The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-11-27
HANSON HELD
FOR MAN Y
CRIMES
POST MASTER OF FILLMORE IN
OlCTEO BY GRAND JURY.
One Of the Postofflee Inspectors Of
This District Said to Have
Shielded the Fellow.

Salt Lake City, Nov. 26.-As re-
suit OF an indictment brought last
week BY the United States grand jury.
Frank Hanson. former postmaster at
Fillmore, Millard county, Utah. and
brother of Willard Hanson OF this
city, and George Hanson, secretary 10
Senator Sutherland, was arrested this
morning my United States Deputy
Marshal Julian Riley. and Is held by
the government on charges of riflinc
mail and the malicious destruction of
government property.
Three counts were brought against
him, two charging him with riAing
mail and one chaTeing him with the
destruction OF property
The arrest was made without trou-
BILE, Willard Hanson. brother of the
accused and former county attorney.
turning the prisoner over to the Off
cials He remained in the custody of
the deputy until o'clock this after
noon, when he was taken before
United States Commissioner Charles
Baldwin for arraignment. Bonds OF
$4,000 were fixed, which Il is said will
p' IdlcCu Nulo dlltluOOn ny NllIdlu
Hanson.
Thief Clever at Work
Tho crime of which Hanson was oc-
cused is declared TO be serious and
felonious The rif1ing of the mall, it
Is asserted, covered a period of sew
eral months. and cost the govern
ment thousands of dollars, through
the loss OF registered letters and
money orders. BY system of retrac.
Ing the orders. 1t Is charged, he ar
ranged matters so that he secured
the money and the government was
not able for some time TO trace the
exact source of the loss
Besides the money orders he Is
alleged to have rifled registered let
trs and to have removed mony. later
misplacing the letters or disposing
of them in manner which threw
the blame outside his office
Among others who are alleged to
have lost by his workings were Ell
len Day, Ora Peterson, and a woman
son case he is alleged to have taken
a $40 bill from letter sent by Jas
Peterson, of Ely, New, to his wife of
Fillmore
1t is not believed that the case will
be reached in the federal court before
the March term, but 1t Is said that
when It does come to trial IL will
prove to be an exceptionally scnsa-
tlonal one The Indictment is said TO
be clear. and 1t is understood that 1t
is based upon the finding OF these
letters. breaking into the postofTice.
setting the building on fire and rlfllng
the malls. II Is also understood that
the Indictment is backed up by the
sheriff OF Millard county, the town
marshal OF Fillmore. and by many per
sons who. during the past few years,
have had dealings OF one nature or an
other with the accused man Feeling
Is at fever heat against Hanson, and
1t is said that the bitterness of the
people toward the man caused the
laying of an exceptionally large
amount OF new evidence at the door of
the government authorities
Little Inside History.
Hanson Is one of the most desperate
criminals OF the state. He has used
the torch TO the property Of a half
dozen of his neighbors In Fillmore. He
has rifled the malls. lie has burned
the Fillmore postoffice twice and kept
the people of his home town in ner-
yous dread and fear for more than
two years.
While postmaster no mall was safe
in his charge He forged registra-
tions for registered letters. He rifled
letters containing money. He is said
to have intercepted mail containing
merchandise and to have distributed
II among acquaintances. He treated
as repaid" money orders purchased
by patrons and made use of these Ill.
gotten funds.
Inspector Helps Him.
At least one postoffice inspector
committed felony TO protect Hanson.
having cut from the postofflce rec.
ords sheet containing evidence OF
Hanson's grosSest forgery And Geo.
Hanson, the senator's secretary. one
time Is alleged to have intercepted
letter addressed TO Congressman How
ell. presumably TO protect his broth
or. This letter was found on the
streets OF Fillmore In the trail OF Geo.
Hanson. having been opened and re-
sealed Prior 10 this George Hanson
complained he had lost valuable let
ter"
1t was rotten state Of affairs and
the officials we're so determined to
cover Frank Hansons crimes that the
matter became public scandal.
Recently Frank Hanson was virtual
ly caught in the act OF burning barn
In Fillmore The city marshal had
watched him and finding him running
from the barn he had fired. the marsh
al drove Hanson into the arms OF the
sheriff and the capture was made. a
moment afterward the barn burst Into
flames. For this Hanson was placed
In jail and afterward released under
$4,000 bonds. Search OF his home
revealed package Of letters that had
been mailed at Fillmore the afternoon
the postoffice was first burned Those
letters were supposed To have been
destroyed in tho Are, A considerable
number OF watches and jewclry was
also found during this search.