The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-24

Accused Cuban Postal Official
Charges Misrepresentation.
HE PROTESTS INNOCENCE
CLAIMS ATTEMPT TO BESMIRCH
PERRY HEATH AND HIMSELF.

Washington, Feb. 2S.-Two volumes
of the testimony and exhibits in the
Cuban postal Investigation were report
ed to the senate today. They consist
in the main of a mass of figures, the
only new matter of popular interest
being statements made by ex-DirectOr
| General Rathbone and E. P. Thompson,
postmaster at Havana, in reply to
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
BristOw's criticisms of their conduct of
affairs.
Mr.. Rathbone's statement is dated
/ Nov. 90 last and in it he takes up and
replies to Mr.. Bristow's charges seri-
atm.
Referring to Mr.. Bristow's charge
/ that there was no contract as TO
| prices in the purchase of postOfice fur
niture from the Keyless Lock company
! of Indiana, Mr.. RathbOne says that the
statement is cOntradicted by BrlstOW's
own report. He also says there was
contract with the MOsler Safe & Lock
company, giving this fact as a refuta-
ton of BristOw's statement that Nee
ly's authority was absolute in the mat
ter of purchases of safes, etc
Perry Heath Under Scrutiny.
Continuing, Mr.. Rathbone says:
mo opportunity was given to me to
defend myself or the service which L
had created until the second day be-
fore Bristow's departure. The scanty
| time then available was devoted by
BriStoW almost exclusively in the eff
fort to find some discriminating evil
dence against Perry S. Heath, first
assistant postmaster general, or my
self, as the interview shows. No OPP
pOrtunity was given to me to explain
what appeared against me or to make
any showing of the time and labor de-
voted by me and by my subordinates
in the building up of a postal service
| from its very foundation, nor OF the
obstacles that were met and overcome
| by us as best we could under the then
existing conditions, but he suppressed
documents, letters, etc, which made
a part of my statement
Declares Facts Suppressed.
Referring to the charges in connec-
| ton with the Nicely miscellaneous
bills" RathbOne says:
THE statement there made involves
another case of suppression, amount
ing to perVerSiOn of material facts.
General Bristow knew, for 1 told him
myself-and the office of the assistant
auditor of the department of posts
shOws-that there were thirteen of the
! Nicely bills eight of which were ap-
proved by myself as director general
and five of which were approved by p.
H BristoW. chief clerk of the depart
! ing my absence, when the duty de-
vOlved upon him Of approving bills of
/ this kind"
He infers, he says, from these and
| other features of the BristOw report,
| that that Official intended to ''deiiDer-
ateIy mislead. by plan of perversiOn
and suppression of facts within his
own knowledge" He asserts that P.
| H. Bristow (chief clerk in the Havana
| office) signed warrant 1857 for $1,000
which General Bristow charged him
| CRathbOne) with signing. Another
| transaction charged as a derelictiOn
against him is, he says, chargeable TO
]. w. Irwin, a subordinate of General
Bristow.
Mr.. .Rathbone says there is no evil
dence, and that none can be secured
| to sustain the allegation that he was
| careless, loved ease and refused to
give attention to Details On the con-
trary, he asserts that he worked hard,
earnestly and long"
Seeks to Shield Heath.
He says that Auditor Lawshe, and
not Perry s. Heath, was responsible
| for the appointment of DR.. w. H.
| Reeves to a place in the Cuban service.
| He charges BristOw with sUppressing
| important parts of his (RathbOne's)
/ testimony
| Postmaster Thompson takes excep-
/ ton to General BriStOwS statement
that he (ThOmpson) had caused four
/ money orders to be issued to himself.
| He says that, as a matter of fact, he
purchased nine postOffice orders. but
| that in doing so he committed no
! crime, as the shortage was made good.
| Speaking of the Havana office in
| general way, Mr.. Thompson says:
THE Havana pOstofice was organ
| lied under the most trying and diff
/ cult circumstances, and Irregularities
were bound to occur. The organization
| and conduct of this office was such
| that Mr.. Bristow could find no reason
| for a change, either in its organization
| or the number of employees required
! to conduct it. ] feel that for tech
meal mistake on my part I have been
| most OutrageOusly treated