The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-05-23

rant issued by United States Circuit !ndE"
I.acombe IN a civil suit against Nicely hy the
: United States He is charged with the
| wrongful conversion of s45,3-o.2G His bail
was fixed at S51,"H.
The arrest was made on information fur
nished By George II. Burton ana the order
| of arrest was indorsed by Edward X. Jones.
Special Attorney General. and Frederick l.
Smith
The prisoner was taken to the United
States Marshars Office. ana later was ar
raigned before judge I4acombe. Counsel ior
the prisoner made application for redu'-
ton Of the bail, but it was denied. NeeiE
was then taken 10 the Ludlow Street jan.
The order for arrest reads. in part: II
having been made 10 appear to me by the
affidavit Of George III. Burton. verified on
May 10. 1909 and the affidavit OF +. j
Jcres and Frederick +. Smith. verified on
May y. 1850 and the verified complaint in
this action that a sufficient canse of acton
exists in favor Of the Iliintif-the United
States-against the defendant for the
wrongful conversion OF Si5,&tJ.-5. you are
requested forthwith to arrest the said de-
fenGant in this action. Charles +. w. N.ely-
and hold him 10 bail in the sum OF sThH"
and To return this order with the proceed
ins Hereunder prescribed by law
Burton's Investigation.
Attached 10 the order is the affidavit of
Burton, an Inspector General OF the United
States Army with rank as Colonel. sta
toned in Cuba. and other aftidavits.
In his affidavit Colonel Burton SAYS that
on April -. 1899 he was ordered hy Major
General Wood to examine accounts ana
vouchers in the Department Of Posts in
Cuba passed upon and audited by the As
ststant Auditor from the inception of his
Colonel Burton according to his affidavit:
examined the accounts and found irrrsU-
larities that made it necessary for him -"
visit Neely's office and examine his aC-
counts. He saw a Mr.. Reynolds i'll Neely's
office and this man. he asserts. held fire.
After Nicely learned his accounts were - be
examined he lett Havana on the STEINER
Mexico.
Declined to Return.
Mr.. Burton further alleges that he learned
from +. G. Rathbone, director of posts in
Cuba. that Nicely had gone to the Wa iorf-
Astoria, in New York. a cable dispatch was
sent to Nicely 20 return. but he paid no at
tention 10 it. Continuing. Colonel Burton
says:
Finance. Charles +. W. Nicely. Were 10 col
lect all the revenues derived from III. Pos
tai Department of the Island of cuba. iu-
Guiding the sale of stamped paper. box
rents and 'he fees from the postal money
order business, and ia deposit the same II
the credit of the director Of posts with the
treasurer of the Island of Cuba. In Havana.
revenues. l demanded the cash book. ledger
and the entire records of the Office from
January l. 1870, TO April -. 1900. Mir. Rich.
In the presence of the director of posts.
handed me a book which he stated was
Mr.. Neeiy's ledger. and also stated that
said ledger was all the record that sad
Nicely had left pertaining 10 postal earn
ings. which statement kathbone corrob-
GRATED.
said ledger contained a statement of the
receipts for stamped paper, box rents and
some receipts from the fees of the money
crder business from January /, lgi. To
April 80. 1890, with the exception OF the
receipts of the Havana Post Office from
March Is 1900. to April 80 1880. of which
there was no record. | asked said Rich if
he had in the office any postal earnings not
yet deposited and he answered In the neg
alive. but stated that he had receipts of
May and 2. 1850. that h.. Rich. had col
lected since Neely's departure. which money
he produced and counted IL and found the
same 10 amount to fraction over $3.50.
Said Rich also stated that all the moneys
received by said Nicely had been deposited
with the Treasurer of the Island OF Cuba
on or before April 80. 1850.
What the Ledger Showed.
THE ledger left by said Nicely shows that
the cash receipts were. from hfty-nine nm
for the months Of January, February,
March. April. 1880 as follows:
the 3, sala s"nSl of sfamDSS napsr and rom , hnx
rents the sum Of s2s 1922. OF this amount
he deposited with the said treasurer the
For February. 1900. he received from the
sale Of stamped paper and from box rents
the sum of So v5.56. to which he added the
sum of 1.3S:. .u3. received by him from fees
of the money order business for the months
Of July. August and September. 1899
He took UP in cash. also In the month of
February. 1850. the sum Of Si.S5S47 received
from fees of the noney-uTder business for
the months OF October. November and De
ce;nber. 1899.
He Cid not however. deposit this latter
amount with the said treasurer. This last
amount. added to the first two items. makes
the total receipts for February. 1909.
amount 10 the sum of So 22223.05, OF which he
deposited the sum OF S2!.3s5.H5.
In March he collected the sum of ST.
62.So from the sale Of stamped paper and
box rents, Of which he deposited the sum Of
6.9264
in April. 1850. he collected the sum of
$3.50: = of which he deposited the sum
My investigation demonstrated that
Charles r. ". Neeiy. as chief nf the Bi-
reau of Finance. has received the sum Of
SlZ2, ,s5S.s2 of which he has deposited with
the Treasurer Of Cuba the sum of
81. 81 and that the balance amounting
to the sum Of So .. or any part thereof.
cannot be found. and that the said sum re
mains entirely uraccounted for.
stamp Dealers Not Surprised.
The Evening Post says:
Local stamp dealers are not surprised
by the development regarding frauds in the
Havana postal service. 1t has been common
talk in the trade for months that there was
in the business were able to sell the sur
charged Cuban postage stamps at sus-
piciousiy low figures.
The demand for these stamps from col
ieCtors has been large. opening a way il is
pointed out. by which those concerned in
the frauds could find a market for the de
stroyed' stamps in this country in addition
10 sales in Havana.
"Oue New York dealer is known to have
made trip to Havana, in company with a
dealer from Chicago. with the result that
soon after their return about SJtHJ worth
of the stamps appeared in JhicaGo. These
over the stock in Havana. and to destroy
many OF the plate numbers imprinted on
the sheet margin, for the purpose of MAX
ing certsin numbers rare. and. consequent
ly, high-priccd."
SPECIFIC CHARGES.
Washington. May 22.-The War Dcpart-
ment received to-day from General Wood
at Havana the substance of two criminal
charges to be preferred against Neplv in
connection with the Cuban postal frauds
These were forwarded at once TO tn. De
partment OF Justice. 1t was said that the
charges are merely specific complaints of
matters Included in the general charge
against the prisoner. but they are rega .ded
as necessary for the prosecution of the eX-
tradition proceedings. The Department OF
Justice telegraphed the charges TO District
lieved that there are two counts specifying
the Illegal conversion Of public moneys to
the use Of Neely.
In that case the charges might be prose-
cu;ed IN the United States. and it may be
that IT was tie intention of the Govern
ment officers to provide against Il possible
failure of the effort TO secure the eXtrad-
tion of Neely to Cuba. II is said here that
in New York is Of the very slightest char
acter. being nothing more. according to re-
port, than an allegation that Neely brought
miSappropriateG money into the United
H1nea & mo- n M m a