The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-05-28
THREE MORE ARRESTED.
ANOTHER POSToFFICE OFFICIAL
 ACCUSED OF BRIBERY.

A. ". Machen, Superintendent of the Free Delivery Service, Charged With Having Accepted Bribes Amounting to About S22, 22,O0O--Reeeived Forty Per Cent. of Amounts Paid to Certain Contractors for Patent Fasteners Used S20,OO0 Bonds Contractors Arrested.
 Washington, May 27.-By far the most sensational development of the ~ postoffice investigation up to this time occurred to-day when Augustus W. Machen, general superintendent of the free delivery service, was arrested on 8 warrant issued on the information of postoffice inspectors charge him with having received rake off" from con- tracts made with the local firm of Croft Brothers for a patent postal box fastener. The warrant specifically charges him with receiving $1S.9S1.7S since August 8, 1900. It is alleged, however. at the, department that this amount does not represent all that Machen obtained in connection with thes contracts, it being charged that he has protited by them for several years prior to the date of the first contract mentioned in the warrant. Other ar- rests are to follow. Immediately after MT. Machen was taken into custody, the postmaster general issued an order removing him from office. He had been practically under suspension for a fortnight pending the investigation into his bureau. The discovery of Machen's alleged interests in the con- tracts was made accidentally by the inspectors some three weeks ago and since then their energies had been di- rected toward making out a case. Last night after the authorities had been convinced thta they were in possession of the necessary evidence; Machen was notified to appear at the department this afternoon. He did so and was sub pected to a sweating process by the in- spectors and General Bristow for three hours, but no admissions that he had profited by the contracts could be se- cured from him. He declined to answer many questions on the ground that they related to his private business, but in- sisted to the end that he had not re- ceived a cent improperly. Nevertheless he was arrested on the warrant which had been prepared and taken before a United States commissioner, where his attorney immediately demanded full hearing. Assistant District Attorney Taggart, however, was not ready to proceed with the case and the hearing ccf fn1- T1.YN a $20,00o bond, furnished by a Phila- delphia bonding company, for his ap- pearance, declining to accept the prof x fer of friends to go on his bail. After his release he declined to make any statement beyond the single declara- tion that the whole thing was a grand stand play and would come out all right. His attorneys declared that at the proper time they would show con- @c1usively that he had been guilty of no wrong in connection with the con- tracts, and, on the contrary, they would be able to show that his admin istration of the free delivery service had been characterized by ability and integrity. The department officials claim that their evidence is conclusive.
 
 entered to recover from Machen the amount he is alleged to have received on the contracts.
 The following issued by Fourth As sistant Postmaster General Bristow this afternoon was the first notification given by the department of Machen's arrest:
 "A. W. Machen, general superintend- ent of the free delivery system, was ar- rested at 1 o'clock to-day. He is charg- ed with receiving bribes amounting in all to about $22000 in connection with contract held by Croft Brothers of Washington, D. C., for patent fas- tener used on street letter. boxes, known as the Croft fastener. The post office department in the past ten years has used about $140,000 worth of these fasteners, and it is shown by ample evidence that, for the past three years at least, MT. Machen has been receiv- ing 40 per cent of the amounts paid to the Groffs. The transaction of the bus mess was conducted by Diller B. Croft, who controls the patent of his brother, Samuel M., a policeman"
 Postmaster General Payne has for mally dismissed MT. Machen in the fol- lowing order:
 "A. W. Machen is this day removed from the position of general superin- tendent of the free delivery service. His removal is made by reason of mal- feasance on his part in the discharge 8s the duties of his office.'
 GROFFS ARRESTED.