The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-07-25
ANOTHER FRAUD.
HOW A HIGH POsTOFFICE
DEPARTMENT. OFFICIAL
ROBBED THE GOVERN
MENT.

cage on his Affidavit That he
was in Certain Cities While
in Fact he was far
Away From
Them.
Washington. July 22,-Charles
Hedges today was removed from
the office of superintendent of free
delivery of the Postoffice Depart
ment, on the charge Of faisifying
his dairy aud loaning his travelling
commission. It is charged that he
reported himself at various places,
when, in fact, he was not at those
places on the dates mentioned, in
somesinstances being hundreds of
miles away.
Mr.. Hedges, while making no
general denial of the charges con-
tends that they were not sufficient
justi6ca alton for removal. Erwin
Thorpe. postofi inspector in char
ge atNew York who has been as
ssisting in the administration
of the free delivery service since the
inception of the investigation has
bsen designated acting superinten-
dent In place of Mr.. Hedges. The
official statement made public
today by Fourth Assistant Post
master-G General Bristow, says in
part:
| sOn October IS, 1920, he
I Hedges states under oath IN his
diary, that he was at Joplin Mo-.
on extension Of free delivery ser.
vice, when in fact he was at Mans
field o., attending the funeral of
ex Secretary John Sherman. On
December Z, 1899, he reports him
| self at San Antonio, Tex, 'investi.
| eating carriers services, while in
fact, ...swas in Mexico on a mining
property. In the month Of Octo-
Der, 1899, A.. w. Machen, superin-
!! tendent of the free delivery, was
sick with typhoid fever and
Hedges was at the departm ent
acting as superintendent. In his
diary he states under oath that he
was at various places, namely, New
York, Philadelphia, Bridgeport,
Conn.,, Camden N. ]. and else
where. actually engaged in travel
| ing on the business of the free de-
livery service.
! Assistant superintendent Of free
delivery are allowed per diem Of
| So per day in lieu of expenses for
each day engaged actually in trav-
cling on business, for the depart
ment. Hedges false statements IS
to his whereabouts were uanifestly
for the purpose OF collecting per
diem to which he was not entitled.
| There are many other instances
of similar falsifcatious. The facts
were submitted to the Postmaster
General some days since who di.
rected Hedges removal for the
reasons above set FORTH"
/ The case was worked up by
Postofdce Inspector George Sutton
assisted by inspectors Bennett and
Johns. There were several charges
on file against Mr.. Hedges, but
none of these constituted the ba-
sis of his dismissal. The acts
which led to his removal were dis.
| GOV. re by the inspectors in the
course oftheir general Investigation
of the records of the free delivery
service. The case has been under
investigation for several weeks
Mr.. Bristow summoned Mr.. He'd
/ ges just before the close of office
hours this afternoon and notified
him of his dismissal.
| New York, July 12-The World
says: The United States is, il
fseems, about to enter upon little
retaliatory experiment with Ger
| many. Our new Pure Food Law
| has just gone inte effect, and tn.
| first consignments Of German foodt
liable to inspection under it will ar
rive in a few days.
| The provisions of this law, osten
| sibly to prevent unwholesome foods
| entering our ports, are such that i
will be easy to SO interpret and ap
ply them as to exclude several mil
| lion dollars worth of goods hither
to "made in Germany" for Ameri
bcan dinner tables. Sausages, sau
sage castings, cheese, beer and wines
can all be declared impure" BY
our faci1e experts, and either sen
back to the Fatherland or destroy
ed.
This is the American protection
ist tit fort tat answer to the German
lprotectionist law excluding Ameri