Evening star., 1903-07-14
GOING FOR BEAVERS
Grand Jury in Brooklyn
Hearing Witnesses.
TO TRACE CHECKS
NEW CHARGE AGAINST ASSIST
ANT SUPERINTENDENT MAsTEN.
An Amended Regulation in Regard to
Transfers to the Post Office
Department.
TO TRACE CHECKS

If reports that come from Brooklyn today
are true. the federal grand jury, which re-
convened in that city yesterday. is consid-
ering the alleged connection of George W.
Beavers former superintendent of the diTi-
sion of salaries and allowances of the Post
Office Department. with Former Represent
ative Edmund II. briggs in the Brandt
Dent automatic cashier transaction. briggs
was indicted by the grand jury several
weeks ago and is on bail.
1t is understood that the inspectors who
have been working for months on the case
have found evidence that has warranted the
federal court in reopening it. At the Post
Office Department today Postmaster Gener-
al Payne could not be induced to discuss
the matter. and Fourth Assistant BriStow
maintained the same degree of secrecy thai
has characterized him ever since the inves-
tigation of the postal scandals was begun.
Productive of Interesting Results.
Mr.. Bristow and his force of inspectors
have, it is understood, pursued line of in
vestigation into the affairs of the division
of salaries and allowances they existed
under Mr. Beavers regime that has been
productive of interesting results.
before the grand jury in Brooklyn are In
spectors Little and Oldfield, both of whom
are regarded as among the abieSt in the
service of the fourth assistant postmaster
general. George w. Strawn and stem
ographer employed by the Brandt-Dent
Company were also examined.
Belief in the desire of the Post Office De-
partment to enmesh Beavers is strengthen
ed here in Washington by the fact that
Inspector Meyer of Chicago and Inspectors
SrI ftpyn nd .1a of he 81
all of whom were detailed on the case more
than two months ago. have been summoned
to Brooklyn to testify before the grand
jury.
and business of number of those upon
whom subpOenaS have been served that the
government proposes to examine into the
nature of certain monetary transactions
that evidently being traced through
checks or drafts.
1t is said that two of the inspectors called
at the clearing house in New York yester-
day afternoon and there made inquiries
about the course which drafts and checks
sent to New York for payment would take.
New Charge Against Masten.
1t is said that the appearance Of John NJ.
Masten. formerly chief clerk to the first
assistant postmaster general and now as
sistant superintendent of the railway mail
service before Fourth Assistant Bristow
Yesterday. as related exclusively in The
Evening Star, was compulsory and for the
purpose of explaining to Mr.. Bristow some
new charges that have been filed.
One of the charges, 1t is understood, Is
contained in an affidavit which sets forth
that MaSten offered to restore an employe
to the postal service for 500. 800 to be paid
down and the rest In monthly installments
of $40 This affidavit is said to be in the
fourth assistants possession.
The story of the affidavit is that a man
named Terry, now in the Post Office De-
partment, was appointed to $500 position
in the office of the first assistant postmas-
ter general during Masten's incumbency
chief clerk.
Masten transferred Terry to the city
post office and appointed another man in
his place Terry protested, and when First
Assistant Postmaster General Johnson and
Masten went out of office Terry took the
case before Bristow and the civil service
commission.
The result was that July g. just before
President Roosevelt departed for Oyster
Bay, he signed an order restoring Terry to
the Post Office Department with annual
pay of $500. The case against Masten is be-
ing pushed vigorously, it is said, on these
lines.
AS intimated in The Evening Star yester-
day, there is little reason for doubt that
Postmaster General Payne is seriously con-
sidering the summary removal of several
subordinates. 1t is not likely, however, that
he will take action until after he returns
w
he will start tomorrow.
Investigating Hazard
Fourth Assistant Bristow is said to be
pushing the invest. cation of charges that
have been filed against w. W. Hazard, as
sistant superintendent of rural free delivery
with headquarters in New York
Hazard first worked here in WASHINGTON
under August W. Machen. He was a great
friend of George w. Beavers. Machen had
him transferred to New York, in charge OF
that division of the rural free delivery.
New Transfer Regulation.
President John r. Proctor of the civil
service commission has been a frequent
caller of late at the Post Office Department.
lie ana the Postmaster General have final
iy reached an agreement regarding the
transfer OF employees from other depart
ments to the Post Office Department.
Inc transfer regulations adopted March
10. 1902, and revised April 8. 1898 are
amended by the addition of IA new regulation
TO be known as regulation nine 1t is as
follows:
I'm the Post Office Department and Post
office service: ca Unless the position can
not be adequately filled by promotion. no
transfer to clerk or carrier In a post office
to the field service or to the department
service at Washington Shall be made above
the lowest class.
In the departmental service at Wash
1ngton $500 will be regarded as the lowest
class. tb) Transfers to the substitute force
Of a post office, except from the substitute
force of another post office may be made
to any post office on the substitute list 4
substitute transferred from one post office
to another shall go to the foot of the sub
stitute list.
"A substitute shall not be transferred out
side of the branch in which he serves
'(c) Unless the position cannot be ade-
quately filled by promotion, transfer to the
railway mail service shall be to the foot
of the substitute list, except in exchange
with another service, which shall not be
made above the $500 class
I'D Mutual transfers. except to the rail-
way mail service. may be made without re-
gard to the lowest class.
"(e) In transfers from another depart
ment or office, it must be shown that the
person to be transferred will be employed
upon such work similar to that previously
performed by him. and has qualifications
which will enable him to perform such
work better than a person selected from
the eligible register of the commission.
The civil service commission still main
tains its position. as promulgated Feb
ruary 20. 1903, that it cannot approve re-
quests for transfers to the Post Office De-
partment unless it can be shown that there
to oil lIov ofxr tn, 81