The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1900-06-08
NEELYS STEALINGS.
Mr.. Bristew Says it Will Amount
to Nearly SIoo,ooo.
This Does Not Include the SurchnrRe
Statement, Which is SAIL 900
Each Days Examination But
Adds to the Surprises.

New York, June An an inter
view Sunday Gov. Roosevelt said;
Charles f. w. Nelly, who is
charged with embezzling the postal
funds IN Cuba. will now probably
be sent back there for trial
Then Roosevelt announced that he
had signed extrsdition papers in the
Nicely case. and that they were i'm
mediately dispatched to the United
states attorney general and are prob
ably now ia the hands of the proper
authorities.
Havana, June 5.-Acting Director of
Pests BristOw inquired as TO the
amount Of postal funds taken by C..
T. h- -'eely in May. 1899, .and ascer-
tanned that IL was S31,312.95. Neely's
monthly average was about $4,000.
HIS system Of bookkeeping was sim
plicity itself Apparently he merely
divided the amounts received. taking
one-half himself and accounting for
-he other.
The examination Of Estes G. Rath-
bone. former director of posts, was
&C ntinued. 1t lasted more than four
no srs. The most startling fact deyel-
oped was that on May 26 of last year
Mr.. ItathDOne ordered Special Agents
Leathcrer and Sullivan to examine
the accounts. They found a shortage
but ii was not thought that anything
had gone wrong. They reported,
however, that there was no check
upon the bureau 81 finance. and they
recommended that certain blank
forms be made which would answer
the purpose, such as all postmasters
use when making their reports TO the
department monthly. Mr.. Maynard.
then chief agent. indOrsed the recon-
menGation and forwarded IL to Mr..
RothbOne. The latter approved il
and sent ii 10 Auditor Reeves. who
initiated and forwarded it to Nicely.
After he had initiated il. instead of
putting the scheme into operation.
he quietly pigeon-holed it, and it did
not see the light until May IS of this
year. when the plan was put into
effect.
Mr.. Bristow says he is almost sure
that the extent Of the steal will
amount 10 something between $4,000
and 100000. but that this Will not
touch the item of surcharge state
ments. which is S411.OOO. As TO how
many Of these were burned and how
many sold it is impossible TO obtain
definite information. As many have
been traced, IL is known positively
that all were not destroyed, but if
Nicely sold say S50.vvJ or 100000
worth. il would not be surprising.
Mr.. Bristow thinks, TO find them scat
tered all over the world.
Inc postal Inspectors say it is as
tonishing that a system so rotten
could have been concealed beyond the
first month. Every day only adds to
the surprises.
Lieut.. Col Burton, Mr. Jones, the
special prosecutor. and Mr.. Stevens
left last night for the United States.
Lieut.. Col. Burton expects TO return
here IN about ten days.
Hopes are expressed by some of the
local papers that. as Gov. Roosevelt
has signed the eXtradition order. no
further time viii be wasted in bring
ing Nelly 10 trial These journals
point out that 'Neely's conduct has
-disgraced Americans in the ewes of
Cubans," and they declare that "the
best way for the Americans to re-
deem themselves is to bring him [,
prompt trial"
The Cubano says: "Cuba is not pri-
marily interested, but she looks to
see what the United States will do.
Fraud is not the monopoly of any ma
tion. and there is a great difference
between the frauds or the post Office
and those committed under the Span
ISL regime. Now thorough investiga-
ton is being made, with a view of
furnishing the criminals. In former
DAYS the criminals went scott free
The Americans are proving themselves
more honest than the government
which ruled Cuba for 400 years"