The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-26
HOLD RATHBONE TOO.
Continued from First Page.


Dec 10, the Postmaster General officially
liked Rathbone's salary at $500 making
II effective Aug. l. But although the per
dieEl was cut off Rathbone continued to
draw it.
The bills rendered for furniture for the
official residence, the report says, contain
many items such as charges for trunk.
gloves, oogcollar, overcoat hats for
coachman. boots for footman. shirts, col
lars, cuffs for coachman, etc
When the character of these purchases
became known TO the Postmaster General
ne wrote 10 Rathbone a follows
4 have to-day for the first time seen
certain of your bills as director general of
posts, which were brought here by Col.
Burton. Some of these bills are not only
Without authority or justification, but are
scandalous, and never should have been
passed or paid. The auditor who is re-
sPonsible TO a different department. was
ineXcusable in allowing them, and your
action in presenting them for allowance
was grossly reprehensible. Without wait
ing for a review and reconsideration of
these bills by rightful audit, you should
at once reimburse 10 the island treasury
the sums thus improperly paid"
RathbOne Overdid Ii.
Rathbone made numerous official trips
In April, 1899, he made tour of inspec-
ton accompanied by his family and lis
expense account covered the entire ex-
pense of his family.
In May of the same year he came to
the United States and charged up as Off
cial expenses his expenses TO Cincinnati
and Hamilton, O., where he went on pri-
vate business. The report says that Rath-
bone was aware at the time that these
charges were unauthorized and fraudu-
lent"
I'm November, 1899, when his family
were in New York he charged 1926 for
eight days in New York while waiting
for a steamer.
The report also calls attention to a war
rant for $500 drawn by Rathbone June 30,
1899, for which no accounting was made
and another $500 warrant drawn in May of
the same year. 1t says:
From the records il appears that Rath-
bone has drawn two warrants to himself
in the sum of $500 each, received the mon
ey thereon, and made no accounting what
ever for the same to the department Of
posts. There stands against him, there
fore, the charge of unlawfully appropri-
ating $1,000 of the Cuban postal funds 10
his own USE"
Evidence of Collision.
The report also calls attention to many
large expenditures by Rathbone for which
no vouchers were filed, although they
could have been easily obtained. For some
months miscellaneous expenditures aggre-
| gated as much as $3.50. Such items as 're-
pairs, $780, freight, $780," appear
Reeves explained that he passed such ac-
counts because they had been allowed by
the director general. The report does not
credit this statement, saying the evidence
is too strong of collision between Nicely,
Rathbone and Reeves"
II says
Gen. Rathbone has been engaged in
the government service many years, and
knows that such a method of presenting
bills and such expenditures are wholly
unwa rranted and bear the strongest evil
dences of corruption. Therefore, for him
to approve such accounts renders him
equally guilty with Nicely. The total
amount of these miscellaneous expendi-
lures was $3.50. A part of this was prob
ably legitimate, but a large part was
doubtless fraudulent expenditure, for
which Rathbone, Nelly and Reeves are
equally responsible
The report finds that Rathbone's ex-
penditures in the payment of debts and
living expenses were much in excess of
his salary; that in September and Oc-
tober 1899, within thirty days after the
destruction of the surcharged stamps,
Rahtbone paid over 5000 Indebtedness.
In discussing this subject, the report
says:
Holds Rathbone Is Guilty.
1T is evident that the money with which
this Indebtedness was paid was secured
from some other source that his sal
ary."
The report closes as follows:
Director General Rathbone maintains
that he is innocent of wrongdoing. Grant
ing that what Director General Rathb
states is true, he convicts himself of The
grossest carelessness in the admiuistra ton
of the affairs of his office, or of an utter
incapacity to comprehend its duties and
responsibilities. But careiessness cannot
account for the drawing of fraudulent
per diem, unwarranted personal expendi-
lures from the postal revenues, nor for
the Cashing of the warrants and failure
to account for the money received
thereon"
"Whether Gen. Rathbone was guilty
with Nicely in the embezzlements indeaV-
ored to be covered up by the dis truc-
| ton of surcharsed stamps Is at this time
a question more of opinion than profit;
but there can be no doubt that in the mat
| ter of the per diem, personal expenditures,
| and the warrans which were cashed and
! the money unaccounted for. he uulawfully
and frauduently appropriated to his own
use money from the Cuban postal reve-
nues. Nicely, Reeves, Thompson, Moya
and Mascara are now under arrest. and
Rich is held as a government witness.
From the information obtained by this
Investigation, which have endeavored to
set forth in the foregoing pages, 1t is
my belief that I was justified in recon-
mending the removal of Director General
Rathbone from office; and I further be-
lieve that he should be required TO an
swer for fraudulently and unlawfully APP
propriating to his own use moneys from
| the postal revenues of Cuba"