The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-26

similar to That Now Under lnvcstiga.
tlon-Post mast er-Generai Payne VIII
Not Concetie That All the stolen Papers
Rave Iieen Returned-Nlr. Christiancy
ue,,cyed From Duty at His Own
Request Pending an Investigation.
WASHINGTON. April 25.-The general
hr.,eria which has prevailed In the Post
Oaice Department since the inauguration
~ the present general investigation into
tbe alleged scandalous condition Of affairs
In all branches OF the postal service was
by Acting Assistant Attorney General
Christiancy that he be relieved Of the re-
sponsibiities of his office. pending an in
vestigation Of his official acts. Postmaster
General PAYNE granted the request, and
leave Of absence will be given Mr.. Chris
tiancy until such time as the investigation
into the affairs Of his Office shall have been
concluded and Mr. Bristow's report laid
before the Postmaster-General On Mon
day Mr. Payne will appoint an officer Of
the Department Of Justice recommended
by Attorney General Knox to conduct the
arlrs Of the Assistant Attorney Generals
ofice until the case Is settled.
That Mr. Christiancy's request was the
result of a clear case of -rattles" there can
b. no doubt. He has not been charged
with any offence, and the only thing that
can he held against him. according to the
belief of officers Of the Department, is an
error Of Judgment when, on last Tuesday
afternoon he failed to report Mrs. Tyner's
presence in her husbands private Office to
Mr. Payne until too late to prevent the
rifing Of the safe and the carrying on of the
papnrs.
The other important developments to-day
In the 1yner case were the admission by
counsel for Mr. and Mrs. Tyner that public
documents were among the papers carried
of 10y the safe-rifing party Of last Tuesday
afternoon, and the return Of these records
TO the Postmaster-General this afternoon.
This feature Of the case is important. mas
much as Attorney-General Knox is said to
have given as reason for declining to
proceed at once against the TyneB that
there was no certainty that the entire spoil
Of last Tuesdays raid was not made up OF
purely private papers.
The statement Of the Postmaster-Gereral
and the admission OF Mr.. Tyner's counsel
settle this point for good and all, and II Is
expected that active steps will be taken by
the Department of Justice on Monday
looking to the prosecution Of the offenders.
As published in THE Sun this morning,
r. ROss Perry, attorney for Gen. Tyner.
called at the Post Office Department yester-
day afternoon and made the offer on behalf
Of Gen. Tyner to submit the contents OF the
package Of papers taken from the safe to
the inspection Of the Postmaster-G General
la l.
made at Gen. TyLer's house. To this offer
the Postmaster-General made the following
reply. a copy Of which was given out at the
Department this afternoon:
APRIL "a, 1908.
Mr.. r. Ross Perry, Washington:
Of tt shas s1st somSeSoGp
to visit the house OF Gen. Tyner for the pur-
The Of lass ns ws4e
sistant Attorney General for the Post once
he s.t INST bes 70 .sy GA. IN
after the Incident occurred I made demand
Tor the return Of the package 70 this Depart
nent. and, upon her refusal to accede to this.
a. shod TO
Gen. Tyner and Mrs, Tyner. which demand
II Gen. Tyner will cause to be returned
10 the Department any papers. .documents
or other properties that were distracted. !
will cause the same TO be examined In your |
pre- >ence or In the presence OF any other |
T.putabe person or persons representing
to him any and all papers, documents. or |
other property which may be found to be- |
Should this suggestion he carried out. the |
Department docs not stand committed TO the /
prcrosi'ion that all documents. papers. and |
e frS HSrrea away have 'een
' ' C. PAYNE.
Postmaster-GeneraI.
Cen Tyner's attorneys accepted the sug-
gestion contained in the Postmaster-Gen-
erals letter and visited the Department |
this morning, bringing with them the pack
age 81 papers taken from the safe, and /
remained in consultation with Mr.. Payne
Tor about three hours. After this con-
leronce the following statement was given
Out by Nj. Payne:
= Al about II O'Clock this morning MIR. r.
Boz Perry and Gen. Michener came to the
Department, bringing with them package,
documents taken from the Department safe
Mo offered 70 submit the same 70 the In
sssI 81 ne or any
lg response to this offer. MIR, Perry pro-
c.eded 20 open the packaees in the presence
md Mr. Nichener Careful. SCRUTINY Of each
paper and document was had. and all tho
papers so cYhihited were found to be the
OF Of Mr., .Tyner cxoppting one package Of
papers, which contained the letters, state |
|nents, memorn nda and other evidences re- |
lating 10 departmental matters that had been
concluded about four years npo.
1. Inc department does not accept the ACTION
lasen this morning as evidence that all the
documents papers and other properties 80
BARRED away have been returned.
, The statement given to the press by Cen
.JIyners attorneys differs somewhat from
NAT made by the Postrnaster-General.
NJ; Payne denied that Mr.. Tyner's counsel
mad made any other requests than that the
pencrs be examined in Mr.. Tyner's home, |
which proposition was compromised by the
contere1ce In the Department to-day.
Mr.. Perry, however, said after the inter-
View with the Postmaster General: This ,
morning Gen. Kitchener and myself went
g Gen. Tyner's and telephoned Postmaster
1eHeral Payne that we would like TO bring
MS Iyner and Mrs. Barrett to the Depart
nent that they might be examined and
questioned. This offer was refused
Mr' Perry admitted In this statement that
pubic documents had been extracted
nom the safe by Mrs. Tyner In the raid OF !
sst Tuesday afternoon, and this was con- {
armed by the Postmaster-(ieneral later this .
iternoon. Mr.. Perry said In this regard:
After examination, all tine papers were
eturned 10 US, with the exception OF one
'ackage. which concerned charges against
n Inspector, now dead. These documents
lumber about twenty-five and were never
sso with the Department and are semi
nlcial in nature
1t was learned later that these docu-
tents, which werr retained by the Depart. {