The Sunday globe., 1901-08-11
WALTER c. PRIDDY
Appointed Clerk in the Pension Of
flee by Evans.
A FULL HISTORY OF HIS CASE
The Rifled Letters in ths Union Building Taken
From His Hands by Captain FeueIl-HlS
Resignation and tho immunity Which Fol-
lowed-Step-Father Crooks and falher-n-
Law Brian Pull Him Through.

Mr.. Walter c. Priddy, whom our
readers will remember, was caught
dead TO rights rifing letters and alb
atracting the money at the Union
Building branch of the Government
Printing Office, early in June last, was
brought up for trial the past week be-
fore Commissioner II. Clay Evans, act
ing as Judge, and a jury composed OF
Mr.. Priddy's step-father, General
Crooks of the White House; Foreman
Brian. and Superintendent Ricketts,, or
the Government Printing Office. Su-
perintendent Ferrell, of the Union
Building, prosecuted the case Cap
tain Ferrell stated that his suspicious
were first directed towards Priddy by
the return of a misdirected book, bear
ing a typewriter address. Mr. Ma
loney always addressed the wrappers
with pen and ink. Some time previous
to the return Of this tell-tale book,
Young clerk was caught in the act of
riAing the letters and abstracting the
money. He was tried, convicted and
sentenced to the penitentiary at
Moundsyille, W. Va, where he is at
present.
How long Priddy had been rifling the
letters he could not state, but the ac-
count published in the Sunday Globe,
June 9th, was substantially correct
Priddy was watched, and seen to lift
the letters from the table, take them
into the water-closet, tear them open,
and abstract the money, The captain
caught him red.handed in the act, and
reported the matter to the Public
Printer. Priddy had a book he was
about to mail with a typewriter ad-
dress on the wrapper and this book
the captain produced in evidence at
the time. The modus operandi by
which Priddy increased his IS per
diem. the salary paid him eorl doing
absolutely nothing, was in this man
ner:
From all over the country, CORE
spondents write for various Govern
ment publications at the list prices.
These letters were placed on a table to
which Priddy had access, and nobody
particularly looked after the young
man as he was a privileged character,
being the sonin-law of the chief Of
fetal (Brian) of the Government
Printing Office, and the stepson of a
man (Crooks) who lives at the White
House and is the Presidents conf
Dental man of affairs.
Opening these letters, Priddy alb
stracted the money and mailed the
book or books paid for to the subscrib-
ers or correspondents. He took the
books needed from the bins, wrote the
address in typewriter and chucked the
books into the big mail basket in the
building. This was all easy of accom-
plishment, as PTiddy, for the reasons
cited, could go anywhere in the build
ing and come and go when he pleased.
No other employe had this privilege.
At the conclusion Of the captains
statement, he was asked how he came
to surprise Priddy in the act. The cap
tain smiled and said it was dead
easy" After the return of the mis-
directed book he knew nobody but
Priddy could, without detection, write
addresses on the typewriter, besides
he had taken the pains to inquire OF
the men who wrapped up the books il
they had wrapped UP any for Priddy
or seen him take them, They had, of
course. So the captain laid for his
man, and when Priddy entered the
water-closet to tear open the envelopes
the captain had his ear to the parti-
tion on the other side. He heard the
rustling of the paper, the tearing of
the envelopes, etc. and he Immediately
swooped down on Priddy and found
the damning evidence of his guilt.
The court here took a recess for half
an hour to permit a messenger to bring
from The Globe Office a copy Of The
Globe of June 9th, When The Globe
was produced the defence smiled tri-
umphantly and pointed out that the
article charged the crime to a man
named "Pruddy" while the defendants
name, as everybody knew, was Priddy.
Judge Evans smiled and made a note
of the point raised.
Then Captain Brian opened for the
defense. He acknowledged with some
apparent regret, that Priddy was his
sonin-aw, and that he (Brian) was
de faeto head Of the Public Printing
Department while an old man named
Palmer was de jure head of the con-
cern, He said that in imitation Of the
chief clerk (Collins) Of the Printing
Department he had endeavored to
place as many Of his relatives on the
Government pay-rolls as he could, Be
ing somewhat short in relatives, he did
the best he could and placed Prddy
in the Union Building at q, per diem.
lie had been informed of the young
mans trouble, and he and Palmer talk
ed 1t over on the sidewalk the Sunday
of the expose by The Globe, They con-
cluded not to arrest or prosecute Prid-
dy, but permit him to resign, Since
then he understood, efforts had been
made to put him in the Baltimore GUS
tom house, his former job, but the ar
rangements fell through.
A council of war had been held by
himself and Step-father Crooks, and
they decided to have the young man
brought before Judge Evans, with a
recommendation (and a gentle hint
from the President) that he be trans
ferred from the Government Printing
Department to the Pension Office. This
closed the case for the defense, and
Stepfather Crooks whispered in the