Evening star., 1903-08-01
Postmaster General Greatly
Improved in Health.
CONFERENCES TODAY
WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE END OF
THE INVESTIGATION.
He Wants 1t Thorough, However, Sc
as to Leave Nothing for Congress
to Inquire Into.


at tie Post Office Department; today and
yyas Very iusily engaged In receiving in
formation concerning the developments INTO
the posta! investigation during his absence.
Mir. Payne arrived in the city last evening,
lust IN time Ia read in The Star the report
of indictments 10y the federal grand jury oil
the several officials and others charged
with irregularities.
Referring to these indictments today the
Postmaster General remarked humorouslS
that his friends in the department had pre-
pared quite Il display with winch TO WEI
come him back To the city.
Conferences Today.
Mr Payne spent several hours with FIRST
Assistant Postmaster General Wynne, Sec
on, Assistant ShalIenberser and Fourth
Assistant Rristow. Mr.. Bristow was In ms
roo,, over two hours and went over tht
details of cases under investigation since
he left here. .,,.,,
well indeed and ON AL hands received CON
gratuIatiuns from his friends over the pciie
M h, had secured from his sea Trip
IUs vacation was complete rest. lie
WIS free from all Official cares, anu espe-
citlly during the first week OF MS vacation
lie devoted It large part of his tme In get
ting rcstful sleep on the dech o. 'i'
steamer on which he made his cruise.
Mr.. Payne was asked whether it was true
that the President wished to see the pend
ing iuVesti CATION in the Post Once Depart-
I4eut brought TO a close in the near future.
Desire for End Of Investigation.
He feels like the rest of us replied Mr..
Payne. He would like to see the inVesu-
CATION concluded. but not for a moment
does he wish to hasten 1t at the expense OF
a thorough scrutiny into the charges of
- will h.a =
searching as IT can be made. We would all
like to see the end of it, but we cannot tell
what VIII come UP To proong 1t. When You
turn up n spade full YOU never tell
what new light il will throw upon the sub
ject.
The investigation has been especially
trying on Mr.. EriStOw and his thirty or
forty inspectors. But when YOU have this
number of inspectors busly engaged all
over the country ,ndeaVOriug to secure ad-
dtiunI light on every charge that has
come To the attention of the department ii
is vcTJ difficult To say when the end Will
come
\ suggestion was made to the Postmaster
General that the names of prominent men
wer" being brought into the subject of in
veStiglt!or. He was asked whether any of
these names would be likely To figure in in
dictmeuIs Yet to be made by the federal
grand jury.
Prominent Men Not to Be Excepted.
For instance remarked one of the
newspaper men present at the interview,
"Ahner Mckinley has been spoken of
figuring as an interested party in some of
the contracts before the department."
"If Abner Mckinley should be shown to
be involved in any wrong-doing before this
department il IS needless to say that the
same course would be taken in regard to
him as would be taken with any one else"
replied Mr.. Payne promptly.
But lie added. it is only just to Abb
ner Mckinley To say in the same breath
that nothing has developed in connection
with the investigation to indicate that he
IS involved in wroEgdoing."
Other Indictments Expected.
The general feeling about the Post Office
Department IS that there will be other in
dictments by the federal grand jury before
the investigation Is brought to close. The
work of prosecuting the investigation is
going on earnestly today at anv time
since II was begun There is a large amount
of evidence to Indicate the likelihood OF
wrongdoing. but missing links make 1t
impossible to make out complete cases In
all these instances it is thought by oiii-
cials OF the department that at almost any
time additional evidence may be secured to
give certainty to cases that are now only
matters of suspicion
OF one thing confidence Is expressed by
leading postal officials and that is that the
investigation will be made so searching
that there Will he no necessity for any fur
ther investigation by Congress There Is a
desire the part OF those who have the
work under way to leave nothing for Con-
gress 10 DO. as il is considered that any
Investigation by Congress would be inter
prctcd reflection on the work of the
inspectors.
A Turf Association Inquiry.
The Post Office Department was today
~,
Turf Association of New Orleans. which
promises investors per cent a week
money placed ia the hands OF the assoca-
tion for Investment. One of the humors of
this "a. Sc is the fact that an advertisement
OF the concern was sent to Assistant At
torney General Robb. Evidently the writer
of this address did not know that he was
addressing the very officer of the govern
ment whose duty il IS to Investigate such
matters for the department. The advertise
mcnt was sent to GO. II. RObb." with his
hous" address. and with nothing to Indicate
his oi1Cial position.
Crawford, McGregor and Long Bailed.
After the indictments of the federal
grand jury in the postal cases We're re-
turned yesterday afternoon VIM. G.. Craw-
ford voluntarily appeared in court and fur
nished $1,000 bail. and Thomas W. McGreg-
or likewise gave 5000 bail. VIM. G. Long
WAS arrested at his home. where Deputy
Marshal Sprin9nan found him In bed He
was released on $lO.tsO bonds His was the
oulY local case In which bench warrant
was issued owing to the voluntary action
OF the others Indicted.
MaChcn was not rearrested under the new
indictment, as he gave bonds in $4,000 un-
der his Indictment several weeks ago and
the authorities felt this sufficient to in
sure his appearance. Warrants have been
issued for the out-of-town parties indicted
and their arrest is expected very soon.
More Indictments Expected
The grand jury has not completed the
work laid before 1t by the postal investiga-
tors and other indictments may be expected
later on. possibly within week or two.
II Is understood that two additional cases
against one of the parties Indicted yester-
day. former prominent bureau official,
are being inquired into by the grand jury.
and that the acts of another former high
official OF the Post Office Department. al
ready under Indictment by the Brooklyn
grand jury, are being Investigated.
Attorney Douglass of Machen's counsel,
In speaking OF yesterdays indictments of
Machen said that they involved the same
general charges as the former indictment,
although different alleged transactions, and