The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-09-30
FORMER ASST. POST
MASTER UNDER ARREST
Elbert r. Spence in Trouble With Government
Over FOOLS Effort to Help His
Son Get Job

Elbert X. Spence, former
assistant postmaster at Eliz-
abeth City was placed under
arrest here this week and
bound over to the October term
.of the |. ). Court in Elizabeth
CITY. which convcncs on Mon
.dav, Oct. 10th.
The indictment charges that
Spence. who was Secretary of the
Local Beard of L. =. Civil Service
Examiners did on Sept. Is. 1926
"unlawfully. wilfully. feloniouSly
AMI Corruptly furnish special and
secret information for the purpose
uf improving the prospects and
chances of his son Charles l..
Spence in passing Il L. :. Civil Serv-
lee Examination for the position of
Clerk-carrirr ut the Elizabeth City
post office. Charles l.. Spence is
indicted with his father in connec-
tion with the same count.
The indictment against til e
Spcncc>. father and son waS return
ed by the grand jury ut the April
1927 term of the L. =. Court in this
city. hut no papers We're served in
the case until this week and the
matter had been kept quiet.
The case against Spence is an
unusual one. Elhert Spence WAS re-
garded aS the most efficient and
most accommodating employees of the
Elizabeth City post office. He be-
gan is Il clerk-carrier many years
ago and had worked up To the posi-
tiUn of assistant postmaster with Il
salary of S2.1OO Il year He would
have been eligible for retirement
and pension in due course.
But he had IN expensive family
and i'm his zeal Ia find employment
for one cf his SONS he furnished
him information la enable him to
pass an examination for clerk-car-
rier.
But some one believed to have
been Postmaster j. A. Hooper him
self. got on tu what Elhert Spence
had done aud communicated the
fact nf his suspicious to Washing
ton. \ secret service man came IN
Elizabeth City and called upon
young Charles Spence. He asked
him numerous questions to which
Young Spence could not make
answer. The questions. he asked
were the questions which young
Spence had appeared to have salts
factorily answered in his cxamina-
tion for the clerk-carrier job.
Elhert Spence was questioned by
the inspector. He admitted that he
had fixed" the examination papers
for his son. My family is II great
expense tr me: nave just married
Il second time: the boy has been Il
urnhlpm for mo: 7 wanted to help
him -pt 10 work and be $c!f-Support-
iny." he said without equivncation
nr Stalling.
EIbert Spence WAS getting $2.IOo
= wear at the post Office He LOST
his ich and WAS disqualified for IN"
ncrSion that would have been his III
later years.
The facts were laid hef'r" the
Federal grand jury last April
There has been no haste upon the
part of the government in arreStinS
him. The SympathicS of many
cnurt officials a< well a$ the public
are with him. Elbert Spence was
never n bad man: he WAS Jr'St II
ba:d-workimg weakling struggling
tp carry l1I-t idiiiii' "'' i''N'
the fool late in life.
Elbprt Spence comes from one "i
tho oldest and most honorable fami-
lies i'm the town. His aged father
before him. Frank Spence. WAS lor
Years one of the most faithful anu
efficient employees of the Eilzahe'h
civ post office. For months the
nublic has missed Elhert Spence III
the post office. Things haven
cone ON so we'll since Elbert spence
lost his job. He WAS the fastest anu
most accurate distributor of mails
this post office ever had. He knew
his job 80 much better than the
postmaster knew his that there III"
those who say that POSTMASTER
Hooper waS Jealous of the efflciehr!
and popularity of his subordinate
! Friends Of Spence are sure that
Uooper caused his apprehension.