Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-02-23
CURIOUS ARIZONA POSTMASTER,
Extraordinary Affair Unearthed by
Postofflcc Inspcctor,

/ e~O~~~---,--S
Postofilco Inspector.
Postofice Inspector Waterbury re,
Gently returned from protracted of.
fetal tour of his district, and he brings
home strange story. It is reminis.
cent, seys the Denver Republican, OF
one which Inspector Waterbury un-
earthed in 1894, the full details Of
which, however, have never been pub
lished. His last trip, which took in
Yuma, A. T., brought him face TO face
with the noted character with which
this particular story deals, who is now
awaiting execution for wife murder.
Early in 1894 Inspector Waterbury
received instructions from the general
postoffice at Washington to go to En-
renburg, $50 miles from Yuma, and
investigate the condition OF the post
Office there. For eleven years not q
word had been heard from it, although
tho officials had forwarded stamps oc-
casionally. The Postohice Department
issued orders which brooked of no de-
lay, but no heed lad been taken of
them, and the officials wanted the
whole matter sifted.. Inspector Water
bury set out and finally reached his
destination. He did not ride on Pull
mai all the time.
Arrived at Ehrenburg, the postofice
was not very difficult to locate. It was
one of the poorest of the struggling
adobe huts which constituted the town
at that time. But the postmaster was
nowhere to be found.
A compadre of his was met after
awhile who spoke English. "Hayzoos"
would be back in few days, Inspoc-
tor Waterbury was told. The other
name of "aayzoos, which in English
is Jesus, was Daniel, which informa-
ton it took long time to elicit. The
distance was too long and the way too
difficult to traverse to leave his mis-
sion unaccomplished, so Inspector
Waterbury sat down and awaited the
pleasure of Jesus Daniel.
After lapse of five days Jesus ar-
rived at Ehrenburg in his birch-barI5
canoe. The inspector was not long in
forming his acquaintance. He told
Jesus Daniel tho purpose of his mis-
sion. The Mexican gave savage
grunt of understanding aud gruilly ac-
quiesced to showing Inspector Water
bury through the postofice. The
examination was ut onco begun.
Shutters were thrown back, doors un-
bolted and the two sat down in the
musty atmosphere. The safe was first
opened. II it Inspector Waterbury
found thirteen registered letters, most
of which were of an urgent and impor-
tant nature, which had lain there from
two to eleven years. He found somo
of the people to whom the letters were
addressed and delivered them. There
were hundreds of letters lying about,
many of them directed to people who
had long been dead. But Inspector
Waterbury's great find was two COM
missions from subsequent Administra
tions for men appointed to succeed
Jesus Daniel as his successor. One
of these men died in ignorance of his
appointment, and the other was
kept in ignorance Of it by the astutc
Jesus.
When confronted with the pile of
documentary evidence against his
ability or character or ignorance, or
all three, Jesus Daniel just grunted,
which said plain MS English could
make it: "What now, if you have
discovered it?" Inspector Waterbury
saw that there was no ein argument.
The Postmaster was of the brute type,
too ignorant or cunning to volunteer
or give under pressure an explana-
tion.
After the two men had left the post
office Jesus Daniel was met by some
acquaintances who greeted him ofter
their fashion. From the look of horror
which crept over the faces of ell of
them Inspector Waterbury Tentured
remark as to what caused it.
"He took his wife up the river and
drowned her, he says" said one OF
The bystanders.
"You took your wife up the river
and drowned her, did you?" asked the
a&tcunded inspector, as ho looked at
The immobile features Of the man
beside him.
eyes, 1 drowned her," doggedly re-
piled the Mexican. "She was no
good any more. She got old and sick
and ugly, and she bothered me. J.
asked her to step out Of the boat and
get c flower for me that was in tho
water. When she got out I pushed
her into the river and got away quick
when I see that she can get UP no