The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-17
A PESKY LITTLE POST OFFICE.
MRS. CARMEN HAS DECIDED TO
MOJE IT. TO HER Own HOME.
she's Acting Postmaster ami Was Held ~
Recently ResiEnations OF Car.
men Himself, VINO II . Democrat
Pretty Daughter Helps Sw ell Receipts

Mrs. William j. Carmen, acting post
master OF Hawthorn, a suburb Of Paterson,
N. j., has served notice on Postmaster
General Wynne that to-day or tomorrow
she will move the post Office from the shanty
in which II is now, about quarter of a mile
south Of the Susquehanna railroad tracks,
to her own home. and IL the Postmaster
General Doesn't like it he can get new post
master for Hawthorn. In fact, the sooner
new appointment is made the better the
acting postmaster, a. well az the post
master OF Hawthorn. will like it.
The notice was mailed from Hawthorn
on Saturday and the Postmastcr-Gener
will probably find it in his mail this morn
ing. The immediate reason for the some
what summary action taken by Mrs Car
men may be found in the unsuccessful
attempt made to hold up and rob her early
on Friday evening. But back of that in
cident is the sad story of the persistent
but ineffective efforts OF The Hawthorn post
master TO throw up the job He has even
violated the law in the hope that he would
be removed, but the Washington Govern
ment won't fire him And he's a Demo-
crat at that.
william j. Carmen is the postmaster and
that's how Mrs. William j. has been the
acting postmaster for three or four months.
During this time Mrs Carmen had her
pretty en-yea"-old daughter as chief
clerk. Since Miss Carmen has been helping
her mother in waiting on the patrons of
the Office the recei pts have been greater
than ever before. Persons have been
known to buy half dozen stamps and
stin han inc ..ll
envelope, and then buy half dozen more
while Miss Carmen was at the stamp window.
Postmaster Carmen is a mechanical en-
gineer, and when he was recommended by
the late Congressman Stewart to the Post
Office Department, nearly four years ago,
he said to Stewart:
Look here, you don't want to recon-
mend me; I'm Democrat. To be sure,
couldn't vote for Bryan, and didn't, but
party for good, so you'd better get some
body else. Besides, I'm too busy to bother
with the thing"
But Mr.. Carmen had done much to bring
before the Post Office Department the
need Of rural free delivery for Hawthorn
Carmen was the man for the job and he
was appointed. He 10 classified az fourth
class postmaster and all fourth class post
masters have to pay all the expenses Of
their offices. including rent. and get for
Cancelled at their offioese " Gil '''p'
Itdidnt take Mr.. Carmen more than year
after he assumed Office to find out that the job
was costing him more than he got out Of 1t.
There never has been a time, except in
the last three months that Miss Carmen
has been in the office. that the receipts ever
exceeded IS q week. The postmaster !
couldn't find a competent clerk to work !
in the Office for all he got out Of it. The |
result was that the Job cost him just about |
twice as much a. he took in.
In about a year he sent his resignation |
to the department. No attention was paid |
toit. Anew months later he resigned again. |
Same result. He continued to resign about |
once a month until last July. Then he
got the offer Of another Government job that !
Of superintendent Of drill work on the |
Panama canal. Having got that job, MIR. !
GARNER remarked to his wife:
Now we'll get nd Of that pesty post office. |
A man can't hold two Government jobs |
at the same time, and I'll shake this thing |
In short order. So he sent letter to the |
Poetotice Department which, in substance,
read:
I've been appointed by the Canal Com
mission to a job on the Panama Canal i !
sail for the. 1sthmus late in July. Please |
get somebody to run the post office at once. |
My wife will take charge OF the business |
until my successor is appointed.
Mr.. Carmen sailed away to the Isthmus, |
Mrs. Carmen and Miss Carmen went TO |
the post Office, expecting the new post |
master TO walk in any time The post Office |
is still in the family and is about to he taken |
into the Carmen household Mr. Carmen
from the Isthmns a day or two |
ago. When he found he WAS holding still !
two Govern ct positions he said:
D "Tll be hanged il can get rio OF this job |
even by violating the statutes OF the United |
States
In regard to the hohi.up of Mrs Carmen.
which occurred about 8 o'clock on Friday
night, when she and her daughter were re-
turn ing home from the Office with a satchet
cont aiming about $40 in money and stamps,
suspicion has been directed to a young
ne'er do well Of Hawthorn and an arrest
may be made In few days With The help
Of her daughter, Mrs. Carmen succeeded
in hanging on to the satohe. When she
got home, she sent the following note to
the Department:
Il have been held up this evening by a
man who attempted to rob me OF Govern
ment property. | shall not go out alone
after dark in the future. Therefore please
take notice that the Hawthorn postoffioe
will not be open after nightfall when am
acting postmaster