The Democratic advocate., 1883-09-08
The Mysterious Burning Of the Suit
land POStoffice.

WASHINGTON, September 2.-Colonel 5. i:
Suit. speaking about the burning of the post
office at Suitland, Prince Georges county,
MARYLAND. said: ''The building used for the
postoffice was not at Suitland, for refused
to allow any portion of Suitland to be used
for it. 1t was near by, however, and was
burned on Wednesday night. The building
was a shell, and was probably worth forty
dollars. There is mystery behind the burn
ing which will, at the proper time, be lnves-
tigated. The business at Suitland rose from
! fourth class to an office of the presidential
class. This was when Mr.. P. G. Grimes was
postmaster. Some time since Hart b. Hol-
ton. who had been elected the Congressman
from that district, grabbed up the office as q
part of his patronage, turned out the man
who had, besides building the Office up,
pleased all his patrons, and gave it to man
named Dorsey. | have since had my letters
delivered to me in transit in Washington by
a special order of the P0stoffice Department.
Nv business was ninety nine per cent. OF the
whole that the office transacted, and that
being taken away, the Office has fallen back
to what it was-a fourth-class othce-the IN
come from it being less than $500 per year.
Recently, month or so ago, the patrons OF
the office signed a petition requesting that
Hoton's man Dorsey should be removed.
sent my mail to other offices, but | have to
get all my registered letters there, the depart
ment only allowing them to be delivered at
the office to which they are sent and not IN
transitu. Last week Dorsey's deputy was
arrested and committed for opening letter.
He was prosecuted by Special Agent Shall
cross, of the Postoffice Department. Since
then a registered letter which should have
contained S232 was delivered me containing
but S192-forty dollars short. The relatives
and friends of the deputy have appealed to
me to save him from punishment This man
has made to me a statement that Grimes
turned over to Dorsey about twelve hundred
dollars worth of stamps. | intend to probe
the whole mystery to the bottom. Two or
three clerks of the Postofice Department,
Maryland politicians, are mixed up with it. >"
I The Suitland postoffice business is giving
trouble in the Republican camp IN Southern
Maryland. The postmaster who was removed
by Mr.. Holton to give place to Dorsey is
relative of Col. Suit. The latter does large
business through the mails, and raised the
office to the presidential class at 81 200 salary.
Suitland is on the property of Col. Suit, and
Dorsey put up wooden concern as a post
Office as near by as he could get. The busi-
ness fell off to almost nothing when Col. Suit
took away his mail matter, and an agent of
the department so reported. The office was
razed to the fourth class, where the salaries
are by commission on stamps cancelled in the
office. A presidential office is rated by the
number of stamps sold. If these are dis
posed of, except in the regular way of bust
ness, it is an irregular transaction. The
agent who Investigated the Office reported
that Grimes turned over 81 200 of stamps to
Dorsey, as Col. Suit states. The outcome of
this postoffice controversy with Col. Suit up
to this point is not pleasant for Mr.. Holton.