The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-24
GEN. TIMERS STATEMENT.
He says. Through His Wife. That He Con.
templst etf No " rOngdOing.

WASHINGTON. April 23.-Ms. Tyner. on
behalf Of Gen. Tyner, tonight gave out the
following statement:
Gen. James NJ. Tyner asks from the
public a suspension Of judgment until he
can put before them the facts relating to
his removal from ONCE and the cause a.
signed therefor by the Postmaster General.
The matter has come upon hin, 80 sud-
denly that he cannot now make a detailed
statement. but must necessarily confine
himself to the following general account:
In July last he Was stricken with paraly-
sis. from which he has only partially recov-
cred Realizing that his usefulness ss q
public officer was seriously impaired. he
conferred with the Postmaster-G General
a. 10 the time OF his resignation. and it was
agreed between them that II should he
accepted to take effect on May I. 1901 On
Tuesday last. feeling that the time Of his
retirement from ONCE was very near. he
realized that he should remove from his
Office certain private property and papers
belonging to his wife and to himself. These
were contained In safe In his room at the
Post Once Department.
For the many years during which he has
been connected with that Department he
his own and a safe in this room in which
he has kept personal papers. This is .
practice which has been common for years
for the chief officials Of the Government
departments. Gen. Tyner's health pre-
vented his going in person to open this
Even had he been able to leave his house
his disabled arm would have prevented
him from opening the safe.
Accordingly. he requested Mrs. Tyner
to act for him. giving her the combination OF
the safe Upon her reminding him that she
could not open il even with the combination.
he directed her o lephone for Mr.. Hammer.
who had on a prior occasion opened II for
him. This was accordingly done. and Mrs.
Tyner made an appointment for Mr.. Hammer
10 meet her at The Generals room at hslf
past on Tuesday lsst. Mrs. Barrett. who
il Mr.. Tyner's sister and who lives in the
same house with her. accompanied her. ns
she did not wish to 60 aione.
They did not reach the Department until
sa5 o'clock. It is easy TO see now that Il
would have been better had Mrs. Tyner
gone 10 the Postmaster General and asked
Him 10 be present and supervise her act
But neither Gen. Tyner nor she herself con-
templated any wrongdong. or imagined
many wears Of service and her frequent Waits
TO his room made II reem only natural that
she should 90 there 70 take his property,
since he could not 60 himself.
Mrs. Tyner removed from this safe it's
contents. all that she had been instructed
to get A messenger OF the Department
made these papers into bundle and car
ried them TO the Generals house.
shortly after hn reached there two in
spectors from the Department came to the
house and demanded these papers. Gen.
Tyner. upon the spur ~ the moment and
witho,, other guide than his indignation,
refused 10 deliver them.
Later on in the same evening he sent a
letter ia Mr. Bristow. asking him TO come
10 his house. intending to put the papers
in his charge. Unfortunately, Mr.. Bristow
Was unable to come. These papers ara
now in the possession Of Gen. Tyner, In the
same condition a. they were when taken
from tho safe.
They arc all the private papers Of General
and Of Mrs. Tyner. save one bundle, which
relates to a matter not at all connected
with anything now pending with the Depart
nent and long since clored. Theee papers
will all he placed at the disposal Of the
proper authorities Of the Government"
General and Mrs Tvner have retained a.
counsel in their present difficulties the
law firm ~ Dudley a Mchiner and W
Roas Perry, and tho above statement was
given ont after a long consultation between
these gentlemen and Mr. and Mrs. Tyner,