The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-11
M'BRlDE'S DEFALCATION
Postmaster Barratt May Have to
Bring Suit.
A NOVEL COMPLICATION ARISES
IN THE CASE.
The Government VIII Look to Mr..
Barratt to Make Good the Short
age-Cunnington's Sureties Ready
to Settle-McBride's Line of De-
tense.

Postmaster c. r. Barratt will BE
compelled to join suit against ex-As-
sistant Postmaster Frank NJ. Mcbride
and Cunnington. former chief stamp
clerk, to recover nearly $4,000 for the
defalcation of which Mcbride and Gun
! nington must appear before the next
session of the United States district
court.
This is only one of the novel COM
plications which have come to pass
! since the arrest of Mcbride and Cum
nington by POstoffice Inspector Nichols.
Mr.. Barratt finds that the government
will look to him to make good the
shortage as the pOstOffice department
recognizes the responsibility of no one
else in the office when questions of this
sort are involved, although it is within
the province of the department to
prosecute any employee. The bonds
of both Mcbride and Cunnington were
sureties TO Postmaster Barratt. He
must prosecute for the recovery of the
shortage.
Cunnington's bondsmen have already
offered to settle for the $3.50 which the
young stamp clerk is accused of TAX
ing feloniously 1t is said that Cum
nington and his relatives have stub
bornly opposed any such tacit admis-
sion of his guilt, and that they intend
TO fight the case when it comes to trial.
The visit of Judge J. T. Mcbride to
Salt Lake has also developed some
other entanglements. Judge Mcbride
is the father of Frank Mcbride. The
judge remained in the city nearly a
week and made frequent calls at the
postoffice where he consulted with
Postmaster Barratt and Inspector
Nichols and during these discussions it
is said that he unmasked the line of
defense that will be made in court, for
1t is now also well understood that
young Mcbride will also fight his case.
Judge Mcbride declared that he was
convinced of his sons innocence and
intimated that the responsibility rested
entirely on the postmaster's shoulders,
an assertion that nearly caused Mr..
Barratt to request that the gentleman
vacate his private office. Judge Nc
Bride upbraided Inspector Nichols for
causing the arrest of his son and char
acterized the same as outrageous and a
scheme to ruin the young mans repu-
tation. He got very little comfort from
the inspector who simply said that at
the proper time the government would
make its showing.
Now it is known that the whole
proof will be shifted by Mcbride and
Cunnington upon the shoulders of Mr.
bdrrdlt VINO VIII therefore be Obliged 10
enter suit against the bondsmen for the
collection of the amount which he must
make good to the department. What
the bond company that became Nc
Brides surety Barratt will do is not
known, but the records of these con-
Germs in instances of this kind have
been the most unrelenting prosecution
in order to make an example of the
culprit- In addition. the United States
prosecution is made in any event.
Postmaster Barratt may be forced into
joining issues with the bond company
and the government if the defense of
the two accused men is such as to
cast reflection on his personal integrity.
In connection with the foregoing it
has been confessed by some of Post
master Barratt's bOndsmen, which in
clude the most influential citizens of
Salt Lake, that they have been ap-
preached lately with advice to with
draw from the Barratt bond. an in
nendo which they have Indignantly
scoffed. Meanwhile the government is
engaged in collecting evidence of the
former records of the accused. The
trial will occur in April.