The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-10-02
POST OFFICE |NFAMY
Scanda1ous Grip of Green
goods Men in This City
During the DiCkln-
son Regime.
WELL KNOWN TO EVERYONE
But the Republican, Officials All
Ordered the Mail For-
warded till ComstoeB
Interfered.
Testimony Before the Lexow Com
mittee Which Places Local
G. @. P. Leaders in a
Nice Light.
WELL KNOWN TO EVERYONE

senator LeXoW ana MS colleaSueS ol
the famous committee now unearthing
the rottenness and corruption in the
New York Police Department, struck
rich vein yesterday afternoon when they
inquired into the relations of the green
goods fraternity and the Jersey City
Post Office. The Senators stared, the
counsel chuckled, and even the police
panNatas grinned as a former mailing
clerk in the aforesaid post office told
them what piles of green goods circu-
lars went through the post office in Jer-
sey City when Colonel Samuel d. Dick
inson was Postmaster. The disgraceful
disclosures were the features of yester-
days session, and a News" reporter
who was present, was informed by
very eminent authority that Uncle Sam,
through his Grand Jury at Trenton, will
by and by endeavor to find out what his
servants were doing in 1892 and 1893 to
permit his post office in Jersey City to
be turned into a mailing department
for green goods circulars.
Part III of the old Court of General
Sessions, New York City, was crowded
at three O'Clock when the committee
took their seats where Recorder Smyth
was wont to sit.
bar talking earnestly with Lawyer John
w. Golf. The Rev. Father Ducey was
there too, while outside among the spec
tators, were gold laced captains, ser
geants and wardmen and some Of the
wretched women whose testimony has
broken so many officers of the force.
Before the Jersey City part of the
business came up, Lawyer Goff had Cor
poration Counsel Clark on the stand to
explain why District Attorney Wellman
was drawing two salaries, one for prose-
cutting criminals and the other for prose
cutting accused policemen before the
Police Board Then he tackled Lawyer
Louis Grant to find out if it was an
fore the. board Finally he wanted to
know from ex-Police Commissioner
Mclean if a police captain had to pay
NICE REVELATIONS THESE.
All this occupied an hour, at the end
of which he sat down beside Lawyer
sci to DR.. Parkhursts Society. After
a moments consultation Mr.. Moss cried
OUT
tall, dark, Intelligent looking young
my sYon sisReu i've in jersey citys began MIR.
Moss, while MIR. Goff prompted from
Were you not formally connected
with the Jersey City Post ofice?''
"Are you now?"
mo sir, / was. discharged February 3,
1S93," Mr.. Van Beuren replied, settling
''Do you know anything about green
goods circulars passing through the
mails?"
please tell the committee all that
you noticed with regard to these cir
culars," gently urged Mr. Moss;
'.Well, sir, my attention was drawn 10
the fact that some men had 25 boxes in
the Office for their mail which they held
for two or three months. | didn't know
them personally; but knew them well
hu notice news
papers about the large quantity of mail
matter stopped, and on seeing some
stamps on them ! began to suspect.
COL DICKINSON KNEW IT.
Suspect what?" asked Mr.. Goff sud-
denly .Iyin tnat d wos gresn goods stnff ;,
replied Mr.. Van Beuren.
well then what did you do?" asked
Mr.. Moss.
"Who was the Postmaster counsel
INF. Samuel D. Dickinson was the
edEWSSht What did he say?"
.He told me to keep watch and If
saw anymore coming in to let him
'.Did you find anymore?" asked Mr..
Eyes, the next day"
Mr. Van Beuren said that some four
of the envelopes in the suspicious mat
ter were open and he examined them
Each contained the circular and the
usual false newspaper clipping about
the theft of the Government plates. He
told Colonel Dickinson what he had dis
covered and the postmaster sent oyer
to New York to Inspector James. who,
in turn sent them back to Mr.. Dlckin-
.aThen what did Mr.. Dickinson de?''
asked counsel
HHe told me to go on sending that
mail out as fast as 1t came in"
'And you went on sending it right out
on account of the orders of Postmaster
'sYes, he was my superior officer"
"e'9 ~ NO RWSoNDER EITHER.
The answer to the next question put
each es M member rs of which looked horrifed
How daa many Yar circulars dsvs game into Jersey
'From to 10000 pieces replied Mr..
Van Beuren in, q careless tone.
Whats that SAD SAL Senator ais .r,d aexow 0o',
mean to tell US that as many as forty
sthousand green goods circulars We're re-
ceived in the Jersey City Post Office
every day during that period?"
Eyes sir, and often more witness. re-
piled, emphasizing the last two words.
The committee looked helplessly at
EVERY ACCOMMODATIONS FOR BIZ.
WAS there no effort made to appre
hend the men who brought the mail?"
None, and they brought it In such
large quantities that it couldn't be taken
in at the window. Orders We're given
that it should be received at the back
door just as we took in the mail from
Lorillard's or the Dixon Crucible Conn
pany,'' said Mr.. Van Beuren.
where did they buy their stamps p
asked one of the committee.
.At the regular window and to the
amount of 5000 and $700 worth per day"
Good heavens calculated another
Lexow Committeeman in astonishnent
"These green goods chaps bought
$500 worth day and yet the Postmaster
allowed 1t to go on?"
Eyes sir, they frequently during the
six weeks In 1892, bought that amount
Of stamps and nothing was said"
Then when the committee had some
what recovered from their surprise,
Lawyer Moss asked:
What ended it?v
The arrival of Anthony ComstoclS,
was the reply
s.Tell us, said one of the committee
"how Mr., Comstock. came into the mat.
ter and what was done
VVff41ess said that although he was