West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-10-22
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Wholesale indictment of
Rspublicss 0ffficisis In the
Postsffics Department.

efeSAAses AAA4SAoAs IN tuo
Postsffics Department.
An Armed Lunasic at the white House
TSSsS tht'hsSsteaent S..
~sA<x<<<sk--
From our regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, D.. c., Oct. 49,
A little more than four months
ago Postmaster General Payne de-
clared in an interview that reports
of scandals in the Post Office were
"hot air" and a "stump speech
Today thirty persons, including
former postmaster general, four
heads of divisions, and two assist
ant attorneys of the Post Office, be-
sides an cx-congressman, a New
York state senator and a Pennsyl
vania mayor, stand indicted and
awaiting trial for defrauding the
government through the Post Office
Department. Against one official
fourteen indictments we're found,
against another six aud against sew.
eral of them two or three. On
Monday the Washington grand jury
was dismissed and its last act was
to announce thirteen new indict-
ments against ten men. The names
off the list are James N. Tyner,
Harrison ]. Barrett, George w. Bea-
vers, w. Scott Towers, James T.
Metcalf. August w. Machen, Nor
man R. Metcalf, Harry c. Hallen-
beck, William ID. Doremus and
George E. Green. The trials of
these men will begin during the
present session of the court and they
are expected to drag along through
the winter and through next summer.
The. frauds may be divided into
three classes; the taking of commits
sions on supplies purchased by the
department, the accepting of con-
siderations in return for allowing
fraudulent concerns to use the mails
and the incorrect charging of ex-
pense accounts to the dep artment.
Among the latest indictments the
most interesting is that OF Tyner.
he is nearly eighty years old and
has held high positions in the Post
Ofhce Department for many years.
AT one time during the Presidency
of General Grant he was Postmastc
General. Before his recent dismiss
al he was Assistant Attorney General
for the Post Office. AS such he
was the chief lega, advisor to the
department, yet he is the very one,
who with his nephew in-law Barrett.
allowed the misuse of the mails by
"getrich:quick" concerns. The re
port of Fourth Assistant Bristow
WILDE ready about October 20. 1t
is said to consist of $50 type written
pages. This will practically end the
investigations, unless the RepubIi-
cans carry out their present inten-
tons of calling for a congressional
investigation, "to forestall the Dem
ocrats."
Washington was startled last Mon
day by the news that an armed lun-
attic was arrested at the White
House where he bad gone In a vain
attempt to see the President. The
Waterman expected him as he had
sent his photograph few days be-
fore to Secretary Loeb in a letter
asking for an interview with Pres
ident Roosevelt. The police off
Gers tried to induce him to leave
quietly but he refused and In a dis
pute which followed he became vic.
lent and drew a revolver. He was
disarmed at once and carried off to
the police station. On his wav
there he struggled with his guard
who was severly injured in the arm
by the glass of the window which
was broken during the scufie. The
police later learned that the man
was Dane named Peter Elliott and
that he had just come to Washing.
ton from Minneapolis, where ne
spent his time trying to invent
perpetual motion machine. Re
was pronounced insane and sent to
an asylum. II was also learned
that on the proceeding Sunday ne
followed The President 10 church
and fbook hands with him after the
service. This fact shows the fulfill.
" Of the Presidents guard, for had
Elliott 50 desired he might have
shot the President as be shook
hands with bin, though il is proba.
bic the President would have quick.
" dissrmed him. The incident has
lead to another discussion OF the
question Of the Chief Executives
body guard The present secret
men are detailed from the Treasury
department without any special au-