The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-10
Says the Reports Concerning His
Trouble Are Very Much Specula-
ton and Very Little Truth.
HE WILL FIGHT ExTRADIr1oN
DOES NOT WANT TO BE SENT BACK
TO CUBA FOR TRIAL.
banker Spilker Says He Did Not Fur
nish the $4,000 BAIL, and Nicely
Confirms the Statement.

special TO the Indianapolis JOuTndi.
MUNCIE, Ind., May Charlie F. w.
Nelly. charged with the Cuban postoffice
embezzlement. arrived home this afternoon.
to spend a few days before returning to
Washington for his preliminary hearing.
When he arrived. Mr.. Nicely refused to
speak for publication. and he devoted the
afternoon and evening to greeting his
friends. Late tonight, however. he an
nounced his willingness to speak of GER
tain features of the matter. He said he
had absolutely refused to talk for publica-
tion or discuss his predicament in connec-
ton with the government, furthermore
than to state that the reports which have
been published are more speculative than
truthful, and that Carl A. Spilker. the
Muncie banker. did not furnish his SIC, 1000.
When reference was made to the reports
that he was shipping money and bonds
around In a trunk, he laughed heartily.
and by his actions showed that his friends
are more troubled about his case than he.
With reference to his appointment he said
he had an application in for a position in
our new possessions after the Spanish war.
and that he was first to have been sent
to Porto Rico, but later was taken charge
of by Major Rathbone, and that official
created the position he held in Havana.
Mr.. Nicely would not even say that the
trouble is the result of strife existing be-
tween the War and Postofice Depart
ments in Cuba. =.
There is no lack of confidence being
shown him here, except on the part of
political enemies. who wish to injure Perry
8. Heath and Representative Cromer.
1t developed to-day that last Friday even
ing a cablegram arrived here from Major
Rathbone, chief of the Cuban postal serv-
ice. addressed to Mr.. Nelly. The message
was delivered to Ross Cowan, the successor
Of Mr.. Nicely in the Nicely Printing Com
pany. The cablegram asked Mr.. Nicely to
return to Cuba at once. The message was
wired to New York to Nicely, and Saturday
not leave for Cub until Wednesday of
next week, and he would complete his trip
to Muncie. While en- route he was arrested
at Rochester, N. Y. Mrs. Nicely wired here
last Monday that her husband would be in
Muncie. Mr.. Neely's friends argue that
were he guilty as charged, Major Rath-
bones message would have given him am
pie reason to be suspicious, and he would
have made his escape. The story that sew
eral thousand dollars were found On his
person, when arrested, is false.
TIL telegram of the night of the arrest to
the local police department said that no
money was found on Nelly. The story that
Mr.. Nicely deposited SIS, 900 in a local bank
recently is false, also. The two $500 dia-
mond rings Mr.. Nicely was wearing were
purchased in this city in 1894. 1t develops
hat a year ago Mr.. Nicely sold all of his
interests In the Nicely Printing Company TO
Mr. Cowan and his Cincinnati associates,
and that the printing done by this COM
pany for the postal service In Cuba came
through Mr.. Nicely because of friendship
between him and MI. Cowan. This same
company does printing for several leading
railroads in the country.
Chief of Police Cashmere and Postofice
Inspector Furness frequently have visited
the Nicely Printing Company's quarters.
They found three packages, recently ship
ped here by Mr.. Nicely, but these contained
only a typewriter, some personal corre-
~spondence and presents for relatives and
friends. Nothing discriminating has been
found here by the secret service men the
government has had making Investigations.
Mr.. Nicely has been associated with New
York capitalists and syndicates in large
business interests while in Cuba, and can
show that he had large income from other
sources than his small salary from the
government.