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Show SENSATION IS SPRUNG IN POSTOFFICE . DEPARTMENT BY TYNER'S DISMISSAL Wife Accused cf Abstract-iE?Frcm Abstract-iE?Frcm Office, With His Connivance, Gov- ' ernment Papers. 1 , - "WASHINGTON, April 24 A most sen. national development of the investigation investiga-tion of Postofflce department affairs occurred oc-curred Just before the department . 1 losedVesterday when Postmaster-General , Payne announced the summary -dismissal of James N. Tyner, assistant attorney-general for the Postofflce Department, coupling with the - announcement an-nouncement . the startling charge that Jill the papers and records in the safe of the latter' office had been abstracted by Mrs. Tyner, wife of the 'discharged 'dis-charged official, with the assistance of others. The Postmaster-General states Jhat Mrs. Tyner has refused the de-" de-" "Wnd of the Government for the re-. re-. turn of the papers taken, and said the " circumstances in the case would be fubmitted by him to the Department of Justice tomorrow morning. Other sensational developments are expected. The question of arrests .will be passed on immediately by Attorney-General . Knox. The facts are told tersely in the -tetter of dismissal sent by Postmaster-' Postmaster-' General Payne late Wednesday afternoon after-noon and made public last night. The letter follows: ' Gen. Payne's Letter. ' James I. Tyner, Assistant Attorhey-Oeneral Attorhey-Oeneral for the Postofflce Department. . sir; YOU are hereby removed from the Oface of Assistant Attorney-General for the Postofflce department. I deem It proper to give you the reasons for this Summary action on the part of the department. Early In the month of March I communicated to you, through a mutual friend, a request for your resignation. resig-nation. After a painful interview with "you, and a more painful one with Mrs. Tyner, 1 consented to modify the demand lor your resignation so that It might take effect on May 1, 1903: with the proviso, however, that you were given leave of absence from the time of the acceptance ,of the resignation to the date of its taking tak-ing effect, with- the request that you were - tiot in any way to undertake to discharge the duties of the office. Late yesterday afternoon Mrs. Tyner . came to the oftice of the Assistant Attorney-General for the Postofflce department, entering in the regular way, and went through the main office to the private office, of-fice, closing the door behind her. She then unlocked the door entering from the public hall Into the private room and admitted her sister, Mrs. Barrett, whose son was formerly assistant in your Office, and whose conduct is now under Investigation by the department. She also admitted. In the same manner, G. G. Hammner, an expert in the employ of the M osier Safe company, with whom she had made an arrangement to meet her at the department. At her direction Mr. Hammner Hamm-ner opened the safe in the room and she took therefrom all papers, records and articles of every kind and carried them away with her. Immediately upon learning what had been done I directed the Fourth Assistant " Postmaster-General to send two Inspectors Inspect-ors to your house to demand. In the name of the Postmaster-General, the delivery of any papers, documents, or any material which had been abstracted from the safe. This demand was refused by Mrs. Tyner, and she likewise refused to permit the Inspectors In-spectors to see you or to see and examine the papers in her presence. Mrs. Tyner further stated, to the postofflce Inspectors that she committed thl act with your f knowledge and by your direction. Further : comment on this transaction on my part i is not necessary. The facts in the case will be submitted : to the Attorney-General of the United ! States for such action In the premises as ' he may deem proper. Very respectfullv, 11. C.PAjNE. Postmaster-General. '. Excitement in Department. The affair created great excitement among the investigating officials, but the news was concealed carefully from : the public. Two inspectors were dispatched dis-patched to the Tyner residence to recover re-cover the papers. Mrs. Tyner refused to give them up, saying she was acting under the direction of her husband. She told the inspectors, so they re-ported, re-ported, that they had a right to the pa-pers, pa-pers, as Mr. Tyner was still Assistant Attorney-General, and, moreover, insisted in-sisted that the papers were all of a private pri-vate character. The inspectors reported re-ported that Mrs. Tyner declared the --papers belonged solely to them, and she announced emphatically that she did not propose to have her papers sub- ""rnitted to the. scrutiny of the inspectors. inspec-tors. Other pressure, it Is understood, was brought to bear both on Mr. and ". Mrs. Tyner, but both unequivocally re- fused to deliver the papers or even to H show them. Oet-Eich-Quick Charges. It is believed at the department that . Z, the papers have some connection with - the recent conduct of the office. Sever- al weeks ago a turf Investment con- ' cern, whose affairs were aired in court, alleged that Its working methods had . been sanctioned by the Assistant At- torney-General for the Postofflce de-Z de-Z partment. The charges involving the 2 office of the Assistant Attorney-Gen-Z eral and a lawyer formerly connected with that office were ventilated very I generally at that time, and an lnvestl- - sation was organized by the Postmas-ter-General. This was really the lncep- - tion of the investigation that has Z spread Into every part of the depart- . ment. Z The complaints- crystallized Into a -formal request for Mr. Tynei's reslg-X reslg-X nation, signed by Postmaster-General - Payne, on March 9th last. Mr. Tyner had been in exceedingly bad health for a long time and had visited the office '. at only rare intervals, leaving the office -entirely in charge of his assistant for T. months at a time. He Is suffering from an unusually severe case of paralysis, paral-ysis, and in consideration of this fact the request for his resignation was 'based on his ill-health. "Asks Suspension of Judgment. After Gen. Tyner had received the letter of dismissal from Postmaster-, Postmaster-, General Payne he called Into consultation consulta-tion R. Ross Perry and L. T. Mlchener, Unttorneys of this city, who are Intimate "friends, regarding the matter. These ,'r gentlemen later in the evening made a -statement asking a suspension of Judgement Judg-ement in the case, The papers taken - from the safe, the statement says, are "now In the possession of Gen. Tyner - in the. same condition in which they were when taken from the safe. They are all the private papers of Gen. and " Mrs. Tyner, save one bundle, which re- - late to a matter not at all connected Jwith anything now pending in the De-Z De-Z partment and long since closed. These papers will all be placed at the disposal Xof the proper authorities of the Gov- "eminent. T, Messrs, Perry and Mlchener will go r Expert Dentistry, Moderate Prices. Dr. KIrkwood. 159tt Main street. . 1 to the Department of Justice today and communicate the facts In the case to the officials there, at the same time offering to place at their disposal for examination the papers taken from the I 4 |