New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-08
LIMITING DOUN 4 PETTY THIEF.


Yesterdays Associated Press dispatches gave
letter from the United States Attorney in Washing
ton showing that there is no law there to punish "a
telegraph operator who steals dispatch Iester-
day AFTERNOON we received the following from the
Vice-Prcsdent and General Manager of the Western
Union Telegraph Company
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
WESTERN USIOS TELEGRAPH CoMPANG(
NEw-YuRK, March I, lSS2.
WHITELAw REID, Esq., Editor Aeie-Io'k Tribune; T..
DEAR SIR: We have endeavOred 10 inVest-
gate the facts in connection With the sulepous pun
ncati,n Of a dspItch sent by you last April over our
wires t. the Hon JOnn Hay, thea AsSstalt NcGrl Vi
that fe cjrcnmsiancrs tended 20 dscret our ervIce
We have taken great pains and incurred f orr
customers, and they may always rely on us to
cxhaus' al the means at our command 10 Llat en-
Heretofore, however we nave hrutu ~ 'i nv
patches from attempts to get at them RON the
rarely If ever, are proud to say, from ucacn1i!
among our own employees. ..o,
In tracing the present case we have sent trusted
officers In gariOus directions, and mad slihceht lcst
gauon to warrant the belief hat copy OF tle IN
Improperly retained, at the lne oi us u; me ,
been in our employ for several months ana undcr the
rules Of tle company will not asau De employed ,nlesi
UNEXPECTED and conclusive evidence should De pioccu
causing a reversal OF our present judgment ,,<,,,,
We Ieeply regret lind that the District OF columbia,
mike almost every state and even Territory III tue
Union. has law 10 punish THIS crime crime "1cn
strikes at The very root of our ou.lness te nuns
earned confidence Of the pulHc We arS your l i
AM ha OF he press ald puDo statute on the
van herewith the original dispatch, the copy de-
uycred in washington, and the aitdayts taken IN the
'"''' THos T. ECKERT, Genl Manager
The aCndayits and other evidence little OF winch
was presented to the Dstrict-AttOrney, when it was
found that stealing was no crime III the District II
done by a telegraph OPERATOR make out an
interesting case The stolen dispatch in
itself contained little 10 warrant the late
hubbub. With the exception Of one or two per-
soual references only to be understood III the H2ht
of facts equally known to the gentlemen c0ncerled
and TO the President, but unknown to TIE public
there was absolutely nothing in 1t which the
writer had not said over and over again.
editorially, in TIE TRIBUNE. 1t was, however pre-
cisely the sort of thing which Sloali-nlhdeu
ConKling sympathizer might think useful III
aIieaaunc one of the Presidents Cabinet, and re-
calling Conkling support.
Mr.. Corkhil in considering how the dispatch was
BETRAYED commemorative points OF possible leakage
Let Us sea how many of these the evidence stops;
a. Mr.. Rcid's amanuenSIs may have maze
copy of it," In this case Mr.. Reid em2i"ye" no
amanuenss. The original is in his own hahd-
writing; it went direct from him to the operator
(21 ct NAV have been copied IN the telegraph
office in Ncw-York." The operator who sent ia
pcrson of the best record, honest and ingenuous-
Lim-the first giving his general rccollectlons
ON the subject when questioned by the Western
Union authorities about it, and the second his recoi-
ections after he had been allowed 10 see the original
from which he sent the Dispatch:
William j. Byrne, now Telegraph operator III I,it t
main office OF the Western un5ol ItrsIpn ooiui"n' d.
Pttsburs being duly sworn, d pose ana say NJ, - 7,
That ne the telegraph operator enpl'S ru III it
IP1 ~ . C Sc tarso,trd the recently pnbls'd mes
SAGE from Witclaw Reid TO CoiOnel nay, III
or(h 1881 n;vor that sTcn ne Tereaa Pa'f tR, a G
transmission he Immediately returned 1t 10 MI l'h IN
t6C Iar cis ON Of THE TRIBUNE once rs to Nj k,d5
messages; aud that he never in any way commue3ieu
c,rcnrs attending the transmits ion beyond the
special always given to tht business on IlaI WIZ
and lie does not rem, hbcr on now KNOW, Wudl
operate in Washington received ne MESSAGE p,,,.,
Sworn 70 .orc me. this 2sth day OF February, 1s-2.
WILLIAM BARRIER, Notary Public, y. l. 90.
william J. Byrnc being duly sworn, deposes and says
That since making affidavit ON the -St Oh fto' ui!
THE Tribune once IN New-lo 10 Colonel 10, %"hi' b ,a.S
shown what ne recognizes the original copy OF that
Dispatch lie remembers The copy ana recogiIIeS 'io
made upon Il u, tnr III l., Wosbrton a> Ie had sup
pOsed by one o. the regular operators IN lliE
rKlgINE'S Washington ONCE, but by an qpclalot
known to him "a liu,' or " Iutch, WIN Nh. On nc
had no acuuautancc hut whom ne understood then To
be tneh me MA ~, m 7he American Union Telegraph
GomUany i'm washington lie now remembers that on
M i,h{ in oueston THF TRIBUNE Once Washington
wos else bffor this dispatch give. him Tor trans
ion tbat he therefore asked tho main Office II they
could receive IT, and "lu' agreed 10 90 sol 'l't no
ooiioL him, to deliver IL that night, which "Hu
J1bt conld not be done, but promised that he
would see 1t delivered at me IIBuNES nSSu
~ p ccvrsai6n on the subject except that " IG
Hutch complained that it Was long message.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this LIST day OF
N,rru Iss1 WILLIAM BAItkER,
' Notary Puzzle, y. y. co.
The original went, as We have seen, direct from
Mr.. Reid TO the operator. and vert back from the
operator direct to Mir. Reid. 1t was then placed
with other private papers, securely under lo'N anu
KEY and had obviously been mhdlsthrpeu lroih 'H"V
hour until the publication.
q "Oritnight have been surreptitiously dupli-
Gated" from Colonel Hays copy. But Colonel
HAYS affidavit seems to close that leak;
BEFORE me- Samuel A. Raymond. notary public
i'm and for the County Of CuyahoEa ana Sthte OF QhO
i'm the CITY OF Cleveland state and County aforesaid ON
the 9th day of February, 1857 appeared Ohh nay VINO
is personally known TO me- who, being duy s"oiH' ue
On The aStR of March, 1891, received in the city Of
Washington where WAS then residing ~ Assistant sec
REID which was substantially tho same gs the one
printed IN TIE NEW-1oRh TRIBUNE ol January -
and there read it to President CARRIED, be
and being alone in tie library, HS d'd
did not leave Il with him; It WAS never fora moment
in hl. possession have never since Gommunlcatfd
of January I~s2 / sent it by mail TO Mr..
WLitraw Reid While It was IN my possession kept
il carefully locked up with other private papers,
and to the best OF knowledge and belief no one ex
crpt myself ever had opportunltl o. reading IL from
The te wien 10 left the telegraph Office uhll sent II
to Mr. Reid. . . - 1"i ~, II ~
sworn TO and subscribed before me this 6th day OF
February 1882 IN the city OF Cleveland In testimony
whereof / LereuutO set my hand ami Official seal.
=. a. RAYMOND, Notary Public
The facts in this affidavit are II accord with
Colonel Hays uniform methods So sIngularly
scrupulous is he about such papers that, as Mr.
Blaine has recently stated, though sitting IN the
next room to him then in the STATE Department.
49, ;..t.r..1-r.. nnL nm ful nc.nrl ON dis