Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-30
Local P. 0. Official Charged With
FrauduIently Issuing Money Orders.
SHREWD GAME DISCLOSED ACCIDENT
The Funds involved Amount to
About $4,000.
ACCUSED EVADING ARREST

F. s. Coburn, clerk in the bookkeeping
division of the office of the auditor for the
Post Office Department, and manager of
the local SubStation No. q, at the south
west corner of New York avenue and 9th
street, has swindled the government out of
probably two or three thousand dollars 1t
is alleged. He did it by making out money
orders in the substation Office which he
could do without trouble and sending them
out of town, and then by going to the Of
fees upon which the orders were drawn,
would get the letters containing the money
orders, present them at the office and in
quire If 1.-The letters of advice" which he
mad previously forwarded, had been receiv-
ed. As the whole affair in each case ap-
peared to be regular in every particular he
would, of course, get the amount the order
called for
The post office authorities are after Co
pUrn now, and Postmaster Willett of the
city office Is having an Investigation made
OF the alleged depredations.
1t Will be hard to determine the exact
amount of these, as the money orders
which he fhled out for himself were taken
fndiscrfminately from the book in which
the slips were kept. These siips are Num-
bered consecutiveIy and 1t was evidently
the intention of Coburn to make the in
vestigation, If 1t should ever come. as difli-
cult as possible
where He Learned the Trick,
He was formerly in the money order
branch of the auditors office, and by this
means became thoroughly acquainted with
the workings of tina system, and 1t is
thought evolved the scheme out of his own
before. >e0
Coburn some time ago purchased the
drug store at the cobnert-where the suh-
station Is located. HI view of what has
happened 1t is believed He went into the
purchase with the sole in tantion of working
the scheme to defrahd ,athe government
1t Is not believed however, that the latter
VIII suffer, as Cobut1n was bonded in a
baltimore surety company for 5000, and
postmaster Willett does mot believe the
stealings alleged will go over this amount
me affair was discovered in rather pe-
cullar manner. Deputy Crawford of the
auditors office at the Post Office Depart
ment unearthed it accidentally as he was
investigating something else. Ii was ha.
heved at first that what he was investi-
eating was In some manner CONNECTED with
the Coburn defalcatfon, but such is not
now oeieVed te1be the. eases The Coburn
business was brought to light, however
and Deputy Crawford, who was at the time
acting as auditor, sent letter to the Sec
rotary OF the Treasury, suggesting the dis
mlssal Of the suspect.
He Took the Hint.
Coburn must have discovered the fact
that his crooked work had been found out.
for he applied for one days leave of alb
sence August 26, and has not been back
since.
1t is stated. however. that he was seen
in Baltimore Friday or Saturday, and that
telegram was received from him by the
Secretary of the Treasury from Philadel-
phia containing his resignation. The de-
partment, under dir ection of Chief Inspec-
for Hamlet, Is making every effort to cap
ture him, and it is thought it will be
matter of only a few days before he is
apprehended and brought back here.
Coburn lived here at 92S X street. He
was thirty-two years Of age; was ap-
pointed from the state of Washington sew
eral years ago, and was promoted August
TO- 1888, to the position in the bookkeeping
division of the auditors office, which paid
81 600 a year. He IS described as an ath-
letic-looking young man, but is said not
to have been very popular with mis- fellow
clerks, as his disposition was not of the
best.
Name Not COIburn.
The accused man is not in any way con-
nected with the DR.. Robinson Colburn
who was enormously mentioned in morn
ing paper as having been the one who had
committed the depredations The names
are spelled differently, and DIR. Colburn is
known as one of the most highly esteemed
of Washington's citizens. He is indignant
that his name should have been used in
connection with the matter.