The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-06
TRUE BILL
 FOR TIMER Fifteen New Indictments
 Found FOR FRAUD AND BRIBERY Grand Jury Finishes the Pos tai Investigation. Next Steps, Says MT. Payne, will Be Trials of Machen, Miller and Johns-Bristow's Report
 Nearly Ready.
FOR FRAUD AND BRIBERY

Washington. Oct. 5.-Fifteen new in- dictments were returned today in the Supreme Court for the District of Colum- bfa as the final result of the investiga- tion in the Postofice Department. Sev- prai Of these findings were against per. sons who have already been indicted.
 The new indictments involve James N. Hyner, formerly Assistant Attorney Gen. bral for the Postoffice Department and his assistant, Harrison J. Barrett; James T Metcalf. Superintendent of the Money Order System of the Postoffice Depart ment; Norman Metcalf. son of James T. ; Harry c. Hallenback, President and General Manager of the Wynkoop-Hallen- back & Crawford Company of New York, the firm which for several years sup piled the Department with its money or- der blanks, and William Doremus, who is connected with house which has been supplying stamp cancelling machine.
 Additional Indictments.
 There were additional indictments against August W. Machen, formerly Su- perintendent of Free Delivery; George w. Beavers, formerly chief of the salary and allowance division; w. Scott Towers, who was in charge of sub-station of the Washington city postoffice. and State Senator George A. Green of New York. In some cases there were several indict- ments against one person.
 Concerning the indictment against Ty- ner and Barrett, the following statement was made by the Postoff1ce Department:
 Three indictments charge Tyner and Barrett with conspiracy and two addi- tional indictments charge Barrett with agreeing, while still in office, to receive fees for services rendered, or to be rem Hered in cases pending before him as an pfioGr. All the indictments are founded upon the treatment by Tyner and Barrett of the business of the so-called Bond In sestment companies.
 The Scheme Worked.
 Tt is charged that it was the duty of Tyner and Barrett, Assistant Attorney Genaral and assistant attorney for the Postofice Department, to investigate, the methods of concerns charged with im- proper use ot the mails and in case of guilt, to report to the Postmaster Gen eral and recommend the issue of fraud order; that they investigated the busi- ness of the bond investment compa nies and learned that they were all carrying on a business that involved fraud, or lot tery, or both: but that instead of recom- nnending to the Postmaster General the issue of an order that would prevent the delivery of mail or the payment of money orders to these concerns, Tyner and Bar rett conspired to give them unobstructed use of the mails. in order that Barrett might profit thereby.
 Formed Law Partnership.
 Tt is charged that Barrett had entered into an agreement with J. H. Nelms of Rne Baltimore bar. for a partnership in law, to become effective January 1, 1901, the object being to share in the profits which might arise from representing bond investment concerns before the Postoflce Department; that in pursuance of con- spiracy with Tyner. Barrett investigated xhe schemes of the concerns and wrote and signed the report thereon; that this report declared the business in its ex- isting form to be illegal and not entitled 10 the use of the mails; but that its ba- sic principle was sound and that 1t could be made over so as to be legal; and that Tyner and Barrett procured the sigma lure Of the Postmaster General to a let- ter written by Barrett stating that req eonable time would be given to those companies for making over their busi- ness during which time their use of the mails would not be interrupted.
 Az Governments Expenses.
 Tt Is charged that this opinion was printed at government expense and sent to every known company with a circular letter to each stating that the business of that company was illegal; that at about the same time, December, 1900, Barrett sent to each company an an- nouncement that he had resigned his position and entered into a partnership for the practice of law at Baltimore and Washington. The purpose of the con spiracy Is alleged to be the sending of business to Barrett's firm, especially as the opinion gave no instructions as to the proper way of making over the con tracts. but showed that Barrett knew how 1t was to be done. In pursuance of this conspiracy, 1t Is alleged that Tyner and Barrett refused to consider or ap- prove new contracts submitted prior to the time Barrett retired except for the one or two concerns that had already retained his services.
 The principal charge against Tyner and Barrett is that of misconduct in office fin obstructing and preventing the due and orderly administration of the law.
 The charge against Hallenbeck and the Metcalfes Is that of conspiracy to defraud the United States. The company of which Hallenbeck is the head, had a contract with the United States to furnish the postal service with it's money order blanks. Norman Metcalf was employed as a clerk in the office of Wynkoop- Hal lenbeck & Crawford Company at SS0 a week. It Is alleged that a conspiracv existed between Hallenbeck and the Met calfs in that there was an agreement be- tween them that there should be no in epection of the forms supplied by the company.
 Hallenbeck's Frauds
 That on account of this agreement the forms were printed on inferior paper: that only one side of them was lithographed while the contract called for the Iitho graphing of both sides and that by other devices the company was enabled to save large sums of money at the expense of are government.
 While it is not stated in the indictment. 1t is asserted by the p0stofice authorities that the Government lost at least $50. OO0 fin one year by this arrangement It is also asserted that there was an agree ment whereby the contracting company paid Metcalf 1-16 cents for each book of forms shipped, and 1t is said the ship ments for one year reached as high as 800 900 books. The allegation is made that the elder Metcalf secured the payment of the inferior work supplied by the con- tractors.