Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-12-29
CHARGE OF EMBEZELENENT.
Large Sums of Money Said to Be
FILTERED IN Local Postoffice.
JOHN w.wOoD, SUSPENDED
Claims That Sums Aggregatine
$1,000 Have Disappeared.
INSPECTOR INVESTIGATING

One of the biggest sensations which
have startled the residents of this eitv
developed this afternoon when il be-
came known that John W. Woods
clerk in the Annapolis post0ifice had
been suspended pending an investiga-
tion by postotiice inspector. j.
The news was received with mani.
fest unbelief by those few persons who
heard of the matter and the hope was
advanced in many quarters that the
charges which have been made would
be found to be due TO misunderstood
ing. So serious is the situation and
so large the amount of money involved
in the affair that most rigorous in
vestigation is being made. II is TO
ascertain the manner in which sums
of money aggregating 81 900 have
been taken from the postofflce and
directed to channels foreign TO that
for which IL was intended.
Such is the nature of the case and
the manner in which the pilfering has
been conducted that Mr.. Arthur. b.
Carter, chief clerk and cashier of the
office, has monthly been forced TO yield
up amounts almost equal to his entire
salary in vain effort to ascertain the
cause of the shortage. Ii is said that
the shortage was discovered by means
of trap which was set for whoever
it was that was embezzling the money
and that conditions pointed so strong
ly to the connection of Wood with the
matter that he was suspended. Today
the secrecy about the uostoffice was of
the closest kind and little if any in
formation icould be secured. The
g. IL tAsE ~.
careful investigation and closely ques-
tioning those who could have any
knowledge of the matter are as fol.
lows:
For period extending over nearly
year Mr.. Garter, III making a bal
ance of his books as chief clerk and
cashier, has discovered q great dis
crepaLcy between the amounts of
money he should have on hand and
what he actually did have. Mr.. Car
ter could arrive at no solution of the
manner in which the money was leay-
ing the Office and was often forced to
trun in his entire months salary and
more to make good the deficiency as
the government allows of no def
cheney. Though repugnant to his
thoughts and contrary to his wishes
in thinking harm of any of his clerks
Mr.. Carter plainly saw that pilfering
was being carried ON with a lavish
hand within the office. He closely
watched his department in order to
see that no error had crept into his
system of keeping checks on what
passed through his hands,
This week, as usual, each clerk
who has anything to do with the sale
of stamps was given his usual quota,
which were charged against him. 1t
is said that those sold by Mr.. Wood
yielded up lesssthan their value would
seem TO call for. With these facts
Mr.. Carter went before Postmaster
Tuck and laid charges against Mr..
Wood. Mr.. Tuck acted promptly. He
suspended Mr. Wood pending an in
vestigation by the postoffice authori.
ties and at photographed for an in
spector TO be sent ON. Today the in.
spector arrived at the postoffice and
started the investigation. He is going
through the subject in the most care
full manner and it is expected that by
tomorrow morning interesting facts
will be elected. Mr. Wood has been a
clerk in the postoffice for a number
Of years and has a large number of
friends. He is married and has one
child