Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-08-05
Several Persons Indicted by Grand
Jury in Connection with Pos
tai Investigation.
STILL MORE ARE EXPECTED
IN The NEAR FUTURE
August w. Machen, Formerly Cen
eral superintendent of Free De-
livery System, Named in Four of
the COunts-Outline of Charges i'm
the Indictments.


ing evidence growing out of the post
office investigation, Friday returned
indictments against the following:
August w. Machen, formerly general
superintendent Of free delivery; John
7. Cupper, mayor of Lockhaven, Pa;
William G. Long, of this city; Will
liam Gordon Crawford, also of this
city; George E. Lorenz and Martha j.
Lorenz, his wife, of Toledo, O.; Maui
rice Unkel, Of New York city; Thomas
w. McGregor, formerly chief of the
supply division CT the rural free deliv-
cry service. and Leopold j. Stern, of
Baltimore. With the exception of
Crawford, all of the above are indict-
ed for conspiracy. The indictment
against Crawford is for presenting q
false claim against the government
Long and Cupper also are indicted
separately for bribery. Orders for the
arrest of all the parties were imme-
diately issued. This batch of indict-
ments does not wind up the cases be-
fore the grand jury, and other matters
resulting from the postal investigation
are pending before that body which
may result in indictments against 9TH
er parties in the near future.
Charges of Indictments.
Four of the indictments named
Machen jointly with others. Machen,
Cupper and Long are named jointly in
one indictment for violation of the
conspiracy section of the revised stat
utes. The Indictment sets out that
between July /, 1897, and July /, 1901,
Cupper induced Machen to give him
(Cupper), the contract for furnishing
materials for, and employment in the
painting of letter boxes, package
boxes and posts, and that Cupper
painted these boxes, posts, etc., in
Reading, Albany, Scranton and many
other cities throughout the country,
and IN addition painted 18TH boxes
at the box factory at Reading, Pa,
and 2,04S package boxes at the box
factory in Cleveland, O., Cupper pay
ing Machen commission of ten cents
box. Long acting as an intermediary.
Another indictment against Stern,
Long and Machen, based ON elleged
violation of the same statute, charges
that Stern entered into contract
with the government to furnish letter
carriers satchels and letter collectors
satchels for the free delivery service
the satchels to be supplied in each case
with leather shoulder strap. The
cost OF each of these straps to Stern
in complying with his contract would
amount to Is cents. The indictment
charges that Machen, in his official
capacity, was to procure shoulde,
straps at the expense of the United
States and deliver the same to Stern
to be used by the latter, in the per-
Torrance of his contract, in order that
Stern might save rs cents on each
satchel delivered to the United States
1t further charges that notwithstand.
ing the furnishing of such shoulder
straps by the United States Stern was
to charge the full contract price TO,
each satchel furnished by him, and
that portion of the saving to Stern
should be retained by him, and the
residue paid to Long, to be divided
between Long and Machen.
A third indictment Jointly names
William Gordon Crawford, we'll known
socially in this city; August w. Ma,
chen, George E. Lorenz and his wife
Martha j. Lorenz. both of Toledo, O..
for conspiracy. Lorenz was formerly
an official of the post office depart.
ment. Maurice Runkel, of New York
city; Thomas w. McGregor, formerly
in charge of the supplies for the rural
free delivery service and recently in
dicted in Baltimore under another
charge, and August w. Machen are
named jointly in another indictment
for similar transaction.
John T. Cupper, the mayor of Lock.
haven, Pa, is charged in a separate
indictment with paying Machen a
bride of $500 in August, 1900. Long
also is indicted separately for paying
a bribe, both these bribery cases being
in the same transactions involved in
the conspiracy indictments. Crawford
was separately indicted for presenting
a false claim for satchels by charging
the government and receiving pay
therefor for shoulder straps never sup.
piled by him. The cases have beer
pending before the grand jury for &
long period.
Bakers' Strike Spreading.