The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-09-11

hberating for several weeks over a.
mass of documents submitted by the
postoffice inspectors, the federal grand
jury in this city today returned seven
indictments in postal frauds involving
SIX different persons.
All the indictments were kept off the
public record and both the officials of
the district attorneys Office n of the
postofhce department refused to divulge
names or details of the indictments
until the parties indicted are arrested.
The identity of the indicted individuals
thus was left a matter of conjecture.
1t is expected hat arrests will occur
tomorrow morning mo that the post
Office department will have some n
nouncement to make during the fore
noon.
The grand jury's action probably
marks the beginning of the end Of the
investigation that has been in
since the middle of last March. Vol
luminous evidence has been laid before
the grand jury as the result of the in
quiry and while the present report Of
the jury dispOSes of most of the cases,
there yet remain several to be passed
upon. When the latter are disposed of
according to Postmaster General Payne
the investigation as far as the work at
Washington is concerned will be at
an end for all practicaI pos Sew
eral of the persons indicted today live
outside of Washington. They will be
arrested as soon as bench warrants
can be served.
Two other important events occurred
IL 80
Stern, the Baltimore contractor who
disappeared from Baltimore before he
could be arrested on an Indictment re-
turned july 31St last was located at
Toronto, and the long 1n1aved sur
render of George Beavers. the former
head Of the salary and allowance div
ision, to the New York authorities
took place. The postal officials have
| been searching for Stern ever since he
disappeared and finally received word
from the Canadian authorities that he
is in Toronto.
The question Of ~extradition has been
| taken up with the state department.
The case has features similar to the
| Green-Gaynor case. 1t was hen con-
| tended that conspiracy was not extra
| ditable. but the state department took
the view that the acts themselves in
| volved alleged endorsement and on
| Stituted eXtraditable offenSeS. Stern
| was indicted for conspiracy to defraud
the government. He was charged with
| receiving full pric~ for satchels for
| letter caarierS,l including shoulder
straps, despite the supply to him of
these straps at government expense.
In consideration of the supply of these
| straps to him from which he was paid
in full, he is charged with paying
large sums to w. c. Long. of this city.
| n A. w. Machen, the deDOSed head
Of the free delivery service.
GEORGE w. BEAVERS SURREN-
DERS HIMSELF.
New York, September 8.-George w.
Beavers, the former head of the salary
and allowances division of the post
office department at Washington, sur
rendered himself in the office of Unit
ed States Commissioner Hitchcock in
this citv today and gave 5000 bail
for his appearance before Commission
err Hitchcock on September 18th.
United States District Attorney Bur
nett last week notified Beavers coun-
sci that. a bench warrant had been is
sued for the arrest of Mr.. Ave that
he would be taken ir custody forth
with if he did not Immediately sur
render himself. The defendants law
yers then verbally informed the fed
eral authorities that they would pro
duce their client Tuesday.
The Indictment against the former
head of the salaries allowance divis-
ion was returned two months ago in
Brooklyn and charges him with hav-
ing received a check Tor $50 from the
fraudulent Manufacturing Company
of Middletown was. which it is alleged,
was paid to him by the firm as a part
commission on a number of automatic
cash register cashiers furnished the
postal denartment by that firm