The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-04
POSTMASTER RAGAN
 IS 4 DEF AULTER So Charges PoStoA1ce Inspec- tor Barry of AnniSton Office SHORTAGE ABOUT $40O0 MT. Ragan Disappeared Last Friday Night, and Though His Wife Can
 Not Account for His Action
 Holds Him Guiltless.
SHORTAGE ABOUT $40OO

Anniston, April 3.-(Special)-A thun- derclap from a cloudless sky could not have been more unexpected than the an- nouncement today by Postoffice Inspector Barry. who stated in an unqualified man. ner that Postmaster J. M. Ragan is a defaulter for about $40O0 and that the entire defalcation had been made since January 1.
 MT. Ragan has been missing since last Friday night and none of his friends know where he is. The shortage occurs in the stamp department, owing to the fact that the safekeeping of the stamp Is enrusted to the postmaster, as is the money derived from stamp sales. Mir. Barry says that he has telegraphed to Washington for the last audited account and that 1t will be impossible to ascer- tair the entire shortage until these ac- counts are received.
 Mr. Barry says further that MT. Ra- gan's bond was fixed at $10,000 but that none Of the bondsmen would suffer as a result of his absconding, as they are cov- cred by indemnifed bonds. The bonds- men have had Assistant Postmaster l Charles R. Barker placed in charge un- | til a new postmaster Is appointed.
 In reply to a question, MT Barry stated | that Postmaster Ragan had never been suspected of any crookedness before and | that he was surprised that he had taken the present wrong step, in which, con l tinued the inspector, he Is sure to be l detected. He said that Mir Ragan went | from here to Talladega and that 1t Will | be a comparatively easy matter to cap ture him, primarily on account of his diminutive stature, rendering him so easy of description.
 Will Receive Salaries.
 None of the carriers in the city delivery department have received their money, 1 but Washington has been wired, and their | salari,s will be receive this evening. The l clerks have already been paid. When | seen at Mrs. Barker's boarding house on l Quintard avenue today, Mrs. Ragan de- | tended the honor of her husband with | tears in her eyes.
 When MT. Ragan left Friday night | said Mrs Ragan, he carried very little with him and reiterated that he would return soon. However, Mrs. Ragan says | that she does not know where her hus- l band is and has not heard word from him since he left home
 l 'I haven't worried about this, though, l for MT. Ragan has frequently been away | three 0ayS at a tune WllnOul CIedllllS | any disturbance" said Mrs. Ragan. He told me before leaving that the author | ites had been trying to get him to go | after Roberts, but that he had been un- | able to do so on account of the very urgent business at the office l should think that his good name would hold him blameess in this affair and l sin I cerely hope yon will not publish any thing further about the matter without l ascertaining the facts"
 Left Last Friday. | Mir Ragan left Anniston Tsriday night. | stating to Mr Barker that he was going | to Montgomery and would be back Mon day. Suspicion in connection with his l lea2ing was not aroused until Monday. | Saturday the salaries of the employees | fell due. with no one here authorized to make payment. According to the postal | laws, no postmaster Is allowed to be ab- sent from his post of duty for three days without permission from the department l and when an official is absent for a | greater length of time, his bondsmen have | the privilege of appointing an official in | charge.
 MT. Ragan has made one of the best | postmasters the city of Anniston has ever | had, insofar as enterprise and unselfsh efforts are concerned, and he has hosts of friends who still refuse to believe he Is guilty of the charges brought against him.
 Clerk Disappears. | There is remarkable connection be- i tween the disappearance of Postmaster | Ragan and Register Clerk Frank Roberts, who absconded about two weeks ago with | s9o0, taken from the malls according to a statement made by Inspector R. F. Barry. Mr Barry gave out this informa- l ton in reply to question, stating that | the connection between the two was so unusual that he had never in his eXperi- ence come across a similar case. He would not consent to say until his exam ination was complete, however. in what manner the two cases coincided MT ! Barry says that the secret service men ! are hot on the trail of Roberts. and that he will in all probability be captured be- fore the end of the week. He was spotted lin northern city yesterday, and he will be caught, it Is believed, if he re- | mains there throughout the day. Before | leaving Annston Friday, Mir. Ragan pur- | Chasai a large diamond stud, valued at s200, from w. r. VanArsdel. who this morning levied an attachment on Mr. Ragat's automobile. It later developed, 1 howeVer, that the machine was mortgaged to MI Newt II. Reid who holds a bill of sale for it. It Is denied that Mir. Ragal drew the money from the bank to | pay the employees, whose salaries 1t is said. aggregate SS300
 :. M. Rasan was appointed postmaster | of Anhiston to succeed l.. T. Smith, whose term off office had expired. He had been postmaster at Oxford and was holding that position when the Oxford office was made a sub station. In his efforts to get the appointment as postmaster at Annis- l ton NJ Ragan had the strongest indorse- ment hnd many in1uentiab friends worked 1 hard for him. He is man who makes | friends easily, and has always been ex- ceedigly popular.
 inspectors In Birmingham.
 Mir. Barry was called to Birmingnam today but is expected back here tonight
 It i suggested now by the friends of Franl Roberts that he may not be as l guilty as circumstances make him out to be. There are indications that young Rob erts nay have been made a scapegoat of and its freely talked by his friends today that ne perhaps foolishly permitted him self b be made fugitive.
 ---.s.--
 Columbus 5, Jefferson 3. Columbus. April 3.-(Special) )-Colum- bus ,asily defeated Jefferson today in a poorly played game Neither Casey or O'H4a gave up hit to the visitors, who werd shut out up to the last half of the ninH. when two errors and wild throw