Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-03-05
POSTMASTER DoLPH OF BRIGHT
ON is HELD TO THE UNITED
STATES GRAND JURY,
OPENS OFFICIAL LETTER
Had His Preliminary Hearing Before
Commissioner Hunter in This City
Yesterday - Was Formerly Meth
odist Minister and Newspaper Man.

From Fridays Daily.
Charged with violating the postal
laws by opening the mail Of the pa
irons of the office, John Dolph, post
master, newspaper editor and former
minister of the Gospel, of Brighton
had his preliminary hearing before
United States Commissioner F. M.
Hunter in his office in the postoffice
building of this city yesterday after
noon and was held under $500 bond to
grand pury at it's next session in Keo-
kuk. Mr.. Dolph gave the required
bond and returned to his home in
Brighton last evening.
1t is stated that complaints have
reached the authorities at Washing
ton for the past two years that mail
passing through the Brighton postof-
flee was being tampered with. No ar
ticles of value were missing but &C.
cording to the reports of many of the
patrons of the Office suspicioned that
some of their letters had been opened.
Various inspectors were at the Bright.
on postoffice from time to time and re-
ported everything o. X. but of late ii
40 oula SlldI CiS COll pl6lAIS AdSO UCSu
so numerous that Special Postofflce In
spector c. e. Stewart was detailed on
the case and after an investigation
lasting only a few days accumulated
the evidence that led to the arrest OF
Postmaster Dolph.
Fight For Postoffice.
January 1 the Brighton Office was
created a presidential office and the
salary of the postmaster raised to ST.
| 900 per year. There We're several o1
the citizens of Brighton after the po.
sition and among these were Mr.
.Dolph and Ed. Wright, the Rock Is.
land agent at that place. A,letter from
Congressman Cushman to Mr.. Wrigh'
| is the particular one upon which Mr.
Dolph was bound over by Commission
er Hunter and the evidence that the
letter had been opened was said to be
| most conclusive. Miss Katie Snyder
a clerk in the Office, is said to have
| seen Mr. Dolph open the letter address
| ed to Mr.. Wright. She became afrait
that she might be accused of the ac
and at once went and told Mr.. Wright
He telegraphed to the authorities a
| Washington and the special inspector
was detailed on the case. Mr.. Dolpf
was arrested yesterday at Brighton
and brought to Eldon. A switch en-
gine was sent from Ottumwa to Eldol
to bring the party to this city. MI
Dolph was in charge of United State
Deputy Marshal Harry Fulton. Wit
| nesses at the hearing We're Mrs. VIII
1 Snyder, Katie Snyder, Ed. Wright, &c
4 Deeds, Philip Wanrous. Assistan
United States Attorney George E
Stewart conducted the prosecution an
the defendant was represented by At
torneys NJ. w. Bailey and c. j. Wilson
Of Washington, Iowa.
Prominent Citizen.
| Mr.. Dolph has been a resident O
i Brighton twelve years and was one o
i it's most prominent citizens He wa
formerly Methodist minister but re
| tired several years ago. Since his res
idence in Brighton he has had no reg
ular charge but has frequently occu
pied the pulpits of the various churche
i Of that place and was prominen
church worker. He is said to be in
i terested with his son in the publish
i ing of the Brighton News. He ha
Il been postmaster for nearly eight year
and has always borne a good reputa
ton. About two years ago, when tn
i first rumors We're started that he wa
tampering with the mails, the leadin
citizens put little credence in the re
Il port, and now there are many of hi