Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-07-20
SHY A PROPHET.
MILLENIAL KINGDOM ADVANCE
AGENT IN TROUBLE.
W. A. Redding, Postmaster at Ma
varre, Arrested on a Serious Charge
Claims 'Extenuating Circumstan-
ces.n

ceived number Of manuscripts from
W. A. Redding, postmaster at Ma
varre, Kansas, accompanied by a let
ter asking Mr.. Wick to copy the man
uscripts for him, Mr.. Wick did So
returnad the copies to Redding and
received his pay for the work.
A few days later Mr.. Wick received
another letter signed "Blake Wilson"
and purporting to come from Burdick,
Kansas The writer stated that he
understood Mr.. Wick was prepared
to do copying and he requested that
an enclosed letter be copied, not on a
typewriter but in a round boyish
hand. At the close he said:
This letter is not intended to do
harm but good"
Mr.. Wick glanced over the letter
that was intended for copying and
saw that it was Of an unavailable
character. 1t was an attack on the
reputation Of some young woman and
was directed to the girls mother, but
no names were given.
Mr.. Wick promptly turned the let
ter over to Assistant United States
District Attorney H. J. Bone. The
postmark on the envelope in which
the letter had been sent had been
rubbed off, so the that it was impos-
sible to tell at what Office it had been
mailed. There was evidently so
much design in the preparation OF
the letter that Mr.. Bone determined
to ferret the matter out.
Shortly after Mr.. Wick received a
postal card from the same party in
curing why the copy had not been
made and returned to him. This was
followed by another postal card, and
that by another, until Mr.. Wick re-
ceived six inquiries concerning the
matter. On each Of these cards the
postmark had been obliterated SO that
it was impossible to tell where the
card had been mailed.
Mr.. Bone put Postolllce Inspector
Fulton at work on the case and in
structed Mr.. Wick to write to Blake
Wilson at Burdick, saying that the
letter had been received and would be
attended to in due time. The same
train that took Mr.. Wick's letter also
took Inspector Fulton to Burdick,
which is in Morris county on the
Superior branch Of the Santa Fe. The
inspector inquired Of the postmaster
at Burdick if any one has received
mail there addressed to Blake Wilson,
and was informed that three orders
had been received to forward all mai
to that address to Navarro.
Mr.. Wick's letter was Immediately
forwarded and Inspector Fulton went
along with it to Navarro, which il
three stations north Of Burdick. Aftel
giving sufficient time for the mail tC
be distributed Mr.. Fulton went into
the postollice, and exercising his pre-
negatives as a mail inspector, hi
looked over the letters in the genera
delivery and in the private boxes
No letter to Blake Wilson was to b.
found.
lis there such party as Blak'
! Wilson around here?" Fulton thel
asked OF Postmaster Redding.
"Yes, | think So" answered Red
ding
People around town don't seem tt
know him" said the inspector, wit
had already made inquiries.
"Well, there is such a man get
mail here" insisted the postmaster
"Where is that letter that JUS
came for himp" demanded Fulton.
"I-he-I think he must have 60
It," stammered Redding.
Il don't think he has. What's tina
in your pocketP'
"That's nothing but private let
ter"
"Let me see it," said the inspector
Reddlng could do nothing else tha
hand it over, and it proved to be tn
letter that Mr.. Wick had written t
Blake Wilson.
Redding Immediately confesse'
that he was Blake Wilson himself
but insisted that there were "exten
uating circumstances for his writin