The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-01-16

Nicely and Raihbone were TO Rule Cuba
and Coin Millions Says Wit
ness Reeves in Turning
States Evidence.

u
scheme was on foot by which
RathbOne was to be made civil
governor of Cuba, Nicely the
treasurer, and he Reeves audi
tor. Nicely was declared to have
said that when the foregoing ar
rangement had been made he
he would "do business of this
sort on a larger scale. F." This
was after the burning of the
second lot of surcharged stamps.
The witness who related the
scheme of Rathbone and Nicely to
get control of the government of
Cuba for their mutual profit was
Reeves, the man appointed chief
of postal accounts and one Of the
men who shared in the division
of the plumber. He afterwards
returned 81, 900 to Governor-G Gen
eral Wood aud made a full con
fession.
Reeves testified that he was
originally appointed by order of
the Washington authorities, but
that Rathbone had appointed him
chief of postal accounts. The
fiscal asked him if he had had
any conversation with Nicely re-
garding the burning of surcharg-
ed stamps, and whether Nicely
had suggested to Rathbon that
money could be made thereby.
The witness replied that he
had had such conversation;
that Nicely had stated that Rath-
bone refused to enter into the
transaction at first, but that sub
sequently he agreed. Rathbone
appointed the witness, Nicely,
and Morfield commission to see
the stamps burned. Morfeld
did not know that there was
anything fraudulent connected
with the matter. Packets of
stamps were taken out of the
vaults by the three members OF
the commission. The stamps
were not checked, except that
the amounts marked on each
packet were noted. The stamps
we're placed in car and taken to
the electrozone plant and burned.
p. II. Bristow was present as a
spectator.
A report on the burning of the
stamps was made out by Nicely
and signed by the witness and
Morield. The report stated
that $4,000 stamps had been
burned. and that the packets in
Guided all the surcharged stamps
except some struck stamps.
Reeves said that in converse
ton with Nicely afterwards the
latter had said that SIS, 900 less
stamps had been burned than the
report stated, and that there was
a profit of $4,000 for each of
them-Rathbone, Nicely, and
Reeves. This occurred before
the burning of the second lot.
All the complete packets of
stamps were not burned on the
first occasion. Rathbone paid off
a mortgage on his property in
Cincinnati with his share of the
spoils. Subsequently, in con-
versation with Rathbone, the
latter stated that burning stamps
was an easy way to make money.
Rathbone therefore knew that
the burning was fraudulent
Before the second lot was burn
ed Nicely told witness that ii
Rathbone became civil governor
of Cuba he would do business OF
this sort on a larger scale.
Reeves would then become audi
tor of the island and Nicely treas
urer.
The question of the check fol
81, 900 was brought up. Reeves
SAID that on July 81, 1899, Nicely
deposited So, 900 to the credit OF
the bureau of finance in error, in
stead of to the credit of the treas
urer of the islands, according tc
the new system of accounts, with
the North American Trust com
pany. Subsequently Nicely caused
a warrant to be ISSUED to adjust
the account, which warrant Nicely
paid in as cash to the credit OF
his own bureau, and appropriated
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