The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-26
READS LIKE A NOVEL.
A FULL HISTORY OF THE BARRETT
CONSPIRACY CASES.
How the Facts Were Brought Out--Inter-
estIng Revelations sas to the Astute
ATTORNEYS Rascally Scheme--He Is Caught
Up With Mt Last.

Attorneys Rascally scheme--He Is Caught
Up With at Last.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Dec. 1s.-During
the past week one of the most notable
cases ever tried in Columbia, S: O.,
was concluded in the United States
Court-the Barrett postoffice consplr-
acy case. 1t was one OF the most not
able cases of it's kind ever tried in the
South, indeed in this country. says the
Columbia State.
The parties on trial were Capt. @. P.
Barrett. criminal lawyer, lately OF
Spartanburg; John S. Fisher, United
States Commissioner and mayor OF
Tryon, N. c.; A. J. Fisher, j. r. Bur
dine, postmaster at Cowpens, 5. Z. ;
John f. Tillman, R. J. McElrath post
master at McElrath, s.. G.; j. W.
Owens, postmaster at Owens: s: Z; ;
r. G. Wyatt, postmaster at Wyatt, 5.
q: Clarence Lee, John M. Thompson,
postmaster at Clifton, S. O.; ThomasJ. {.
Hannon, John D. O'Bryant, postmas-
ter at Peaks s. c.; Edward B. Lowe,
postmaster at Enoree, s. O., and VIM.
M. Hatcher. -.-
OF these, Tillman, Thompson and
Hatcher skipped, leaving their bonds
men in the lurch.
McElrath, Owens, Wyatt, Lee Han
non and Lowe turned States evidence,
and McElrath, Lee and Harmon plead
guilty; Owens was sick in bed with
typhoid fever.
The prosecution and the defence
brought together q fine array of legal
talent. John M. Caldwell, one of the
leading criminal lawyers of Admission.
Ala, came on to defend John D. O'Bry-
ant and got him off on the ground
that the offences charged against him
were barred by the statute of llmlta-
tons Mr.. Caldwell is probably the
most expert penman ever seen here,
he being able to initiate perfectly any
signature offhand after seeing it once
written.
Col. VIM. Munro, of Union, repre-
sented Thomas j. Harmon, throwing
around him all the legal protection
possible. He was assisted by Mr.. S. T..
McCravy, of Spartanburg.
Col. Blythe, in addition to appear
ing for Capt. Barrett, as already stated
also represented John s. Fisher and A.
J.,Fisher. He got the Fishers off, but
could not save the "red fox"
After amost exhaustive and tirescme
examination of many witnesses on both
sides and two brilliant arguments for
the prosecution and defence, the speech
of District Attorney W. Perry Murphy
being particularly fine, both on ac.
count of his eloquence and his master
ly handling of the testimony, District
Judge Brawley addressed the jury and
: delivered his charge. He had the un-
divided attention of the entire audi
ence. The charge was able and lucid,
showing vast study and research into
the laws relating to conspiracies. The
Jury did not remain out long and at
an early hour in the afternoon brought
in a verdict of guilty as to Barrett,
Owens, Tillman and Lee. Barrett
went to Jail with the other prisoners.
a The following history of the con-
spiracy will now be read with interest: !:
The case was placed in the hands of
Postoffice Inspector Fred D.. Peer by
Hon. G.. M. Whiteside, Chief Postof-
fee Inspector of the Southern States.
Peer Immediately went to Spartan
burg, S. c., and proceeded to work up
the matter. It did not take him long
to find evidence enough against Thorn
as B. Neighbors, postmaster at Dallas,
s. c., and w. D. Evins, postmaster at
Converse, S. G., to- warrant their ar
rest for conspiracy, along with Capt.
Chas p. Barrett and others to defraud
the United States by falsifying the re-
turns of their cancellations of postage
stamps and by illegal sale and disposi-
ton Of the same. Neighbors and Ev-
ms are both one-legged Confederate
veterans, highly connected and much
esteemed in the communities in which
they lived, and the citizens were great
ly surprised to find that they had been
led astray by Barrett Peer worked
up such strong case against Neigh
bors and Evins that when confronted
with the evidence they both made full
confessions, duplicating Barrett, who
was then a practicing lawyer, and
other members of the gang above men
toned, who were also arrested by In
spector Peer for conspiracy to defraud
the Government and business houses
all over the United States.
The sworn confessions of five post
masters, together with the corrobora-
tive testimony of the other witnesses,
and the documentary evidence, pro-
duced followed bya conviction in the
United States Courts here. disclose one
ofthemost gigantic sWindles on record:
''Barrett's Independent Order of
South Carolina Postmasters" might be
an appellation of the slickest gang of
swindlers ever organized in the United
States for the purpose of defrauding
the Government and obtaining every
variety of goods from business houses
all over the United States by the fraud
ulent use of the mails. A large num-
her of fourth class postmasters through
out the State, under the guidance and
direction of Capt. Barrett, the shrewd
criminal lawyer, organized themselves
into band, and with the aid of Uncle
Sans letter heads robbed the people all
over the country with the greatest
boldness and success.
Postof6ces were established in out of
the way places, where they were not
needed, through the instrumentality
of Lawyer Barrett, for the express pur-
pose of robbing the Government and
defrauding individuals.
Barrett has been a sort of Demo
cratic Republican Tillmanite- Third
party'go as-you-please" politician, and