Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-01-15
John SCOFIELD IS
ACCUSED Of TAKING
MONEY FROM LETTERS
Salem High School Student
Arrested With Marked Cur
rency On His Person

John Scofield, a II year old student
of the Salem high school, who has been
acting as assistant messenger for the
Salem post office, was arrested last
night on charge of rObbing the mails.
The young man has been in the en-
ploy of the postoffice here since Sep
tember Of 1915 and recently the post
office authorities suspected that the
boy had h"~ taking small checks and
currency from letters. Last night
Postmaster August Huckestein and AS
sistant Postmaster John Farrar lay in
wait after marking two 81 bills and
taking the serial numbers Of the bills
for reference. the bills were placed in
an envelope addressed to "H. G. Mar
tin, Collecting Agency, Portland" "
Mr.. Huckestein and Mr.. Farrar then
watched the youth from their hiding
place and saw him take the two letters
and one addressed to Secretary Of
State Olcott and enter the lavatory.
The sheriff's office had been noti-
fled and Sheriff Esch was called TO ar.
rest the young man. They found the
two 81 bills on his person when he was
searched and also the letter addressed
to Secretary Olcott which had not been
opened
Sheriff Esch brought tho young man
over to his office and stated today
that the boy made confession in
which he said he had taken six let
ters since he had been working around
the postoffice. Scofield told Sheriff
Esch that the first letter he took was
addressed to Secretary Olcott, shortly
before the Christmas holidays. He said
the letter contained check and that
he was afraid to cash it and he tore it
up and threw it away.
The young man told Sheriff Esca
that he tore open the corners Of the
envelopes and if they contained cur
rency he appropriated them to his own
use and if they contained postal money
orders or checks he dropped them back
into the mail boxes.
The offense with which Scofield is
charged will be handlel in the federal
courts and does not come under any Of
the provisions of the state law which
allows judges to parole from the bench
or to give indeterminate sentences. The
amount of money taken has no bearing
on the case under the federal law and
the sentence for conviction Of an en-.
ployee robbinb the mails is n $500 fine
or tive years in prison or botn. The
federal judge, however, under the com.
mon law rights can suspecd sentence in
minor offenses but no pardOns are is
sued for an offense against the federal
law except by the president Of the
United States.
Young Scofield is the son OF G. +.
Scofield who resides on farm two
miles cast Of Marion. He Is n student
in the Salem high school and sought
employment in the postoffice to aid in
paving his way through scnool. He
passed the civil service examination
last fall and was made assistant mes.
senger during the holiday ruch. The
messenger was not allowed the run Of
the mail room but on account Of the
cold weather which has been prevalent
this winter he mas been allowed to
come inside the mail room where IL Is
warm. He has been making the trains
and doing other special errands as an
assistant TO Messenger Keys.
Some time ago woman made com
Mo-. iat ScOfield had been tamper.
ing with the packages and at that time
he was reprimnnded by Postmaster
Huckestein and IL was thought that he
armed that II was dangerous to
tamnar with tho II q maila