The herald., 1893-01-21
FREDERICKS ARRESTED.
AN INTERNAL REVENUE DEPUTY IN
DICTED FOR OPENING n LETTER.
He Was a Guard at whittier at the Time
and Opened Letter to an Escape
Through Which Capture
Was Effe cted.

Among the indictments returned BY
the United States federal jury was one
against ] D. Fredericks for tamperini
with mail matter addressed to person
other than himself.
He was arrested yesterday afternoon
by Deputy Marshal Marsh and taken
before Commissioner Van Dyke. where
he was held under bonds of $1,000. DR..
Lndley and Judge McKeelev went
as sureties in the sum of $1,000 each.
The case will come for hearing some
time next week. Mr.. McLachlan, DR..
Lindley's attorney, will defend Mr..
Fredericks.
The indictment grew out of the action
of Mr.. Fredericks last summer while at
a town called Fallbrook while in pursuit
of Joe Anderson, the boy who escaped
from the Whittier reform school en-
campment at Catalina island by stealing
boat and rowing to the mainland.
Mr.. Fredericks at that time was one
of the guards at the school. Two weeks
after Anderson escaped intimation of
his whereabouts was received by the
school. Mr. Fredericks was detailed to
do the trailing. He went to Oceanside
where the boy had landed and finally
with the aid of a constable found him
working for man named Foster about
~ miles from Fallbrook.
While at Oceanside Fredericks met an
old man who was constable and asked him
to get livery rig with which to hunt
for Anderson. The old man referred
him to a young man who proved to be
his deputy. Fredericks told this man
that he would pay him for the rig, his
time and some reward if he caught the
boy. After riding around for day and
half Fredericks went to Fallbrook.
He proceeded to the postoffice and got q
letter addressed to Anderson, under the
alias of Crawford. He asked the post
master, Mr.. Scott, if he could read the
letter. II would help him very much in
his search for Anderson, and as dep
uty of the reform school he had the
right to read the letters of the schools
wards.
Mr.. Scott was at first dubious on this
point, but upon looking up the law he
consented. 1t was through this letter
that Anderson was finally found, as it
constabis naIIeu 1 W. .'e i,en, ho's .iiss'
where Anderson was, and together they
caught the boy.
Npff was paid $15 for his services.
When Fredericks returned TO Ocean
side and came to settle with the first
constable, the old fellow claimed part
of the reward, AS neither he nor his
deputy had done anything toward cap
turing Anderson, Mr.. Fredercks would
paw them only for the hire OF the rig.
Mr.. Fredericksi is at present connected
with the internal revenue Office. He
was seen last night by HERALD re-
porter. Tie gentleman was in excellent
euirts aud felt not in The least depressed
about the matter. He regretted, how
ever, that such proceedings should have
been brought against him, as it was an
moving.
s'The first intimation that | received
of the matter wss this afternoon, when
the deputy marshal came to arrest me.
cannot positively divine why the ac-
ton should have been brought sgsinst
me. As a deputy of the school cer-
tainly had right to open the letter.
The law is very clear upon that point,
and Mr. Scott was fully satisfied. took
particular pains at the time to see that
my action was not contrary to law. 1t
seems to me that sGme person wants to
get fees out of the case, 60 had me in
dicted."
The case has probably grown out OF
epitework and will be diemlesed by the
court az eoon as the matter 8 explained
DR. Lindley will stand by Mr.. Freder-
icks. Yesterday, while qualifying, he
remarked to one of the clerks that it he
had no right to open the letters ad'
dressed to his wards he mad better &c
/ out of the business.