The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1908-10-29
THOSE ARCHBOLD LETTERS
Stolen by Employees and Sold to
Hearst for $4,000.

Hearst for $4,000.
The John D. Archbold Standard Oh
letters involving Senator Foraker,
Congressman Sibley and others which
W. R. Hearst has read In public re-
Gently were stolen from the Archbold
files in 1905 by negro employed in
Mr.. Archbold's Office and sold by him
to the Hearst papers through q white
man, confidential messenger Of the
Standard Oil Company, according to-
an article in Golfers Weekly for
October "a. The negro and the white
man are said to have made q tride
more than $4,000 out of the deal.
The white man in his interview with
the writer for Golfers hints that the
best of the letters are yet to be used
and that some of those held In re-.
serve have to do with Senators Al-g
drich and, Penrose. ri,
The article Is headed "Mr. Hearst'a
Thieves and is written by Arthur
H. Gleason. One of the men, who,
according to Mr.. Gleason's story, got
the letters for Mr.. Hearst was VII
liam w. Winfield, negro file clerk.
messenger and doortender in Mr..
Archbold Office, and stepson OF MI.
Archbold's butler, James N. Wilkins.
who has been with Mr.. Archbold's
family for twenty years. William
Winfeld's brother John, is porter In
the National Bank of Tarrytown.
Winfield had been in the Standard
| Oil Office for ten years when he was
dropped in 1905.
The other man Mr.. GLEASON says
was Charles Stump, in the Standard
Oil Office for six years when he too
was dropped in 1905. Winfield ia
represented as furnishing the brains
of the combination, while Stump waA
used by him as white ,go-between
to arrange the negotiations with the;
Hearst people.
The white man and the negro ara;
represented as having played the.
races on Saturdays along in 1904 and;
thus having acquired an idea Of what
money would do. Just after the pres-
idential election Of that year Winfield
brought to Stump the first batch OF
the Archbold correspondence, and
soon Stump began making visits to
the New York offices of the Hearst
newspapers. These Offices the Col>
lier's article makes the natural mar
ket for such merchandise at that
/ time because "The Treason Of the
! Senate" was being compiled for the
Hearst Cosmopolitan Magazine. But;
| this material was of the sort which
could be used with greater effect at
another time and the letters were,
put away in safe in the Hearst of1
fees. e.
Mr.. Gleason quotes Charles Stump.;
"Mr. Hearst hasn't begun to read
| the best of the letters. He's begin
ming easy. Wait till you hear him
read the Senator Penrose and the:
Senator Aldrieh letters. Then theresH
be q sensation. What's happening
now is nothing. He hasn't the orig
inals, you know. They were returns
ed to the Standard Oh files. Photo
graphic copies were made and those
are the ones Hearstais using. He
hasn't originals except few Hanna,
letters, which may not eome out at
all. After the photographed copies
were sold to the Hearst people some
| Of the letters were returned to Mr.s
| Archbold by friend of mine. Mrs
Archbold had offered US thousand
dollars, but he didn't pay it after he.
| got his hands on the letters.
Stump is also quoted as saying that
after Mr.. Hearst began reading the
i letters he wrose to Mr.. Hearst sug-
gesting that Mr. Hearst might SEND
| hin, a little more money. He addA
thet nothing came of that letter.
| Mr. Archbold discovered the theft
! early in 1905 and discharged Wins
field and Stump. They already haa
cleaned up some $12, 600: A smau
part of this they invested IN saloon
on the southeast corner OF l34tn
street and Seventh avenue. The rest
the blew In on the races and sucn.
The two men are represented as close
! friends. Mr.. Gleason says that sBa-
ron" Wilkins, q brother OF me-
gro whom they installed as manager
of the saloon and who later bought
i them out, runs the little Savoy at
253 West Thirty-fifth street, and with
the crowd which frequents the Little
Savoy Winfield and Stump spent their
money
Mr.. Gleason quotes Winfield az
saving to him on October 9, 1908, at
'I35 Washington street, Tarrytown,
/ that he was mighty anxious to ind
stump. tThere'll be big thing for
him and for me too If land him 1n-
side the month. After the next few
weeks there'll be nothing doing
Stump, who Mr.. Gleason says, is now
a desk clerk on the third floor OF the
building occupied by Yale & Towne
at 9 Murray street and lives at 1895
DeKalb avenue Brooklyn, thus talk
i ed to Mr.. Gleason on October IL: .
"What is there in it for me II I
see Willie? This game OF Archbolds
getting US to swear one of the letters
was faxed by Hearst so as to make
it look as If the whole correspona--
ence was a yellow journal fake
want to know the price for that. !
want guarantees before I lose Job
j for that scheme. Anyway, want to
see SIS before I talk it over with
Willie =
Il