Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-10-12
Fifteen Indictments
at End Of Long
Inquiry
Schemes Of Lawyers
and Big Thefts
Laid Bare

Washington, Oct 6.-Fifteen new
indictments were brought into the SUI
preme court for the District of Col
umbit yesterday as the final result of
the investigation in the postoffice de-
partment. Several of these were
against persons who have already been
indicted.
The new indictments involved James
n. Tyner, late assistant attorney gener-
al for the postoffice department and
his assistant, Harrison ]. Barrett;
James T. Metcalf, superintendent of
the money order system; Norman Met
calf, son of James T. Metcalf; Harry
c. Hallenbeck, president and general
manager of the Wynkoop, Hallenbeck
& Crawford company, the New York
firm which for several years supplied
the department with money order
blanks, and William ID. Doremus, who
is connected with the house which
has been supplying stamp cancelling
machines 60 the department.
There were additional indictments
against August W. Machen, former SUI
perintendent of the free delivery;
George w. Beavers, formerly chief of
the salary and allowance division; w.
Scott Towers, who was in charge of
a sub-station of the Washington city
pOstoffice; and State Senator George
Green of New York.
In some cases there were several
indictments against one person. Con-
corning indictments against Tyner and
Barrett, the postoffice department is
sued a statement in which it said:
Skin Game of Attorneys.
Three indictments charge Tyner
and Barrett with conspiracy and two adj
ditional indictments charge Barrett
with agreeing, while still in Office, to
receive fees for services rendered or
to be rendered in cases pending before
him as an officer All the indictments
are founded upon the treatment by
Tyner and Barrett of the business of
so-called bond investment companies"
The statement then cites the duty
of Tyner and Barrett to investigate
the operations of this concern and re-
port to the department so that in
case Nof guilt a fraud order might be
issued, but that instead of doing this
they "conspired to give them the I'M
INSTRUCTED use of the mails in order
that Barrett might profit thereby"
1t is alleged that Barrett entered
into an agreement with a Baltimore
attorney, the object of which was to
share in the profits arising from rep
resenting bond investment concerns
before the postoffice department so
that in pursuance of a conspiracy
with Tyner, Barrett investigated the
schemes OF the concerns and wrote
and signed a report thereon; that this
report declared the business in its ex-
listing form to be illegal and not en-
titled to the use of the mails, but that
its basic principle was sound and that
it could be made over so as to hO
legal; that Tyner and Barrett pro-
cured the signature of the postmaster
general to alter the decision, Barrett
stating a reasonable time would be
given to those companies for making
over their business during which time
their use of the mails would not be
interrupted"
Sold Approval to Contracts.
Continuing, the statement says this
opinion was printed at government ex-
pense and sent to every company with
a circular to each, stating that the
business of that company was illegal;
that at about the same time, Barrett
sent to each company an announce
ment that he had resigned his posi-
ton and entered into a partnership for
the practice of law. The purpose of
the conspiracy is alleged to be the
sending of business to Barrett's firm.