The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-29

tamnered with, that could be discov-
cred by anything short OF an experts
examination, does not develop, but that
1t was done was a fact beyond dis
pute as the absence of the marked IS
bill undoubtedly told.
At once, the inspector proceeded to
Montrose ofli"e and disclosing his iden-
tity by means Of his badge and COM
mission, to Postmaster Stoddard, asked
to have an Interview with Assistant
Postmaster Bostwick. Mr. Bostwick
was busy making up mail but after
a minute was brought into the prl-
vate Office and confronted by the in
spector and the decoy letter.
He was asked If he handled the letter
In it's passage through the Mcntrose
Office and when he admitted that he,
and he alone. as far as he knew,
handled the letter, the inspector
asked him to explain what became of
the S5 bill which Il had contained Mr..
Bostwick denied all knowledge OF the
bill and insisted positively that he had
in no case tampered with the latter.
The inspector tried to wiring an ad-
mission from him that he had abstract
ed the money, but Mr.. Bcstwick
maintains he knew nothing whatever
of the theft. The inspector pointed out
to him that the money had been re-
moved when the letter was in the
M1ntrose postofficc, that he was the
only one who handled the letter while
II was in the office and that in view OF
these circumstances the best thing for
him to do was to place the bill back In
the envelope right then and there. Mr..
BostwiCk admitted that the circum-
stances pointed to him as the guilty
party, but he was not guilty he main
tains and therefore could not turn
over the stolen bill.
Then the inspector proceeded to
search him, Some small charge. four
dollars in 81 bills and a five dollar gold
piece were found on his person, but
nary a trace of the missing bill. The
inspector ordered the cash box brought
in from it's depository in the safe
Postmaster Stoddard brought it in.
Lying beneath two other bills was the
marked s..
IT HAD THE MARKS.
The inspector had Postmaster Stod-
dard take it out of the box and take
note of its number and series and also
| of a small dash under one of the let
!
the face of the bill. These were COM
pared with a memorandum which the
inspector had made before depositing
the bill in the decoy letter and when
they were found to be identical the
postmaster attested the fact by writ
ing his initials on the bill and the
memorandum. Mr.. Bostwick was dis
missed at the inspectors orders and
tNRsn Il lot
On cross-examination Messrs Atney
and Lowry brought out the fact that
Postmaster Stoddard was not searched
and that it was perfectly possible for
him to have placed the IS bill in the
cash box when he went to the safe TO
bring it to the private office for the
inspector.
Postmaster Stoddard was next called
His direct testimony was only corrob-
orative of Inspector Germans story of
the incidents following the inspectors
visit to the office when he disclosed
his identity.
on cross-examination it was brought
out that he had neglected to forward
to Washington complaints of pilfer-
ings that came to him from the sur
rounding offices and that Mr.. Bost.
sions that the complaints ought to be
forwarded. He also told that tn,
registered letters were kept in the safe
during the day and were accessible
to all three of the post office force and
that at night he as well as Mr.. Bost
wick could get into the safe.
He knew for a month previous t.
the arrest that his office was undeI
secret service investigation. This wal
told him by Assistant Postmaster Bost
wick and by Postmaster Dave Roe, o
Rush.
STODDARD'S VISIT.
On the night that the theft is alleged
to have taken place the witness wa
in the postoffice at II o'clock. He an
Mr.. Little were returning home from
a visit and the two went in togethe
for few minutes. The question as t.
whGt they went in for was not asked
and Mr.. Stoddard did not volunteer L
explain. When asked if he was no
there, also between $50 and 10 o'clocR
: he answered in the negative and ex
planned where he was visiting with MI
Little at that time.
Fred. Mack, the boy employed at tn
postoftice to cancel letters and atten
the general delivery, told on direct eX
animation that he was in the offic
five years and then explained how Nj
| Bostwick was virtually the postmas
ter, Mr. StOddard being at hand, as
| general rule, only when there was
rush of work or reports to he mad
! out.
. During a lengthy cross-eXa minatio
he told that he was in the Office alon
: for an hour in the early morning an
. again when Mr.. Bostwick was az sup
per, He also admitted that both h
and Postmaster Stoddard took turn
with Mr.. Bostwick in attending to tn
, registry business and upon bein
. shown the registered letter transit boo
: identified numerous entries made |
either his or Postmaster Stoddard
handwriting. The entry for the deco
letter was i'm Mr.. BOstwicks handwrit
- ing, he testified This the defense ad
\ mitted The witness denied KNOWN
r the combination of the safe
Z The examination closed with
I further cross-examination of InspectC
n German by Attorney Lowry, in whic
e an admission was gained that the sam
4 marked bills We're often used over an
over again in different cases: that tn
4 inspector had spent a large amount
= money in Montrose for hotel accom-
= modatons, carriages and the like, an
: that 1t was not an impossibility altC
= gether that the particular marked bi
e in this case might not have gotten int
: the cash drawer in regular way
: the inspector had made a mistake b
n enclosing some other marked So bill