The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-05
4 posTOFFICE CLERK GONE WRONG
Mt John Hawkins Appropriates the Funds
of the Newberry Postofice~Letters
Intercepted and Robbed of Money
His Flight to Florida.

VI
of the Newberry Postofhce~Letters
Intercepted and Robbed of Money
His Flight to Florida.
Mr.. John Hawkins, who has been
clerk at the Newberry postotfice for
the past few months, left here on Tues
day morning, March 26th, oStenslh!y
for the purpose of paying visit to his
mother in Orangeburg. An ugly case
of robbery of the postottice by him has
developed, the total amount of which
has not vet been ascertained, but 1t Will
probably reach several hundred dol
lars.
On Saturday, March 2+th Mrs. Her
bert, the postmaster, gave him one
hundred and ninety-two dollars. with
which to purchase Il check on Charles
ton. He went to the bank and bought
check for $17 and pocketed the re-
manning $175, but entered in the books
rs having sent the whole amount. On
Tuesday the acknowledgment of SAT-
urdav's remittance came back, showing
that only ST. had been sent, which
was the first intimation that anything
was wrong.
Mr.. Hawkins went from here to Flor
ida. The morning he left he issued
three money orders in favor Of himself
on Orlando, Sanford and Fernandlna,
Florida. The ones on Orlando and
Sanford were each for 500. 1t Is not
known what the amount of the Fernan-
dina order was. He collected the one
on Orlando himself, and wrote the post
master at Sanford to express him the
money for the order on that office to
Pensacola. He was in Fcrnandiana
and collected his order OH that office,
which is supposed 10 be 500 also. The
postmaster at Sanford had heard of his
robbery of the office here and did not
send him the money. The application
for the orders were left here and writ
ten out by him as follows: The one he
collected at Orlando was made by II. B.
Settler, on New York, for 81; The one
on Sanford WIS made by J. q. Rikard,
for Sl.3O; and the one Oh Fernandina
was made by Mrs. A. +. Cromer, on
Atlanta, for 50 cents, and this amount
of money was put in the money order
drawer. These applications were, OF
course, fixed up, as none of these par
ties weic in towh.
He was in Orlando on Thursday, 18th
of March, and collected his order that
day.
There may be other orders drawn in
a similar manner that have not yet been
discovered.
J On Tuesday his trunk was examined
and number of letters belonging to
| the Lutheran Visitor We're found
opened and the money taken out.
Amongst these was money order fol
$3.50 and a check for 81, payable to
the order of VIM. P. Houseal that had
not been used. The amount actually
taken from these letters, SO far as we
have been able to learn, is only $780,
but there were a number Of COM
munications intended for publication.
Some of these letters came here during
February.
Mrs. Herbert says that for several
months the stamp department has been
short each month from S25 to $50, and
she had repeatedly called his attention
to the fact. This affair may explain the
shortage there.
This affair Of Mr.. Hawkins was quite
Il surprise to our people, as he was well
thought of here, and no one suspected
him of any such transactions.
| There are rumors aflOat that there is
something else back of all this that
may, in some way, explain bis transac
tions, but of this we know nothing.
The postmaster had information yes
terday that two money orders had beer
collected by Mr.. Hawkins in Florida
the one on Fernandina and the one or
Orlando, both sent to him by eNpns IS.