The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-07-29
PUT UP $1,000 CASH.
SECURITY FOR APPEARANCE
AT FEDERAL COURT.
Preliminary Examination Into the
Charge Against Joseph w. Farrar
of Sending Seurrilous Matter
Through the Mails.

Charge Against Joseph w. Farrar
of Sending Scurrilous Matter
Through the Mails.
The trial of Joseph w. Farrar on
the charge of writing scurrilous let
| tiers and postal cards, was called in
the court room at 7:45 Monday. 1t
was attended by some POO spectators.
| He was tried before U. 5. Commits
sioner Martin Messrs. Jones & Pat
: terson represented the defendant. Mr..
! Dexter appeared for Uncle Sam"
| the prosecutor. Clerk S. T \ cal made
d record Of the evidence.
Mr. Jones asked that the warrant
| be dismissed on the ground that it did
not contain any specific charges, nor
! did it give his client time to defend
] himself He demanded that the
names to whom the letters or postal
| cards were written be put on the war
rant. Said the charges against the
defendant, If proven, meant fine of
$500 or imprisonment. Said the &C
tion Of the prosecution was unfair
and unAmerican: that the crime is
greater than that CT larceny. Mr..
Jones again demanded that the
charges be specified or the warrant
dismissed.
Mr Dexter stated that it was not
ueces SaTy to specify; that the fact
that the letters or cards were written
and mailed was a violation of the
postal laws and subject to prosecu
lion. Mr. Jones argued un his first
text until overru'ed by the court. Mr.
Dexter stated that Judge Dick, in one
or more instances, had sustained SINH
lar accusations Mr. Jones again
ladies to whom the scurrilous cards
were addressed be put on the war
rant.
The witnesses for the prosecution
were Postmaster Wilson, Mai. S. II
Smith, Con Jemly, ID. d Schouler,
Newton Fletcher and J. HI Zevely.
Mr. Wilson was the first witness
called. He stated that the scurrilous
postal card was shown him by one OF
his clerks; that he kept it, On cross
examination he stated he only knew
the card was mailed there by the Win
>tGu stamp mark
Con Lemly, general delivery clerk,
said he saw the letter mailed, adj
dressed to d. ID. Schouler; personal
He saw Farrar drop il iu the box He
picked it up aud gave it to Maj Smith
Did not see postal cards. Could
not swear to Farrar's handwriting
Farrar mailed two letters at that
time. Only the one addressed to Mr..
Schouler was retained He had been
Instructed by Maj Smith to take out
any letter Farrar mailed. Did not
see him write the letters mailed
Maj. Smith, assistant postmaster,
was the third witness. He said sew
eral letters had been dropped in office
quested him to keep watch for letters
and pOStals put in by FarraT; he post
marked the letter addressed to Mr..
Schouler, to whom it was given: saw
Fdrrdr In money order department.;
he was fixing up letters; thought he
had the letter when he went out; re-
quested clerk to keep watch for lit:
Thought he knew Fdrrar's signature
and that the signature to the letter
given to the witness was Farrar's;
saw defendant writing; have seen Far
rar sign applications for money Or
ders; did not differ much from an old
signatures: have seen his signature
within the last sixty days.
Mr. ID. ID Schouler was the fourth
witness. The letter addressed to him
was given him by Mai Smith at his
reading it he turned it over To Mai.
Smith, Did not know Farrar's hand
writing.
j. H. Zavely. deputy clerk in Regis
ter OF Deeds office, was the fifth wit
ness. He thought he could tell the
handwriting. Mr.. Jones argued that
he had not qualified and was not an
expert in passing upon handwriting.
Mr. Zevely said he had taught writing
h1d 6ar Ia
perlence in the examination of hand
writing. He was given the letters
and postal cards to examine and say
whether they were written by the
same party He testified that in his
opinion they were written by the same
hand. On cross examination he said
the cards looked like an attempt to
disguise the hand; that if the man
was on trial for his life he would say
that to the best of his knowledge and
belief, the letters and cards were
written by the same man. Was never
put on the stand as an expert before;
never saw Earrar write, and never saw
his handwriting before.
Postotfice Inspector Dexter asked
that the defendant be bound oyer on
the ground that he had violated the
postal laws, which, he said, had been
proven.
The LAW.
He read section 332, of the Postal
Laws and Regulations, which is as
follows: THAT all matter other
wise maildble by law, upon the en-
Velope or outside cover or wrapper of
which or any postal card upon which
any delineations, epiJhets, terms, or
language of any indecent, lewd, las
civlous, obscene, libellous, scurilaus de-
famatory or threatening character or
calculated by the terms or manner or
style of display, and obviously intend
ed to reflect injuriOusiy upon the char
acter or conduct of another may be
written or printed, or otherwise i'm
pressed or apparent, are hereby de-
clared non mailable matter, and shall
not be conveyed in the mails, nor de-
| liVered from any pOstoffics, nor by any
| letter carrier, and shall be withdrawn
| from the mails under such regulations
as the Postmaster General shall pre-
| scribe, and any person who shall
knowingly deposit or cause to be de.
| posted for mailing or delivery, any,
| thing declared by this section to be
nOn-mailable matter, and any person
! who shall knowingly take the same or
cause the same to be taken from the
| mails, for the purpose of circulating
/ or disposing OF or of aiding in the cir
| culatlon or disposition of the same
| shall, for each and every offence, upon
| conviction thereof, be tined not more
| than So, 900 or imprisoned at hard la
] bor not more than five years, or both,
/, at the discretion of the Court"
Mr.. Jones argued that he did not
| think the case cnffiaipnt RI hind ovar