The times., 1898-02-20
ENVELOPES SOLD As JUNK
They We're "Franked" and Val
ued at $1,000.
TWO MEN UNDER ARREST
yerscr and Mills Are Cha rged with
Disposing of Government Prop
erty Stored in the Old Globe Build
ing and Intended for the Repub-
lican Congressional Committee.

DIR" Robert n. Mills and James ].
Verser, two conspicuous members Of
| the Mckinley and Hobart Club, of this
~ity, who marched and fought to save
national honor in the campaign of 1896,
were arrested yesterday afternoon by
Detectives Baur and Parham on
charges of housebreaking and grand
larceny.
The case against them Involves Gov
ernment property to the value OF about
81, 600, consisting of 6,0O0,0 manila en-
velopes and some Congressional pub
lications stored in the old Globe Build
ing on Pennsylvania avenue, formerly
the publication office of the Con-
gressional Globe. the predecessor of the
Congressional Record.
For some time the building has been
condemned as unfit for use, and in re-
cent years has been little occupied. In
the recent Presidential campaign the
Mckinley and Hobart Club, an organ
ization composed of between $50 and
200 white Republican voters, chiefly,
held meetings in the building. Many
campaign documents We're sent out
from there, as the Republican Con-
gressional committee had large num-
Der Of its documents stored there.
After the election there We're left in
the building 5000, 600 large manila en-
velopes 'fTanked' and ready for the
mails but bearing no address, and
such are now used by members to send
out documents. They cost the Govern
ment more than 1900 for each million
and We're in good condition. There was
also stored in the building a large num-
Der of copies of the report of the pro-
ceedings Of the Impeachment trial of
President Andrew JTft son, which were
of considerable value, as well as some
other printed matter belonging to the
Government.
Mills and Verser. while not conspic-
uous in either social or POLITICAL life,
nevertheless were moving factors in
the Mckinley and Hobart Club and
worked under the direction of Chair
man Babcock, of the republican Con-
gressional committee.
Verser had the keys to the building
and was in charge of the room in which
the meetings of the club We're held.
DR. Mills was his assistant. Several
months after the campaign closed
Verser, it is alleged, conceived the idea
of appropriating the envelopes and 9TH
er printed matter to his own use and
selling them to a junk dealer, and ad-
vised Mills of the plan. 1t is said that
they engaged a colored expresSman
named Brown and q helper to remove
the envelopes, representing that they
were useless and that they had a right
to dispose of them. The entire amount
was sold to different junk dealers in
this city. There were eighty wagon
loads. for which between So and 81
load was paid, of which IS cents load
was paid to the expressmen, and Vers-
iy,ir, t,or inf. lnI~tin
gave the remainder to Mills.
The envelopes We're sold during the
months of May, June and July, 1897,
and about $500 was realized. The
Globe Building has since been used
only for occasional reunions of the Nc
Kinley and Hobart Club, and the loss
was not discovered until about two
weeks ago.
At that time there was an unusual
call for envelopes upon Public Printer
Palmer, and as the office was busily
engaged in getting out other docu-
ments. he obtained from Chairman
Babcock permission to use some of the
envelopes in the possession of the Re-
publican Congressional committee. Mr.
Palmer asked for $4,000, to which Con-
gresham Babcock replied that he
would gladly accommodate him with
100 600, or as many more as were de-
sired w nen the envelopes were sent
for it was found that the room in
which they had been stored was va
cant and an inquiry was begun to To-
cate them. Representatives Babcock,
Hull. Mercer and other members of the
campaign committee, were consulted in
regard to the disappearance of the
property. but none of them knew any
thing of the disposition of the envel-
opes. The case was finally reported to
the police and Detectives Baur and
Parham We're detailed to investigate
the matter. They succeeded in finding
where the envelopes and other books
had been sold and learned the names
of the parties who had disposed of
them.
When seen last night, Verser. who
halls from Danville, Va, said that he