The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-17

Army post at Hastings, to the value OF
$500, and later turned the property
over to Senator Dietrich, to whose
building it was removed, and to whom
was paid a rental by the government
In addition to turning over this prop
erty, it is charged that Fisher paid to
the senator $500 in cash.
1t is said that the grand jury has been
investigating the Hastings postoffice
case for nearly three weeks and that
a number of witnesses were present
from Hastings and other points in the
state.
Washington, and there was no attorney
or other person in the city authorized
to make a statement for him. All the
witnesses in the case left for their
homes, among them Postmaster Fisher
of Hastings, and no statement could be
had from him.
The last witness called before the
grand jury was William Dutton, a
hardware merchant of Hastings. Ac-
cording to buttons testimony he (Dut-
tom acted as intermediary in all the
alleged transactions between the in
dicted men, and after hearing his evil
dence the grand jury excused the re-
naming witnesses who had not testified.
and at once prepared it's report to Judge
Munger.
Word was sent to the court that il
had report to make and Judge Mum
ger notified the foreman, Frank E
White, that he would hear it at once
The grand jury thereupon went to the
court room and the court asked:
Have you any report to make?''
Foreman White answered: eve
have" whereupon the judge asked him
to read it
| The indictments against the senator
and postmaster were then read and the
court ordered them turned over to the
clerk for filing and the jury was ex-
cused.
| The i1rv is oonoposad of tven+v
members, nineteen of whom are said
to have voted for the indictment and
one against. The members came from
all parts of the state. no two of them
being a resident of the same town
The foreman. Frank E. White. of this
city. is secretary of the grand lodge OF
the Masonic order of Nebraska. The
other members are mostly business
and professional men.
Four other cases. said to be of q
similar nature, are being investigated
/ by the grand jury and report on al
or part of them is expected soon AL
are cases in which postoffices and post
masters are concerned.
This indictment is said to be the first
lever returned against a United States
senator on charges of this nature, an6
caused much excitement in govern.
ment official circles in this and in ad-
joining towns when it became public.
The charge is made that Andrew
| Richmond, postmaster at Orleans, paio
! senator Dietrich for procuring his ap-
po1ntment, and a number of Orleans
men are now here to testify before the
Senator DIETRICH has openly charged
| that the United States district attorney
Mr.. summers, and other of his politica
enemies. inspired the grand jury investi
gaIiso sn,- into the charges that he has beer
IraHchng in poStmastershipS. He i:
known to be bitterly opposed to Sum
meTs reappointment to his present offic,
and bad feeling has existed between
me two men for some time Yesterday
| senator DIETRICH sent to Judge Munger O
! the federal court note which read:
| In the name of decency and Justice
appeal to you to see that witnesses shall
have, fair treatment before the gran,
The note was inspired by a Telegram
the senator had received from William
X. Dutton, the man who conducted TN
negotiations between DIETRICH and Fisher
IN his telegram Dutton said that he ha'
been told that unless he made certaIl
statements that were not true when b
went before the grand jury 10 testify il
the Hastings case he would be indicted
It is said that the indictments agains
Dietrich and Fisher were based largely o.
buttons testimony.