Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-08
THE GROFFS INDICTED
True Bills Found Against
Both Broth hers.
GOING FOR TYNER CASE
GRAND JURY ALSO CONSIDERING
THAT SUBJECT.
Bank Examiners Have Been of Assist
ance-Letter Carriers Uniform Con-
tract Being Investigated.

| The federal grand jury has found true
bills against the Croft Brothers in connec-
| ton with the alleged offering of bribes to
A. w. Machen, former superintendent of
| free delivery of the Post Office Department.
| This action was taken it is learned on the
| same day that Mr.. Machen was indicted.
| The delay in presenting the indictments has
| been due to the fact that they could not be
| prepared for presentation before today.
| The Croft Brothers will be tried under
section 5451 of the Revised Statutes, which
| makes it an offense to promise money to
| any government officer with the view of in
| f1uencing his action or decision on any
| question or matter which may be pending
before him. BY bringing in the Indictment
| today the hearing before the United States
| commissioner, which was set for tomorrow,
| will be abandoned
To Take Up the Tyner Case.
The grand jury will al once take up the
| case of James N. Tyner, former assistant
| attorney general for the Post Office De-
| partment, who was dismissed from office
| as result of the rifing of the safe in his
| office. Although the opening of the safe
was not done by Mr.. Tyner personally, it
| is said that he was connected with the act
|
| the case before the grand jury for it's ac-'
| ton.
Since the safe-openng episode, several
| weeks ago, very little has been said as to
| the probable course officials of the Depart
| ment of Justice would pursue with refer
| ence to the action of Mrs. Yyner in secur-
| ing the papers of her husband from the
| official safe of the assistant attorney gen.
| erals office. The intimation today that the
matter was to be laid before the grand
| jury in the near future seems to indicate
| that the officials have not been idle with
| reference to the matter.
Mr.. Payne to Leave Tonight.
Postmaster General Payne will leave
| tonight for Cleveland to attend the wedding
| of Senator Hanna's daughter to Mr.. McCor-
| mick. Mr.. Payne has dinner engagement
| with the young couple tomorrow night
which makes it necessary for him to go
| ahead of the Presidents special, which
leaves tomorrow. He will remain in Cleve-
land until Wednesday night, and will not
| be at his desk in the department until some
| time Thursday.
| He announced today that there had been
| no developments of any character in coz
nectfon with the investigation since Satur
| day. He made no comment on the recent
| statement of Mr.. Tulloch in reply to the an
swers which have been filed by the officials
| to his former statement.
Some interesting gossip was INDUCED in
at the department today with reference to
| the assistance which had been given the
| post office inspectors by national bank ex-
aminers of the Treasury Department in
connection with the evidence in the Macheu
| case. The inspectors went as far as they
could In the matter, tracing checks to GER
| tain banks. but they had no authority to
examine the books of the banks and ap-
pealed to the treasury for assistance.
national bank examiner has access to
all of the affairs of national banks and
advantage was taken of this, it is stated.
ha tar-I rot, ,,St
Machen on which government officials de-
| clare they feel confident of securing a YER
| dict against the former general superin-
tendent of free delivery.
Letter Carriers Uniform Contract.
An inspectors report is in the hands of
Fourth Assistant Bristow giving the de-
| tails of an investigation which has been
| made into charge that irregularities were
practced in connection with letting the
contracts for uniforms for the letter car
riers of this city. Just what the inspectors
found in connection with this investigation
is impossible to learn, as Mr.. Bristow has
not made his report on the recent investi
CATION of the Washington office as yet, and
| until the full report is made no indication
of it's details be ascertained
This particular phase of the local inves-
tigation is said to have been made neces
sary by reason of the activity two years
ago of representative of a certain woolen
mill, who secured introduction to Post
master Merritt from George w. Beavers,
at that time chief of the bureau of salaries
and allowances of the general post office.
The uniforms for letter carriers are pur-
chased twice year by the carriers them
selves through committee of their num-
Der which they select. The wooden mill man
wanted the name of a certain cloth which
his firm manufactured inserted in the con-
tract. and Mr.. Merritt, it is understood.
assented to this with the understanding
that it in no way limited the uniform to
that particular CLOTH and that it in no way
hampered the committee of letter carriers
in its selection of uniforms. The final
action on this matter was taken by Mr..
Merritt while he was al his home in Lock-
port, n. Y, in answer to letter from AS
sistant Postmaster Davis. The propriety of
the insertion of the name of this cloth was
| later made the subject of some criticism on
the part of the carriers, and the contract
was modified, according to the recollection
of the local officials, SO as to include any
other cloth just good, and in the next
contract was eliminated altogether.
1t is explained that the contract only re-
ferred TO the furnishing of sample uniforms
at best, and that while there might be
slight advantage to the wooden mill in ques-
ton in selling it's cloth to the successful
bidder, the mill itself was not competitor
for the work of making the uniforms.
The telegram giving authority for the in
sertion of the name of the MILL however,
is said to have figured In the investigation
which has been made Of the transaction
In connection with this same contract it
Is stated that effort was made by this
same woolen mill representative to throw
the bid to a certain Philadelphia house,
and that to accomplish this he offered $500
to one member of the carriers committee
and 500 each to two other members of
this committee. This resulted in the mat
ter being laid before Postmaster Merritt
and all bids being rejected.
In the contract for the present year 1t is
stated that the carriers selected the kind
of cloth they preferred by a secret ballot
of the committee, and that although the
War Department experts were called upon
to Indicate the best cloth they held to their
selection.
Mr.. Tulloch's Rejoinder.
Mr.. Seymour w. Tulloch. formerly cash.
Ter of the Washington city post office, un-
der date of June 8, has written a letter to
Postmaster General Payne in response to
replies received from Postmaster Merritt
of the Washington post Office and others to
the charges of maladministration made by
Mr.. Tulloch against the management of
the local post Office. A large part Of Mr..
Tulloch's letter Is in defense Of counter