Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1885-03-17
MYSTERIOUS Cash.
SUPPOSED cuNE 90 CAMDEN POSTMASTER
oosrtt NistaKE 90 r,-fu,sTgH nircustL 80
IuHfLANu.

ecu douc bat fJr the skertipas % thr las-
ycrs Ia sllCiiiug al thc facts that hofc up
on ne rc,a't Olc ofthc most fcmafka1ie
of these "a, rrittc'i to thu writer ~ thr
seusfabis Judge reieg Spfagur. about =
year heiotc oil. death lp1a f,qlest this
distinguished man reduced he facts 10
wfltlug Ani thcy arv here rcprpiacci
On islt. While residing 10 Main. l scni
- wlscsssst b attend m circuit eoari ID {
/ the uultsd states. soon ancr entering
me court hpasc stranger came 10 me,
aod ssld b. wished o. engage me. We
stepped into lobby, aud I sskci bin What
the case was To- rspiy b. ssli that h's name
sas Msfrman. that ~ was postmaster a.
I Camlru. anl taai h. hti b,,n hoaui oscr
ca chtfge 90 s1stfscling mooey from nv
mall ssii. 10 yoa ar boani over, you
/ have hai q hearing btfofc magistrate
whAt -. thc evidence Ia that hcafinxf
| tsl ne fll'y a. wa can H. replied that
there wcfc thrcc wltnsss's against him
Nj Mitchell. thr Postmaster ~ fpftsud,
NJ. rlckari. the mall contractor. AMI "a,
ifisef of ths stage NJ Mitchell tsstifrd
/ that lstisr. contsiaiug noacy hssias bcsn
I several times lot fron ne eastern mall
/ h. Va. employed ~ m Postmaster Geo.
sraI 4 detect the ofsudefs t1aL fof that
. UMNN'INH| IL. WIZ ~" - 'NH"HH 80 H"|N" N
/ aui Mr. rlckafi ihc mail CoatfaCiof, pc.
pared letter aidrv.ssd 81 General Nell
| ian of Bath. pafpofung a. coataiu emit.
tsucc ffom q debtor thst. iaio ihls letter,
I they Pcs q sum 90 money in bauk bills. Anh
male q up ln such . maun,f A. % appesf
I D. contsln somsthiug. Ani nc easily dlsiin'
gulshrd from other letter. that thry pat
I 10 toto me mall bag. shich sas taken ~
| ne driver intO the stsgs that they Mitch
/ Ell ani rlckArdl took chsise ADJ accom-
panied ths stage. leaving Belfast In %,
ulght. thtt they arrived AZ pusi ole,
| bstassu Belfast ani Camden that me pag
sas carried lotto t1c ofl,C, and la due time
hrought cat. and then examined ~ al
three, Mitchell. rickafi, and thc driver,
aui ne letisr % Mcclellan was fpuli la u
] that thsy thea pro-s.,ied nu their nay. AIS
I thy cane o. the post Once ia Namlrn
I that ths mall bag with the litter o. hcls''
l An in 10 Was tAksu luio TOE oflce, aud Aflsi
/ The usual time, as hruught Oat and pot
/ lotto tae stag nat thsy Thea drove SINE
distance from thc slllsgc, there stopped,
/ took the hag from the Chtiss ani there
thry oprusd che bag. to1k out al Tue lei.
tsrs All psgtTs aui placed The lcttsfs on
oue scai % che ChAi.e. ani The ptptrs 90
me other. ani thgn they all sHamiued ths
I h.g. that thry touk each letter sni each
rsp.f ~ itself Ani put them back lnto The
{ ~. auf thr letter 90 General Mcclellan
va o., there. TIE bsg was then taken ~
TIE driver o. The stage, All b. Proceeded
on Bis way Mitchell ani fickAfi fciafn'
81 % tAo village. AMI bal the Postmaster
arrested fof aosifacilns money ifom The
mails
Mr. plckafd tsstdci 90 The same facts,
confirming Sir Mitchell To- every pafiicu.
ar. Toe driver also MAS witness. And con
nfmed al that hal pycn icstlei, A. - hl'
participation 10 thc ha,iucss.
In answer 10 questions. McfrlmAn stated
that al three of the witnesses sNOrc that
The letter % General Mcclellan Nas IN The
mall-bAg when 10 wen; into The ori,c Al
Candcn. AMI SAs not Ia The o.g ~hen 10
came out All the driver tcsuicd that
there Wa % ouc la The once bai The Post
master l askci my client waat evidence
be- hai ~ replied hat be- bat noi any eS-
denes. then Askcd him What De hal 10
,ay be answered that al be- coali say va
ac va. lu The ofies that morning alone.
The mailbag was bfoughi 70 hin, DC oP
euci 10 a. usual. took oct the letters fof
Camden. pat In those that were - 20 Tor
ward. closed The bag. locked 10, Ani ieilcf'
/ 81 IT. 70 me NNANNI NNN AANNNNA - AWsf
and that wks all he kuew about t.
such was The case % my client, a. pre-
sentsi by himself what vas my duiy IL
!. true he denied that be vas guilty. but 80
can every criminal. aud all 30 sho employ
counsel ~ admitted that he bal not me
slightest evidence 10 offer against the tss-
timony % thrve respectable witnesses, and
that be- hat DOT q word q say la exPlsns-
ton. Ought % have nsred up with Sir-
tuoas iniignailon. Ani a. once refuse -
all man - escape punishment who va.
80 palpAhly gultyi That vas not NV
course bar. aft-r rch-cuug lev min
ut-s. I said Have you ever ctusei 10
qairy 10 be- made OF General Mcclellan
whether h. received that lsiteff lie rc-
piled "No. ! never thought of such
thing then advised him - send q per
sou Immediately % Bath ADD ash General
Mcl.-llan u be bad any knoslcdge OF sub
a letter. ant also 10 make the sane iuqairy
VI the Postmaster a. Bath. lie sent q man
accordingly, who tn due time returned anj
/ reported that General Mcclellan said that
be DID receive such = letter, on the day
which h. named. aud which was = short
time ouly before when he received The
/ letter, be had no recollection OF The writer
but supposed u was all right. The NEE
senger then went 10 the Postmaster, who
said he r.collected such letter, that 10
came ~ the eastern mail, on DAY which |
be named. that he opened the mailbag
himself. and seeing = letter directed 10
General Mcclellan, which looked a. n II |
might have money In IL. he did not like u
have IL lying In hi. ofiloe, and sent IL by his
boy 10 the General The time when The
letter reached the Postmaster Of Batn AMI
General Mcclellan. A. stated By them. WAS
The afternoon Of the day on which Il passed
through Camden.
ca receiving this intelligence. I wen, 20 |
The district attorney, Mr.. Shepley, stated
what information We had obtained, and
requested him % subpUna General McLel. |
Ian. aud the Postmaster AZ Bath 10 90 be-
fore the grand jury. lie did so and the
result was. that no indictment wa, found,
aud my client was discharged. lie had
been - anxious that. during the absence
Of his messenger N Bath. be retained Cen
erAl f,sseden; aud we afler c0nferriog to-
gether. advised our client 10 bring an ac-
ton against Mr. Mitchell for malicious
prosecution. lie did so, aud recovered
over sixteen hundred dollars. The case,
Merrlmsn g. Mitchell, Il reported In
Sh pley's Maine Reports, about the year
ls36 as Maine reports, $50
Such Was this remarkable case, as de-
scribed by the distinguished Jarisi who
Was instrumental la saving from ruin an
innocent man. IL II true there was no tri'
al. and the suggestion made BY MI.
Sprsgue % inquire Of Mcclellan whether
the letter had Oeen received might have
occurred 10 . lsyman; but IL did not oe-
cur 70 the person accused nor 70 any OF bis
friends. Ii required the brain OF man OF
practical experience aud Of legal training
10 20 10 the bottom OF the matter st once.
II this course hsd not been pursued, the
accused Postmaster would undoubtedly
have been convicted. - Mr.. McLellen did
not know, and had no reason 10 suspect,
from whom the letter came, and had prob
ably forgotten all about IL.
There always was some mystery about
the case. for ID Was not probable that the
government detective knowingly testified
falsely; bu, he and those with him we're
certainly mistaken. They did not make .
thorough examination OF the mailbag and
a - - -