The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1900-06-08
NEELYS STEAL|NGS.
Mr.. Bristew Says it Will Amount
to Nearly $Ioo, 900.
This Does Not IncIude the sprcharEe
Statement. which H. sfII.000-
Each Days Examination Hut
Adds 90 the Surprises.

New York. June AIN an inter
view Sunday Gov. Roosevelt said:
Charles +. W. Nicely, 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 extradition papers in the
Nicely case. and that they were inn
mediately dispatched to the United
States attorney general and are prob
ably now i'm the hands of the proper
authorities.
Havana, June 5.-Acting Director of
Pests Bristow inquired as 10 the
amount Of postal funds taken by Z.
+. ". .,eely in May. 1899. and ascer-
tanned that IL was SCI ,3i2.95. Ncely's
monthly average was about $1,000.
His system of bookkeeping was sim
plicity itself Apparently he merely
divided the amounts received. taking
one-half himself and accounting for
the other.
The examination Of Estes G.. Rath-
bone. former director of posts, was
continued. IL lasted more than four
hours. The most startling Fact devel-
oped was that on May PC Of last year
Mr.. Rathbone ordered Special Agents
Leatherer and Sullivan to examine
the accounts. They found a shortage
but il was not thought that anything
had gone wrong. They reported,
however, that there was no check
upon the bureau of 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-
mendation and forwarded Il TO Mr..
Rothbone. The latter approved II
and sent il TO Auditor Reeves. who
initiated and forwarded il to Nicely.
After he had initiated II. instead of
putting the scheme into operation.
he quietly pigcon-holed il. and il 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 20 something between $4,000
and 100000. but that this viii not
touch the item OF surcharge state
ments. which Is S4l1.OOO. As 10 how
many of these were burned and how
many sold IL is impossible 10 obtain
definite Information. As many have
been traced. II is known positively
that all were not destroyed. b.sf "a
Nicely sold say 5000 or 100000
worth. IL would not be surprising.
Mr. Bristow thinks. to find them scat
tered all over the world.
the postal inspectors say IL 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 10 return
here in about ten days.
Hopes are expressed by some of the
local papers that. as Gov. Roosevelt
mas Sltneu the eNtTdultiOu Oruer. no
further time will be wasted in bring
ing Nicely to trial. These journals
point out that "Necly's conduct has
disgraced Americans in the eyes of
Cubans." and they declare that "the
best way for the Americans TO re-
deem themselves is to bring him 10
prompt trial.
The Cubano says: Scuba is not pri-
marily interested. but she looks TO
see what the United States will do.
Fraud is not the monopoly of any ma
ton. and there is n great difference
between the frauds OF the post office
and those committed under the Span
ish 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"