Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-08-19
PosT-OFFlCE FRAUDS.
The Case Recently Uuearthed In South
CaroIina-Owens Tells n Story.

CaroIina-Owens Tells Story.
The Post-Ofice Department is in re-
CENT. through unofficial though reliable
sources. Of startling news concerning the
south Carolina postal frauds, says the
Washington Sdr. Owens, one OF the con-
spirntoTs under arrest, tells story that
Barrett. whom the inspectors have Gagged
az being the ringleader. wanted he
tOwens) and McElrath, also III jail. 70
kill Washington Dill, Postmaster at
Inman. All the mail to and from
the post-offices to McElrath anu
Owens had to pass through the
post-ofice at Inman. II was Dill who did
the checking against McElrath and Owens
which gave the inspector evidence 20 work
on. He held the key TO the situation. he
knew how much mail passed through ms
Office for the dummy Offices on that route
and knew that there was o wide discrepan-
cy between the mail actually going through
and the returns made TO the department
by the offending postmasters. Owens has
this to say:
As long rs Mr.. Barrett has had his say,
think / ought 10 be allowed to put in
word, too. Barrett says my word IS not
good: that IL was broken III Judge StrlO-
blings court ] was never there as W.T.
ness. but was there twice az a Juror.
knowed nothing about swearing false MI
/ struck no with Barrett. As 70 my house
being searched for a stolen hog, that
amt so. After was arrested IN the
post-office business Barrett would come
around FIVE or SIX times day and tell me
70 keep a shut mouth. Then he tried to
oct me to swear false. Postmaster Dill
was witness against him and us, and he
tried 10 get me and McIirath 10 kill Dill.
He SAID the best way TO dispose OF Dlll
was TO take shotgun and NIX hum ana
then swear out. He promised TO stand by
me aud TO swear me out. told him l
would 60 10 Albany penltentlary for thirty
years before / would commit murder.
FIxISG THE CASE.
Since | have been in jail Barrett has
been to see me many times day aud has
been trying 70 post me how to swear. HQ
wants me to swear 20 q pack OF lies and
told me if would do as he said the case
against me would soon be stopped, and |
would never have to 90 on the stand. l
saw that Barrett was trying 10 clear NM
self and ! would be In 1t as bad
as ever, so got my father
TO get the Inspector to hear my statement.
The Inspector told my father that he did
want to hear my story, because he had
enough evidence to convict me and Bar
rstt. ! can put the Inspector onto another
ono Of Barretts po't-oftico7. l dldn :
know anything ABOUT ordering BOOus TN
Barrett told me that We could order
typewriters aud lots OF other things,
give a mortgage OIL them and never
pay for Thorn. The plan was that the
man who held the mortgage was 10 get
one third. Barrett was to have a third and
was TO have the other third. He said
that had better let jim Harmon DO the
ordering because my handwriting dldn I
look buslness-like enough. ! never wrote
"A letter tor anything. he said we must get
somebody TO hold while we skinned.
meaning the man who held the mort
gage. We never did have a settlement
of the ordering business. He got a
desk, bookcase. table, and some chairs
from me. We had settlements on the
stamps. I think it was about three hun
bred dollars worth of them. He took
some stamped envelopes. postal cards,
and stamps from me and sent them oil by
express. He told me never TO pay any,
thing IN stamps or the inspectors would
catch me. Barrett told me that when he
was arrested on the Georgia case he was as
guilty as a hog, but got of by playing
Euut-mOuth.p