Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28
AT LAST HE'S FREE.
PosTMAsTER aqcARMAN HAD A
HARD T1METIaaIu1rf1Na HIS JOB.
Action Taken By the department Upon
Receiving His Latest Vigorous Pro-
test Against YHeing Kept in Office.

A disgruntled postmaster, holding down
the office at Hawthorne. N. j., near Pater-
son. has at last succeeded in getting rid of
his unwelcome job but only after he had
gone to the utmost limits in insisting that
he be released. For more than a year
W.. J. Carman has tried to get the Post
Office Department to accept his resignation,
but was from time to time put OFF and urged
to hold down the job.
He thought nothing whatever of sending
kilograms of several hundred words to the
Postmaster General, charged to the depart
ment.- protesting against being compelled to
hold the Office which he had learned to
hate with hatred known only to himself.
Last October he reported that an attempt
mad been made to- rob the assistant post
master. who is his wife, on her way from
the office to her home, and that for that
reason he would have to transfer the OF
flee to his residence. Even that did not
bring the department to terms and POST
master Carman was in frenzy. he nnal-
ly went to Panama, leaving the once IN
charge of his wife, and swore he would
never return until he was postmaster no
longer. Even that threat failed to create
any excitement in the Post Office Depart
ment and he was still the postmaster at
Hawthorne.
1t seems that lunady threatened him, and
he finally in desperation sat down and
wrote the following letter to the Postmas-
ter General:
Hawthorne. N. j. December 13, 1904.
POSTMASTER General Washington, D. G.
Dear Sir 1 would like to be informed
why my resignation has not been accepted
or this office closed. My resignat ton has
been in the hands Of the department for
over year and the necessary notice and
forms for the closing of the office have been
complied with by direction of the depart
ment some six or eight months past, ana
proofs of same are now with the depart
ment. 1t seems to me that your conduct
in holding me in this office against my will
is direct violation of article ID of the
Constitution of the United States, espe-
cially as l am not aware of having COM
mitted any crime, except it may be damn
ing the department from top to bottom
severally and individually, may constitute
the crime of lese majestic under the pres
ent strenuous administration, but this until
now was unknown to YOU
"It may be that you consider it a crime
to hold office, but the magnitude of the
punishment l am undergoing is utterly out
of proportion to the offense. l have no
ticed in the past that a few officials and
some others connected with the postal de-
partment have received greater punishment
than l, but l presume this is owing to
their holding a higher Office which, being
a greater offense, merited a heavier SEN
tence. If this office is not closed or my
resignation accepted by the 31St of March.
1905, 1 will close it on that date and send
all mail and post office property that may
be here to Paterson, which is the nearest
Office, unless directed to dispose OF 1t
otherwise by the department. l will post
a notice to the public in this office of my
intentions on the list day of January, and
also will notify MY bondsmen. will keep
the department Informed from time to
time as to my actions in this matter, so
that you cannot claim, that the closing OF
this Office was a surprise and without due
notice. l would like satisfactory answer
to this fearful appeal to your best and most
generous feelings, as in the past all my
pp1fla rpOnpStS answered with the
stereotyped form: Your resignation Will
be acted on at the earliest possible mo-
ment,' or The office will be closed as soon
as practicable Please give this plea your
immediate attention, as 1 am getting Older
every year that passes and hate to die OF
old age saddened by the thought that
am still a postmaster and haunted by the
fear that the department will try to hold
me in the office when in the great here
after. am yours, respectfully,
"(Signed W. ]. CARMAN."
This brought the department to time and
today Mrs. Jessie l. Story was appointed
to I'll the place and her papers have gone
to her. On January 3d. 1904, the depart
ment appointed S. E. Woodward TO the po-
sition so hateful to Mr.. Carman. but the
appointee refused to accept the position
and Carman was still postmaster. His let
tiers and kilograms became more and more
frequent and even when a four hundred
word message was charged by the depart
ment back to him it failed to Quench his
fevered determination to quit his job. He
simply sent more kilograms and paid for
them without murmur. All he wanted
was to get rid of the job, no matter what
the cost.
Then the department ordered the office
discontinued, but just as the order was to
be carried into effect an angel In the DerS
son of Mrs. Story came fiuttering down
and accepted the place.. The department
officials now breathe more freely and ex-
press the hope that the late Postmaster
Carman will be happy in his old age