The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-03-27
GET TEN YEARS
Neely, Rathbone and Reeves Are
Convicted Of EmbezzIement.
CUBAN POSTAL FRAUDS
Nicely, Fined S56, ,7o1; Rathbone 35, 1924 and
Reeves SIS ,516 in Addition to Ten
Years Imprisonment.

HAVANA, Cuba, March 25-The
Audencia court yesterday SEN
fenced Estes G. Rathbone, G. F.
w. Neely, and W. H. Reeves, who
were found guilty of embezzling
postoffice funds, to ten years inn
priSonment each. In addition
Neely was fined $50, 7O1, Reeves
$35, SIC, and Rathbone $50, 324.
Counsel for the prisoners ap-
pealed their cases to the Supreme
court justice of Cuba.
In 1899 Rathbone was director
general of posts in Cuba, G. F.
W. Neely was chief of the finan-
cial bureau, and DR.. VIII. Reeves
was chief of the bureau of postal
accounts, afterward becoming an
assistant auditor of the island
when his bureau was made a di-
vision Of the auditors depart
ment.
The first charges of embezzle-
ment were made against Neely
while he was on a visit to the
United States. One of the regu-
lar examinations of some books
in his department had shown dis
crepancies, and before a full ex-
animation was completed it be-
came plain that there was large
shortage. Charges of criminal
action were vigorously denied by
Neely and his friends, but these
denials fell to the ground when
Reeves confessed his share in the
embezzlements, turning states
evidence and duplicating Rath-
bone as well as Neely.
For long time it was urged
and generally believed that Rath
bones worst fault was lncompe-
tency, and that he was the vic
tim of Neely. Rathbone, who
was in Havana, protested his in
nocence and he was neither re.
moved nor arrested.
Then Fourth Assistant Post
master General Brlstow was sent
to Cuba to make a thorough in
vestigation, and his report was
submitted to secretary of war
Root by Postmaster General
Smith on July 25, 1900. While
this report did not directly con-
meet Rathbone with the embezzle-
ment of Neely, it did present
circumstantial evidence against
him on that ground. 1t also ac-
cused him of personally and un-
lawfully converting to his own
use money from the Cuban pos
tai revenues and of gross neglect
of his duties and recommended
his removal. His removal and
arrestfollowed.
By this time Nicely and Reeves
were under arrest, as was E. P.
Thompson r ostmaster ofHavana.
Neely hc:- resisted extraditiou,
but was beaten on appeal
to the United States Supreme
court.
Mr.. Bristow's report fixed the
minimum of Neely's embezzle.
ment at $131, 113, ,89. Of this,
S1O1, ,113.1 16 was alleged to have
been obtained through the illegal
sale of surcharged stamps, which
he had reported destroyed in ac-
cordance with the orders of the
department.
During the trial, which has
resulted in the present conviction
Reeves told of Neely's plot to
make money in this way, and
charged Rathbone with being in
it. Rathbone denied allof Reeves
evidence.
Before coming to Cuba Neely
was proprietor of the Neely
Printing company in Muncie, Ind.
and he was also accused of fraud
in connection with work done for
his department by this company
which was then under the name
of Cawan & Co. Other irregu-
larities were also discovered.
AS for Rathbone, he was also
accused of drawing IS day for
expenses after his salary had
been raised to Sc, 500 a year on
the understanding that no daily