been applied for In January or February, ISIS.
Was not certain OF any OF the dates. The last
OF the assaults was, she thought, between /
and O'Clock In the afternoon.
In reply to Judge Merr1ck. who said he was
obliged to ask for ad0lt0Hal particulars OF the
first assault at the safe In the registeros letter
Office, witness said He took my right hand and
ne was standing to my right; do not know with
which OF his hands he took 1t; could not tell
now long ne held it, but 1t was not second; he
did not remove her hand that he might approach
the safe himself; was positive that he placed
her hand on his person below the waist Being
questioned as to the certainty OF her recollec-
ton, she exclaimed amid burst o. tears and
sobs, 81 am as positive as If ] was going TO die
and go to judgment this moment that tell the
truth and the whole truth Do you think L
would come and swear and tell you lie."
Judge Merrick.-"GOd knows. | would not
like TO judge you, my friend"
Witness told her friend. Mr.. c. G. Fulton, that
she had been 1nsulted, but did not tell him the
circumstances; she did not tell all TO Miss Black
man and TO Mrs Taylor; did not leave the Office
because her bread and butter depended upon iU,
and she had DO other resource.
Judge MeTrick.-" We're you willing to sell
your honor for bread?"
Witness {weeplng. y" No sir. / was not Will
Ing TO sell my honor, i fought for &C." Did not
know that the place was her only possible re-
source, but she was not able to do hard work,
and must have been homeless In the streets.
To. Mr.. BOnaparte.-Mr. Fulton advised her
lot TO resign, but TO avoid Gen Tyler as much
possible, and not to go to his Office except on
business. Her parents were dead and Sue had
no one but herself TO depend upon. Gen. Tyler
said 10 her several times that her position was
wanted as persons told him she owned two
houses and got rent for them, and that ft was
only meanness that made her keep the place.
She told him she had nothing at all
Capt. b. F. Matthews read from his notes as
TO statements made by Gen. Tyler before the
government agents at the examination, In
which witness was prosecutor, as TO the official
character OF the postmaster. Or Miss Murray
Gen. Tyler said that She was appointed at the
solicitation OF Mr.. c. &. Fulton only. Shortly
after she went TO his (Tyler'S1 room 70 thank