The times., 1899-01-14
Charles R. Bremerman Charg-
ed With Looting Mail.
CASE TO BE HEARD TODAY
Swallowed by Inspectors for Nearly
flee - Letters Said to i.avc Hccn
Found in His Locker - The Au-
thoritics Rcticcnt-A Snd Case.

carrier Oh the new CITY poStoHiCe' spent
last night in a cell at the District jail,
where he was held to await u preliminary
hearing today on a charge of embe&zling
letters and packages containing checks,
money and money orders. The aCtusa-
tion against Bremerrnan is a serious one.
and is punishable only by Imprisonment.
with no fine. The penalty is hard labor
for a period of not less than one nor
more than five years.
Bremerman was arrested at the new
city postofice building shortly before 8
o'clock yesterday afternoon by Postofflce
Inspectors David C. Owings and William
B. Smith. The arrest was made quickly
and Unexpectedly, and it was not until
some time afterward that the companion
carriers of the accused man were aware
that he had been taken into custody.
The inspectors have been watching Bre-
norman for some time. AS far back as
December last they suspected that Bre-
norman was opening the mail and re-
moving money and checks. They were
very cautious and Bremerman was en-
tirely unaware that he was being watched.
After nearly a month of shadowing. the
inspectors decided that yesterday after
noon would be an opportune time to place
him under arrest.
At the office OF Judge Samuel C. Mills,
United States commissioner for he 0is
trict of Columbia. at No. 500 ID Street
northwest, shortly after o'clock, they
procured a warrant for the arrest OF Bre-
norman, charging embezzlement of letters
containing Enclosures which had been sent
through the mails. Returning to the Post
office Building. they arrested the suspected
| man and shortly afterward reappeared at
the office of the commissioner with the
letter carrier in their custody.
The Information" against Bremerman
was then presented by Inspector Owings
and read by the court. 1t charged him
| with having secured. secreted embezzled
and destroyed certain letters and packages
| containing checks. money and money or
ders. which had been delivered at the
| Washington postoffice. 1t charged further
! that Bremerman was letter carrier en-
| ployed at the postoffice; that the letters
| and packages alleged to have been taken
| by him came into his possession by reason
| of his employment as letter carrier. and
| that he feloniously secured and embezzled
| them contrary to and in violation OF Sec
tion 5467 of the revised statutes of the
| United States.
The information against the letter car
rier accuses him more specifically with
| having knowingly embezzled a letter sent
| by one Will Wallace, of Marshalltown, Ia,
| to the Washington News Letter, at No.
5l2 Tenth Street northwest. This letter
| contained money order drawn on the
| Wells-Fargo Express Company for 80 cents.
| and numbered 30,jT9. The letter was re-
ceived at the postofice here and it is al
| legged in the information that it passed into
| the hands OF Bremerman. who afterwaTd
| opened it and appropriated its contents.
| The information alleges further that Bre-
norman purloined numerous other letters
which will be Rresfhted in an exhibit By
the inspectors in the court of COMMISSIONS:
Mills when the preliminary hearing takes
place today.
When the inspectors took Bremerman
before the commissioner yesterday after
| noon they had with them a large package
| containing hundred or more letters, and
! the inspectors said that they comprise the
exhibit which will be made public today.
After a formal reading of the legal pa
pers yesterday afternoon the case was con
| tinued until l O'Clock today By agreement
| Commissioner Mills said that the offense i:
a serious one and decided that Bremen
man be held until today in the sum Of
81 600 bonds. The inspectors asked taa
James z. Bell, superintendent of city de-
livery at the postofiice. and +. L. Little
an employe, be supOenaed as witnesses
which was done. A telephone message
was sent for William Bremerman. tn,
father of the accused carrier. who wa!
soon at the Office, and Thomas j. Stanton
grocer OF Georgetown, who was one o
the original bondsmen for Bremerman, anC
they were present when the matter o
| fixing the bond under discussion. IL
default of bond the carrier was sent [,
iail He spent the night in cell.
When the case comes up for trial today
Assistant District Attorney Joseph Shil
lington Will represent the Government ant
Attorney Campbell Darlington will de
fend the accused.
The postoffice authorities are reticen
about the arrest. Little could be obtaine,
from them last night beyond an admission
that Bremerman had been arrested aut
that he is charged with opening and de
stroying packages and letters containing
money orders. Postmaster Willett anC
Assistant Postmaster Edward Wilson werC
found at the residence of the former. Il
No. 1907 e Street northwest, by a Time!
reporter. They refused to make a state
ment of the facts in the case and cyadet
inquiries. Inspector Smith was -ound a
his home at No. 80 L Street northwest
He would not make public the details o
the case.
1t is alleged however. that Bremen mel
| secured large sum of money il. the form
of checks and money orders BY systemati
cally opening the mails; that ne Woul,
open letters and leave the envelopes il
| MS lOCheT III luG DdSeiithl VI IN lD"tOIHt'
building.
The inspectors went to Bremerman's
locker after they took him into custody
yesterday and there found the packet oi
opened letters which will be exhibited
when the case comes up for trial today
The inspectors think that Il more eNpc'
rieuced man would have taken greater
precautions. Nevertheless, they say tha
the case against him is strong one anc
that they intend to make an example Of
him.
Bremerman is about twenty year:
old and comes of an old and highly re-
spected Georgetown family. He attended
the public schools here and afterwards 5e,
came a clerk. In 1898 he became identified
with the local postoliice. He was sub
stitute letter carrier until last year, wheI
he was made regular" He had one o
the downtown routes, in the vicinity o
Tenth and f Streets northwest and many
} large stores and business houses receive,
their mail through his hands. His fathe
lives at No. 22l2 X Street. Georgetown
and Bremermau also resides there.
The arrest of Bremerman was the chic
topic OF conversation at the city post
: Office last night. All the carriers know
Bremerman and like him. Few. if any
knew that he was under suspicion an,
there was great surprise when the in
l spectors placed him under arrest.