Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-06
TRUE BILLS RETURNED
The Last Batch of Postal
Indictments.
LEV EN- A R E Hell D
FIVE HAD BEEN ACCUSED IN
PREVIOUS INDICTMENTS.
Gen. Tyner, J. T. and N. r. Metcalf, 81.
]. Barrett, W. d. Doremus and H. c.
Hanenbeck the New Names.
Ell EVE EN- ARE HELD

The work Of the District grand jury in
the matter Of the Post Office Department
investigation was even more far-reaching
than the public expected. The Evening
Star announced yesterday that 1t was GER
tain that two of the persons against whom
indictments would be returned were former
Assistant Attorney General James L. Tyner
and his assistant. Harrison ]. Barrett. The
Star also fntimated that true bills would
be returned against four others.
The grand jury presented its delibera-
lions to the court late in the afternoon.
Fifteen indictments in all were brought In.
Several of the findings were against per-
sons already indicted.
The New Indictmnets.
The new indictments involve, besides
Tyner and Barrett, James T. Metcalf, :or-
mer superintendent of the money order
system of the Post Office Department; Nor
man Metcalf. son Of James T. Metcalf;
Harry c. Hallenbeck. president and gen
eral manager of the Wynkoop Hallenbeck
& Crawford Company of New York. The
firm which for several years supplied the
department with its money order blanks,
and WIFE, D. Doremus who is connected
with n house which has been supplying a
stamp-canceling machine to the depart
ment.
There were additional Indictments against
August w. Machen. former superintendent
of free delivery: George w. Beavers, for
r,er chief of the salary and allowance d.
vision; w. Scott Towers. who was in
charge of a substation of the Washington
city post office. and State Senator George
A. Green of New York In some cases
there were several indictments against one
person.
Concerning the indictments against Tyner
and Barrett, the following statement was
a. r. Ill-t G3oA nav orty>
Tyner and Barrett.
'Three indictments charge Tyner and
Barrett with conspiracy and two additional
indictments charge Barrett with agreeing,
while still in office. to receive fees for serv-
ices rendered or to be rendered in cases
pending before him as an officer. All the
indictments are founded upon the treat
ment by Tyner and Barrett of the business
of the so-called bond investment COM
panies.
1T is charged that it was the duty of
Tyner and Barrett-asSiStant attorney gem
eral and assistant attorney for the Post
Office Departmental investigate the meth
DDS of concerns charged with improper use
of the mails, and in case of guilt to report
to the Postmaster General and recommend
the issue of fraud order; that in this con-
nection they investigated the business OF
the bond investment companies and learned
that they were all carrying on a business
lndC lnVOlVoO 1TduQ OF lottery, OF DOtu. DuC
that instead of recommending to the Post
master General the issue of an order that
would prevent the delivery of mail or the
payment of money orders to these concerns
and would thus break up their business
Tyner and Barrett conspired to give them
unobstructed use of the mails in order that
Barrett might profit thereby.
e, at is charged that Barrett had entered
into an agreement with j. Fl. helms of the
Baltimore bar for a partnership in law, to
become effective January /. 1901, the object
being to share in the profits which might
arise from representing bond investment
concerns before the Post Office DEPART
ment: that in pursuance of conspiracy with
Tyner, Barrett investigated the schemes of
the concerns and wrote and signed the re-
port thereon: that this report declared the
business in it's existing form to be illegal
and not entitled to use of the mails. but
that it's basic principle was sound, and that
1t could be made over so as to be legal; and
that Tyner and Barrett procured the sigma
ture OF the Postmaster General to letter
written by Barrett, stating that a reason
able time would be- given to these COM
panies for making over their business dur
ing which time their use of the mails would
not be interrupted.
TT is charged that this opinion was
printed at government expense and sent TO
every known company. with circular let
ter to each. stating that the business of
that company was illegal: that at about the
same time, December. 1860, Barrett sent to
each compan! an announcement that he
mad resigned MS position ana entered into
a partnership for the practice of law at
Baltimore and Washington
The purpose of the conspiracy is alleged
to be the sending of business to Barretts
ffrm-especially as the opinion gave no in
structions to the proper way of making
over the contracts, but showed that Bar
rett knew how it was to be done. In pur-
suance of this conspiracy 1t is alleged that
Tyner and Barrett refused to consider or
approve new contracts submitted prior to
the time Barrett retired except for the
one two concerns that had already re-
tanned his services.
1.-The indictments cite specific cases In
which Barrett. while still in Office, sought
or agreed to receive fees, or in which, after
Barrett retired, Tyner referred clients to
him and approved new contracts at his
suggestion without even reading them
over"
The principal charge against Tyner and
Barrett is that of misconduct in office, in
obstructing and preventing the due and or
derby administration of the law. 1t Is stated
that there were no less than eighty of the
so-called bond investment companies to
which tine opinion of the department was
sent. together with the circular intimating
that Barretts services as attorney could be
secured.
Hallenbeck and the Metcalfs,
The charge against Hallenbeck and the
Metcalfs is that of conspiracy to defraud