The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-10-07
AN OLD CRIME
IS RECALLED
West Virginia feud Leader Trusted
Crooked Postmaster.
MONEY WAS NOT DESTROYED
Its Loss and Recovery Sent Two Men
to Penitentiary for Widely Diff
fering Causes. - other
Washington News.
UNITED Press Service.)

Washington d. c. oct. 6.-rhe dus-
ty archives of the Office of the Chief
Inspector of the Post Office Depart
ment now and then yield up fragmen-
tary narratives that give piquant
interest to an otherwise sordid cata-
logue of crime and one of these, stand
ing out alone because of its tragic
circumstances, was unearthed the 9th
er day by clerk, in searching for an
old record.
1t contains a chapter in the lite OF
Harrison Hatfield, the aged member OF
the family feudists of that name that
has heretofore escaped the veraciOus
chroniclers or been overlooked by the
authors of the dime novels. /
Hatfield recently died at the Mounds
vile penitentiary. Two years ago the
the mountains of West Virginia. He
had deposited $2,S54 in the Guyan
Valley Bank, at Logan. Unable to
write, he asked Alexander H. Trent.
postmaster at Horsepen, to draw
check for the amount and direct the
tered mail. Hatfield called repeated
ly for the registered letter, but when
. ii arrived, on April "a, 1901, he was
not present at the post office. lie
had called about half an hour before
the mail arrived, but having been &C
companied by an intoxicated friend,
who required assistance to keep him
on his mule, could not wait. When
he left the post Office he requested
the postmaster to take the letter to
his home for safe keeping when it
came. Fearing that it would not be
properly protected from fire if left in
the post Office, the postmaster assur-
ed him that the letter would be placed
in his fire-proof safe.
" About two o'clock on the morning
following, the building in which the
post Office was located was burned,
the contents of the safe alone being
saved. These were hound to consist
of stamps and money belonging to the
post Office, to Trent individually and
to outside persons. The letters ad-
dressed to Hatfield, however, could
not be found. The postmaster said
that it had been placed with the ordi-
nary mail in the post office.
On April 26th post Office inspec-
tor notified of the burning of the post
Office and the loss of the letter. An
other inspector was detailed to accom-
pany him through the mountains OF
Horsepen on horseback.
Meanwhile, Hatfield became i'll from
worry over the loss of his money-al-
NEST his entire savings. The post
office inspectors, however, did not en-
tirely accept Trent's story that the
money had been lost in the fire, and
in their investigations found the post,
master and his father, +. M. Trent,
guilty of other Irregularities. They
both confessed later and the post
master produced from jar hidden
under his barn the sum of $3.50.
This was turned ever to Hatfield.
The postmaster was found guilty OF
fraud and sentenced to prison. On
April I, 1908, he escaped, and is now
a fugative from justice.
of part of his money drove him nearly
insane, and while suffering from
sudden mania he poisoned his wife,
ali Indian. For THIS crime he was
sentenced to life Imprisonment.
Harrison Hatfield was one of the
Old family of Hattields so prominent
few years ago in connection with the
NcCoy-Hatfield feud virtually a civil
war along the West Virginia and Ken.
lucky border. that disrupted several
counties for years and attained
place in national history. Hatfield,
better known as odd Hatcher, was
leader in this and in one of their
raids through Kentucky had one of
his eyes shot out, All the original
members of his family possessed large
areas of land, from which they have
realized considerable money.
=
The United States Census Bureau
wants more westerners on it's staff OF
the present time there has been only
a scattering small number OF apph-
cants for clerkships here in Washing
ton from the far western states. The
lack of applicants from the other side
OF the country may seriously embar
rass the Bureau.
When Congress enacted the law
for the taking of the coming census
1t was specifically provided that the
appointments Chat is for clerk.
ships In Washington be appointed
among the states and territories in
accordance with the law OF appor-
tionment. So far, many of the west
ern states and territories are repre-
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