The Grit-advocate., 1903-12-04
eRISTOW TELLS OF FRAUDS.
Astounding Revelations Of Lone-Exist-
inq Corruption.

| postal investigation is substantially as
| follows:
He first takes up the case OF Michael
| W. Louis OF Cincinnati appointed in 1897
| Acting Superintcndent of the supply Di-
| vision. His peculations amounted to
| many thousands of dollars He was re-
| moved in October. 1903.
| The administrative methods of Tyner
! and Barrett are clearly illustrated in a
number OF cases which were passed upon
| by them.
Mr. Bristow shows how many fraudu-
| lent schemes were accorded protection by
| Barrett and allowed use of the mails.
| These include many small swindles In
| the shape OF lottery Inducements. land
| investment schemes. ste.
| OF the turf cstment swindles MI
| Brstow says:
| l.. J. Arnold & Co. of St. Louis, Mo.
| We're conducting what is known as a
| "turf-inyestment' scheme. on Novem-
| Der 25 1902, the inspectors. having inves-
| tigated the company, recommended that
| a fraud order be issued against 1t. In
| the meantime the company had employed
Barrett its attorney and paid him a
fee of $1,000. And instead of issuing
fraud order Tyner gave the company a
letter of commeudation. Two days after
Tyner wrote this letter Barrett received
a check of 81 Ooo as an additional fee
The company failed in February. 1905
assets. $4,000, liabilities. s3.12O,Ii6.
J. ]. Ryan q Co-J. j. Ryan Il Co. of
st. Louis. was a kindred institution TO
Arnold & Co. In October, 1902. the in
spcctors recommended fraud order
against this company. The company was
given a hearing by the Assistant -Attor-
ney Generals Office and another investi-
CATION by the inspectors was requested.
In the meantime j. NJ. Johns an attor-
ney at Rockville, Ind, made a proposition
to Ryan that for fee of $1,000 he could
help him, through his friend d. V. Mil
Ter, of the Assistant Attorney Generals
Office. After some negotiations it was
agreed that 81 500 would be paid to Johns
by Ryan if he would give him a clean
biI' before the Pust-Office department.
This Johns agreed TO do. and Miller
cured favorable ruling for Ryan q Co.
which he sent to Johns. AS a result of
this transaction Miller and Johns We're
indicted.
Rining of the safe.-On April 81, 1903.
while the investigation of the Assistant
Attorney Generals Office was in prog
ress, Mrs. J. N. Tyner in clandestine
manner. admitted Mrs. Barrett and Mr..
Hammer. a safe expert into a private
room of The Assistant Attorney Generals
Office where he unlocked the safe and
took out all of T. contents. which Mrs.
Tyner carried off What in the safe
no one knows but the Tyners. Mrs.
Tyner stated that s''e went to the office
and secured the con.cnts of the safe un-
der the direction of her husband. which
statement he confirmed As result of
this episode Tyner was summarily re-
moved from the office of Assistant Attor-
ney-General and Christiancy resigned.
For six years under Tyner's admins-
tration certain favored frauds and lotter-
les We're given free use of the mails.
Barretts scheme to resign and practice
hot hn lao
that scheme set forth in the body OF
this report was the climax of official per-
fidy, more evil in its results and more
demoralizing to the public conscience
than outright embezzlement or open
theft.
Tyner and Barrett were indicted on
October by the grand jury for the Dis
trct Of Columbia for conspiracy to de-
fraud.
The frauds in money order forms, in
which James r. Metcalf. superintendent
of the money y-order system. is involved.
and for which he was removed from
office. are next taken up.
A long list of swindles carried out by
August w. Machcn of Ohio is enumerat-
ed, and the charge is made that he has
been guilty of forgery. The schemes by
which the government was defrauded in
clude carriers satchels. the Croft fasten-
ers for letter boxes, painting of street
letter boxes carriers leather cases the
contract for street letter boxes, package
boxes, the Montague indicator. device
attached to street letter boxes showing
the hours of collection, and rural carriers
badges
The report continues:
IN August, 1897. George W. Beavers
was appointed chief of the salary and al
lowance division. Beavers methods have
been reckless and without rule or regu-
Inr .
hire in post-otiices were made as mat
tcrs of favor regardless OF the necessities
of the service. Promotions were fire.
| quently made without consideration of
the merits of the clerk promoted. Long
| time leases for post-office premises were
Cancelled and the rent increased upon the
| recommendation OF prominent political
| leaders. sometimes without regard to the
| rental value of the premises"
In the list of Beavers misdeeds are
/ included the sale of promotions. and the
padding of pay rolls for clerk hire, oper-
| atoms which netted Beavers many thou
| sands of dollars.
| has been swindcd out of a vast amount
of money by fraudulent leases. Twenty
! cases are cited. in all of which Beavers
was implicated and which have been
| fully proved. The revelations in this
connection. and in the case of the pur-
] tidSlllS VI itii So amounts VI lbIdlllt
| Automatic Cashiers" are astounding.
| Mr. Bristov says:
eliminating from consideration all in
diCatious of fraud and passing upon the
! case wholly as a question of admnistra
| tive judgment, 1t appears to me that this
transaction would have justified the sum
mary removal from office of First Assist =
ant PostmasterG General Heath and
! George w. Beavers.
But the element of fraud can not be
eliminated. Men of ordinary intelligence
! rarely waste the public revenues in such
a manner without a personal motive. A
| bribe of $l2,5uO was paid Congressman
! Edmund II. briggs to secure the order
/ for $50 machines. part OF this money
has been traced to the bank account OF
| Beavers.