The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-31
STEAMED The LETTERS.
Examination of the Dishonest
Letter Carrier Before U. S.
Commissioner Rowe.

John r. Neaiis, of No. 80 Mercer street,
the letter carrier. who was arrested on
Thursday last for Withholding letters that
had been entrusted to his care for de-
livery, was given hearing this morning
before United States Commissioner LiIs-
ley Rowe The examination was eon-
Quoted by Assistant United States District
Attorney Warren Dixon
Five packages, containing about seven
ty-five letters, were spread out upon the
table They are the evidence against
Nealis Some of the letters were received
as long ago as 1896 The letter for the
detention of which he wiM be prosecuted
was addressed to Patrick Trainor,
Christ's Hospital, Palisade avenue, Jersey
city" 1t was mailed in England on De-
cember "a, 1896, and was received in the
Jersey city post Office on January 20
1897. The letter had evidently been tam
pered with The edges of the envelope on
three sides were torn and ragged. Most
of the other envelopes looked as If they
had been steamed open and resealed-
post Office Inspector Benjamin r. Shopp,
who was the principal witness against
Nealis. testified that in his opinion the
envelopes had been steamed open. He
had had an extensive experience IN Whlch
he had seen many envelopes that had peeh
tampered with in that manner he
called attention to the fact that the backs
of the envelopes were wrinkled and soiled
while the side on which the addresses
were written were perfectly smooth ana
unsoiled He was asked by Commissioner
Rowe IT, in his opinion, the letter aa-
dressed to Trainor had been opened after
leaving the post Office or had been mutt
lated in transit He replied that mad II
been mutilated before reaching the post
office it would have been officially sealed
before being handed to Nealis for dellV-
erv therefore it must have been opened
by Nealis.
A number of the letters found in
Nealis possession were addressed to in
mates of Christ's Hospital and may have
contained money to defray their expenses
while in that institution.
Mr.. shopp told of receiving instructions
from washington to investigate the loss
of numerous letters in Jersey City, and
without entering into details, said that he
received reliable information that Nealis
was the carrier who was Withholding the
letters, On the information received ne
went before United States Commissioner
Rowe on December 29 and secured a war
rant to search Nealis house, No. 80 Mer-
Ger street. He was accompanied on ms
search by Assistant Postmaster 3. W.
Woolley. In a bureau drawer they found
a package of letters in which was the
Trainor letter Five other packages
were found secreted in various parts of
the house. Each package was fastened
by a rubber band. Each letter was
marked by Mr.. Woolley and Inspector
Shopp for identification. Nealis was sent
for and ordered to appear at the Post
office. He was arrested and questioned
by Inspector Shopp. He admitted keeping
the letters but would not explain his rea-
son ter doing so. saying
1T would take too long to go into the
details
Assistant Postmaster Woolley corrobo-
rated the testimony of Inspector Shopp.
Bernard Jsertsch, superintendent Of let
ter carriers, testified as to the route COW
cred by Nealis. He said Nealis had been
in the service for seventeen years. When
Nealis was arrested Bertsch was sent to
his home to examine his mail bag In it
he found seven letters and some postal
cards which had not been delivered that
morning. He declared that Nealis tried
to slip them out of the bag before he could
get Them but did not succeed.
Neaiis would make no statement. Com
missioner Rowe held him in $500 bail for
the United States Grand Jury.