The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-05-01
POSTAL SCANDAL
COMES TO A head
James N. Tyner, Assistant At
torney General for Postoffice
Department Dismissed.
WIFE LOOTED THE sAFf
Seizet Papers Relating to Turf Conn
panies' Secret Agreement With
Tyner-FuIl Scandal VIII
Now Come Out.

~ NV - AN
ton of %postottice department affairs &C
currod just before the department.
closed yesterday afternoon, when POST
master General Payne announced the
summary dismissal Of James N. Tyner,
assistant attorney general for h post
office department, coupling with the an
nouncement the startling charge that
all the papers and records in the safe
) of the latter's office had been abstracted
by Mrs. Tyner, wife of the discharged
official, with the assistance OF others.
The postmaster general states that Mrs.
Tyner has refused the demand or the
government for the return Of the papers
taken, and said the circumstances In
the case would be submitted by him to
the department of justice Immediately.
Other sensational developments are eX-
pected to follow. The question OF ar
rests is now under consideration, and
will be passed on Immediately by At
torney General Knox.
The facts are told tersely in the let
ter Of dismissal, signed by Postmaster
General Payne late yesterday and made
lows:
Letter Painfully Plain. '
washington, April %. 1903.-Hor~
James N. Tyner, Assistant Attorney
General for the Postoff1ce Department
Sir: You are hereby removed from
the office of assistant attorney genera
for the %postofice department. ~
Il deem 1t proper to. give you the
reasons for this summary action on the
4 part of the department.. Early in the
month Of March 1 communicated to
you, through a mutual friend. a request
for your resignation. After a painful
interview with 0 n a more painful
one with Mrs. Tyner, I consented to
modify the demand Tor your resigna-
| fiNp q ~ that IT, ,,ipht tn1ya .nffnot IN
May 1. 1903, with the proviso, how
ever, that you were given leave of
absence from the time of the accept
ance Of the resignation to the date of
it's taking effect, with the understand
ing that you were not in any way to
undertake to discharge the duties Of
the Office.
Late yesterday afternoon Mrs. Ty-
ner came in the office of the assistant
attorney general in the regular way,
and went through the main Office to the
r., private office, closing the door behind
her. She then unlocked the door en-
tering from the public hall into the
private room and admitted her sister,
Mrs. Barrett, whose son vas formerly
assistant in your Office and whose con-
duct is now under investigation by the
department. She also admitted, in the
same manner, Mr.. c. G. Manner, an
expert In the Mosler Safe ompany,
with whom she had made an arrange
ment to meet her at the department..
At her direction Mr.. Manner opened
the safe in the room, and she took
therefrom all papers, records and arti-
cles of every Kind and carried them
away with her.
Immediately upon learning what had
been done I directed the fourth assist
ant postmaster general to send two in
spectors to your house to demand in
the name OF the postmaster general the
delivery to them Of any papers, docu-
ments or other materials which had
been distracted from the safe. This
demand was refused by Mrs. Tyner;
and she likewise refused to permit the
| inspectors to see you or to see and ex-
anime the papers in her essence.
Mrs. Tyner further stated to the
pcstofl1ce inspectors tkat she committed
| this act with your. knowledge and by
your direction. Further comment on
this transaction on my part is not nee
essary.
THE facts in the case will be submit
\ ted to the attorney general Of the
United States, for such action in the
premises, as he may deem proper. Very
respectfully,
III. c. Payne, Postmaster General"
Bear on Turf Concerns.
1t is suspected at the department that
the papers have some connection with
the recent conduct of the office. Some
weeks 6 a turf investment concern
whose affairs were aired in court al
legged that it's operations and working
methods had been sanctioned by the
assistant attorney general for the post
office department. The charges involv-
Ing the Office of the assistant attorney
general and a lawyer formerly connect
ed with that office were ventilated very
generally at that time, and an investi-
cation was ordered by the postmaster
general. This was really the inception
Of the investigation that has spread
into every part OF the department. The
complaints crystallized into a formal
request for Mr.. Tyner's resignation,
signed by Postmaster General Payne on
March 9 last. zt.
Mr.. Tyner had been in exceedingly
bad health for a long time, and had vis-
! tied the Office at only rare intervals,
leaving the Office entirely in charge of
his assistant for months at a time. He
Is suffering from an unusually severe
| rase OF paralysis. II in consideration
Of this fact the request for his ~resigna-
| ton was based on his i'll health.
f.! WRECK ON UNION PACIFIC