The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-23
REy>sED BY
 <iR. BRISTOW Charles Hedges is Fired
 Bodily. SERIOUS CHARGES MADE Alleged That He Falsifled
 His Accounts. Was Superintendent of Free Delivery and One of the Men Under Machen-Hedges Explains
 His Actions.
SERIOUS CHARGES MADE

| was today removed from the office of Su- perintendent of Free Delivery of the Postoffice Department on the charge of | falsifying his diary and loaning his | travelling commission.
 It is charged that he reported himself at various places when he was not there on the date mentioned.
 MT. Hedges, while making no general denial of the charges, contended that
 they were no sufficient justification for removal.
 Erwin H. Thorpe, Postofice Inspector | in charge at New York, who has been assisting in the administration of free delivery service since the inception of | the investigation, has been designated acting superintendent of free delivery in place of Mir. Hedges.
 The following is the official statement | made public today by Fourth Assistant Postmaster-General Bristow:
 Charles Hedges was today removed from the office of Superintendent of Free Delivery. He represented himself at va rious places on public business, when in fact he was. elsewhere, in some instances hundreds of miles distant. October %, 19o0 he states, under oath, in his diary, that he was at Joplin, Mo, on extension of free delivery service when in fact
 he was in Mansfield. O.. attending the
 funeral of former Secretary John Sher- man. December 2, 1899, he represents
 himself at San Antonio, Tex, investigat- ing carriers service while in fact he was in Mexico examining mining property. Did Machens Work. "In the month of October, 1889. A. w.
 Machen Superintendent of Free Delivery. | was sick with typhoid fever and Hedges | was at the department acting as super l intendent In his diary he states. under | oath, that he was at various places, 'ac- -tually -ia- tER sAeltsg- -bSsst-
 ness of the free delivery service As- l sistant Superintendents of Free Deliv- cry are allowed per diem of $4 per day | in lieu of expenses for each day engaged | actually travelling on the business of the department. Hedges's false statements as to his whereabouts on these days were 1 manifestly for the purpose of collecting
 per diem to which he was not entitled.
 There are many other instances of similar falsihcation. The facts were sub
 mitted to the Postmaster-tSeneral somo days since, who directed Hedgess re-
 moval, for the reasons above set forth"
 Mir Hedges was appointed to the postal
 service from the Tenth Congressional
 District of Texas, July l, 1898, and was appointed Superintendent of Free Deliv- cry July 1, 1901. His salary was 5000 a
 year. He had charge of the delivery
 service in the cities, the rural free de-
 livery service being under another super
 intendent, and both being under the gen. eral supervision of A. W. Machen. In a statement tonight MT. Hedges said:
 While I was assistant superintendent of free delivery with headquarters at New York. was called to Washington to take charge of the entire service. while Mir Machen was i'll, with typhoid fever.
 While so acting I got 5000 salary as l assistant superintendent. while MT. Ma | chen received $500.
 Made Up the Difference. Tt was necessary for me to get the per diem allowance to make the services and the compensation equal. It is charg- ed that the per diem accounts show me at other points. the theory being that, strictly speaking under the law, I was not entitled to per diem when at head quarters. This has never been tested consequently never decided. It has been the practice of the office of the party ! taking the place of the head of the serv- ice to claim per diem in some form In my case l was also supervising the East ern division while officiating as general superintendent here.
 Herbert W. Valentine, now in the New York postoffice and formerly stem ographer there under me, surrendered private letters and notes to the inspec- tors which gave them this informal ton used to drop him a line when I was travelling to keep him posted on my whereabouts. Valentine Is the one who used this postoffice commission. It was used with a knowledge of General Super intendent Machen and of First Assistant Postmaster General Johnson. Valentine was anxious to go out on field work. Bristow refused to allow the issuance of commission. MT. Machen, however, held that as Valentine was engaged on the work of the office, his use of the com mission was not illegal. As to the San Antonio reference, I was in Mexico, but not examining mining property. In mak- ing my reports I never put down the towns that I had not visited nor did put down all the towns that I visited, as I was permitted to do. Thus I omitted mentioning the Mansfield visit because had no official work there and Joplin was the last place where I had had official work. I simply prolonged the time on the list
 MT. Bristow declined tonight to say anything as to the status of MT. Valen- tine.