The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-25
SAD HOME COMING
Elk POSTMASTER B0ODIE HAS THE SYM
PATTY OF HIS NElGHBoRS.
Who StOutIy Maintain that he Was lrrespOnS'
Bile but not Criminal. A Victim
of Morpha.

The feeling existing among many
hundreds of the best citizens of Nash
county demands that we, as editor of
the m0uth-piece and defender of the
rights and privileges Of this people, say
something in regard TO the case of j. Il.
Boddie ex-postmaster at this place who
was recently tried in the Federal court
in the city of Raleigh and convicted of
Irregularities in the management Of the
office entrusted to his keeping.
Through the columns of the News and
Observer our people have been kept
thoroughly posted ON the proceedings of
the trial, and although the evidence in
troduced established the fact that there
were some Irregularities discovered by
Inspector Gregory, yet there are thou
sands of our very best citizens who
have known Mr. Boddie since his boy
hood days, and whom no court or jury
could make believe that he would know
ingly and Intentionally commit any act
which would in any manner jeopardize
the friendship and confidence rep0sed
in him, and the universal expression of
the people who know the convicted man,
and have heard or read of the case
against him, clearly go to show that
none believe his prosecution was insti-
tuted for the purpose of correcting a
wrong or to make reparatiOn for any
inconvenience or loss sustained by the
patrons of the post office at this place.
but they believe that affair has been the
outcome of ingratitude and a desire to
wreal an unmerited revenge upon Mr..
BOddie who no one believes would know
ingly DO his fellowman an injury. When
we revert to the past the truthfulnesS
of this statement more fOrcibly impresses
itself upon our citizens, and although he
has been tried and convicted, and has
entered upon serving the sentence of the
court, yet the character of the man. his
habits and his physical condition stand
out in such bold relief as will ever cause
the people Of this county to believe that
he il innocent of any intentional crime.
While the writer or the people whom
/ represent have no word Of cenSure for or
in any manner condemn the action of
the court and jury, which tried and con
victed Mr.. Boddie. and while they bow
ed i'm humble submission to the courts
rulings and have let fall no word of
condemnation. still they honestly believe
that had the court been made more
thoroughly acquainted with the charac-
ter and condition of the defendant, and
could have peered beyond the close
walls of the law governing the courts,
it would have developed the fact that
the lrw was not all that was being sat
isfied. In this event the people believe
that the rulings of the court would
have been quite different. and that Mr..
Boddie would now be Il free man in his
humble home surrounded by his affec-
tionate wife and children, instead of
languishing behind prison walls.
Space will not admit of our going into
and giving a sketch of the life of the
convicted man, yet we wish to briefly
revert to the past few years when he
was a member of the well known firm
of Boddie, Ward and Company, of this
city. Mr.. Boddie enjoyed the reputa-
ton of being one of the best business
men in this part of the State, and for
several years he satisfactorily and fault
lessly served as postmaster, but during
the past two or three years, and while
engaged in both the above occupations,
he thoroughly incapacitated himself for
the duties involved upon him by the
constant and excessive use of morphine. !
This terrible opiate is in the opinion of !
our learned physicians and citizens, the !
main cause of Mr.. Boddieis downfall
has reduced him from a once prosperous
and responsible merchant to an ire
sponsible penniless man languishing be- |
hind the bars of a common county JAIL j
Constantly under the influence of this de- |
stroying drug he was soon untitled for |
his duties, and his forgetfulness and
negligence caused by an impaired and
dazed brain brought about reverses in
business matters and the once prosper
Gus firm of BOddie, Ward and Company,
were forced into an assignment, and al /
NEST without penny he tried to start |
life anew, and had he discontinued his |
use of the dope" no doubt his efforts
would have been crowned with success.
In his management of the post office
at this place not only did Mr.. Boddie
misplace a few letters belonging to otler
parties, but it has not been long since a
number of letters unopened and address
ed to his firm were found among some
of his old papers, etc. The very actions
of the man during the past two or
three years have caused tn people of the
county to suspect that he was incapable
of any longer filing the responsible posi-
uOuS llleH cnlIuSteu ~ HIS Accepting, al
though at one time no man was more
fitted for the position than Mr.. Boddie.
The mere fact that the letters for
which Postmaster Boddie was convicted
for OBTAINING were discovered unopened,
and along with these were unopened let
ters addressed to himself, goes to es-
tablish the fact that he was not re-
sponsible for his acts and that the
theory of criminal intent is without
foundation. Does it not stand to reason
that had he desired to have kept the,
parties from receiving these letters i'm
stead of allowing them to remain in the
office to be found by the inspector he
would have opened, read and destroyed
them and thereby hid every trace of
wrong-doing on his part? This also goes
to show that there was no criminal in,
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