The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-10
THE FRENCH INVESTIGATION.
The Defendants Testimony in His Own Be-
half-Answers to tie Charges Made.

The French investigation on Saturday morn
ing opened with Mr.. French continuing from the
day before. On the stand the witness read a let
ter from himself to the department recommend
ing an increase in the salary of clerks who were
running on the Chicago and Cincinnati day line
and had complained that they were not getting
pay according to service. Their salaries were
increased in accordance with this request.
He took up the charges of 10, King, j. L. Bob
mar and Mr.. Colescott. The last named now
lives at Rushville. All three have been dropped
from the railway mail service. Cole
scott was dismissed from the service
on evidence showing that he took a postal card
from the Cincinnati p~ostofice directed to wv.
H. W. n. M. S., railway mail s~ervice,) Cincin-
natl, o." and carried the card in his register
book, after the changing of the address to "P.
E. Birmingham, F. Wayne, Ind. " and then took
precautions that it should reach Birmingham,
asking the carrier next day if he had delivered
it. The card was from a lady at Mechanics
burg, O., and was intended for the wife of W.
H. w, of Cincinnati, who was in the railway
mail service, and, as alleged to have been used
by Colescott, was calculated to make trouble in
Brittingham's family, Colescott having a feud
with Birmingham. The card was signed with the
writer's name, a lady who, in an affidavit, testl-
fed that she did not know Birmingham at all.
The card read as follows:
have been with you in spirit and feel sure that
you must have felt my influence. Is it as horrible as
you expect, or has it, like other crosses, its compensa-
tionl l am more anxious to see you, now that | can't,
than when you were in N, and I can go, if need be,
any day. Write soon and let me know all your sur
roundings. Love to Frank, Will and yourself.
Mr.. French said, regarding the grievance of
Dan w. Knefler, that when he ran as a head
clerk he was simply acting in the place of a man
who had been injured in an accident, and he
could not draw pay under the regulations which
govern cases of that kind.
On cross examination, Mr.. French said he had
made no appointments in the service since the
passage of the law prohibiting superintendent
from such action. but that he had recommended
many for promotion, which was in the very
spirit and intent of the law. Denied that his
attention had been called to the character
of Chief Clerk Vale; Palmer did not
state anything about Wales dissipated habits.
Did not know anything of Dumonts habits, but
when he found them out he suspended him.
Had promoted Matthews because he thought
him worthy. Did not know he had to be as
sisted in his work in the car by a man named
Miller. Did not know that it was detrimental
to the service to promote young men over older
ones if the younger men were fitted for the posi-
tons. Before the order of Postmaster general
James was issued witness recommended over
one hundred promotions. He received an an
swer that it couldn't be done, and was asked to
revise the list. This he did, arranging his rec
ommendations that all men working in grades
above their salaries should, at least, receive
some promotion, if not as much as they were
entitled to. Had never noticed that the Van
dalia missed its connections at st.
Louis oftener than it hits. Had
heard no complaint of mail lying over
in this city until the investigation began. AS a
matter of fact, young men are better fitted for
the service than the old. Grants between 200
and 2,300 leaves of absence each year. Kern
and Baker had both been restored to the service.
When Kern was restored he had recommended
that he begin as a new man, and be compelled to
make and keep up a record. Did not think the
proceeds of the Atlanta convention had been sent
from his Office with the postage unpaid. They
came to him in bulk, each inclosed in a twoeent
wrapper, and he supposed they were sent out in
the wrappers.
The cross examination of Mr.. French will be
continued at 10 o'clock this morning.