Scandal Enveloped Pelham in 1898 as the Postmistress Was Arrested for Embezzlement
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In late 1898, Pelham was abuzz. A beloved resident, local Postmistress Katherine I. Merritt (the sympathetic widow of beloved Pelham resident Charles Merritt) was accused of embezzlement after an audit of her post office accounts revealed a shortage of $747.57. Though Mrs. Merritt readily admitted her transgression, most of Pelham fully supported her. Indeed, as more than one account noted, there was "unbounded sympathy" for Mrs. Merritt despite her misappropriation of government funds. Perhaps most interestingly, she also was allowed to continue working as Postmistress in Pelham. How could this possibly be? Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog details this most unusual story.
Charles and Katherine Merritt
Merritt was a beloved Pelhamville resident known and loved by everyone in the community. He was not only the ticket agent and freight agent at the Pelham Train Station, but he was also the local Postmaster. He had been the local ticket agent and freight agent for 22 years. He had been the local Postmaster for eight years. He also was a volunteer fire fighter (member of the local Liberty Hose Company) and a Mason (Arcana Lodge, No. 256, F. & A.M., Pelham, Huguenot and Hiawatha Lodges). He had been a prominent figure in local and town affairs for many, many years.
Merritt was recently married as well. He was 49 years old, but had married a beautiful woman named Katherine, born in 1871 in New Jersey, who was 25 years his junior. Katherine grew up in Jersey City. She was employed as a stenographer in a Wall street office until 1889 when she married Charles H. Merritt and moved to Pelham.
Charles and Katherine Merritt had a daughter named Vivian who was two years old in 1895. The couple were considered two of the finest and most upstanding citizens of Pelhamville.
Tragedy Happens
During the late afternoon on Saturday, August 3, 1895, Charles H. Merritt was hard at work. As Pelham freight agent for the New Haven line, he was responsible for overseeing the offloading of freight. A little before 4:30 p.m. that day, he released freight that had been stored at the station to Edward Flannigan, a teamster who was responsible for transporting it to its destination, the nearby Wartburg Lutheran Orphan Farm School. Flannigan secured the freight in the rear of his wagon.
In the rear of the wagon were several large pieces of machinery including a massive cider press weighing up to 1,400 pounds. Since the teamster planned to drive his horse-drawn wagon along Second Avenue (where Merritt lived) toward Wartburg, Merritt hopped on the back of the wagon with the equipment for a short ride to be dropped at his home. As the wagon neared Merritt's destination, the unthinkable happened. According to one rather graphic account:
"When near Principal I.C. Hill's residence Mr. Flannigan stopped his team to permit Mr. Merritt to step out. Before Mr. Merritt could balance himself to jump, the horses started up and it is supposed that he grabbed at the press to save himself, and instead pulled it out upon him. He was thrown backward and the press fell on his chest crushing the bones and causing instant death."
All of Pelham was shocked and saddened by the loss of their beloved citizen. All wondered, as well, what would happen to his young widow and their daughter?
Katherine I. Merritt Succeeds Her Husband
The New Haven line considered Charles H. Merritt's death to be in the line of service. Consequently, it promptly offered her the position that had been held by her husband. She accepted and only six days later was working as the line's ticket agent and freight agent in Pelham.
A movement also began in Pelham to have Katherine Merritt named Postmistress to succeed her husband in that position as well. Although it took several months, by January, 1896, Katherine I. Merritt was named Pelham's new Postmistress by United States President Grover Cleveland.
The Second Tragedy: Katherine Discovers Her Deceased Husband's Dark Secrets
Before her husband's death, Katherine I. Merritt had been led to believe that Charles Merritt maintained two substantial bank accounts. Upon his death, however, she determined that there were no such accounts. Her husband seemingly had saved no money.
As she immersed herself in ticketing, freight, postal business, she soon discovered to her horror that the funds were short. Charles H. Merritt had been embezzling from both the New Haven line and from the Post Office. She was able to determine that about $1,700 was missing from the Post Office funds and an additional $1,000 was missing from the New Haven line funds. She was stunned. Then she panicked.
Replacing the Funds to Protect Her Dead Husband's Reputation
Katherine Merritt wanted to preserve her reputation. She wanted to protect her young daughter, Vivian, from the knowledge that her father was a thief. She also wanted to preserve the reputation of her dead husband. Thus, rather than alerting authorities or even contacting the two local Pelhamites who had agreed to serve as the bondsmen to guarantee her fiduciary obligations in her new position as Postmistress, Katherine Merritt set about to replace the missing funds.
First, she sold a small piece of property that she owned. She received about $1,000 for the property and, with that, replaced $1,000 of the missing funds. She used her own pay to replace some of the missing funds. Moreover, she borrowed money from friends, without disclosing the purpose to which she would apply the funds, to make up the remainder of the missing funds. It certainly began to look as though Charles Merritt's dark secrets would go to the grave with his widow, Katherine, preserving his sterling reputation and protecting his daughter from learning that her father was a thief.
Katherine Merritt operated the little Post Office on the first floor of the home in which she, her daughter, and a maid lived on the floor above. She worked nearly around the clock at the three full-time jobs of ticket agent, freight agent, and Postmistress. She received a small salary for her service as station agent, handling ticketing and freight. She used that salary to pay her living expenses. Her position as Postmistress, however, involved only the payment of commissions for such transactions as postal money orders and the sale of postage. She typically received about $60 a month in commission payments as Postmistress. She used these proceeds to paying off her loans.
By 1898, Katherine Merritt was exhausted. The physical demands of her station manager job including the freight work were too much for her. She was only hundreds of dollars away from repaying all the loans and was prepared to try to repay those loans from her Postmistress commissions. She resigned her position as Pelham station manager, foregoing the salary and deciding to rely on her commissions to pay her living expenses and to repay her loans.
Then the bottom fell out of the entire scheme.
Katherine I. Merritt Throws in the Towel
One of the lenders needed his money immediately and pursued Katherine for repayment. Otherwise unable to repay the loan, Katherine Merritt dipped back into the till and used Post Office funds to repay the loan.
Katherine Merritt, however, had exhausted herself. She had had enough. She decided to do what she should have done in the first place. She contacted a Postal Inspector and asked for an examination of her books. Mrs. Merritt was quoted in a news article saying the following:
"When I found that this [repaying one of the loans in full, immediately] was impossible," said Mrs. Merritt, "I realized that I had struggled in vain, and that concealment was no longer possible, so I simply notified the Post Office authorities in New York that I desired an examination to be made of my accounts."
In mid-December, 1898, a Post Office Inspector named Morris examined Katherine Merritt's books and discovered a shortage of $747.57. Mrs. Merritt told her story and sought his mercy, but the Post Office Inspector told her that "he had no alternative but to cause her arrest." On December 27, 1898, Katherine Merritt was arrested and charged with misappropriation of funds. Bail was set at $500 which was promptly arranged. Most importantly, according to several accounts, "One of Mrs. Merritt's bondsmen immediately made the amount [the $747.57 shortage] good, and told her that if she had come to him in the first place he would have given her the money."
Mrs. Merritt returned, for a time, to her duties as Postmistress. Significantly, she had the sympathy of the entire community.
On January 11, 1899, Katherine Merritt appeared in federal court in New York City and pleaded not guilty to the charge of misappropriating Government funds. Her trial was set for Thursday, January 19, 1899.
To date, no record of any such trial has yet been located by this author. Instead, the day of the scheduled trial, according to one newspaper account, rumors began circulating in Pelhamville that Katherine Merritt was "going to resign her position at the postoffice." It appears that shortly thereafter, she did exactly that.
The 1900 United States Census for the City of Mount Vernon, New York (paid subscription required) shows that in June, 1900 -- only seventeen months later -- Katherine Merritt and her daughter, Vivian, were living in the First Ward of the City of Mount Vernon. The pair were living with Mary Merritt Beckwith and her husband, Alonzo Beckwith, a civil engineer. Mary Merritt Beckwith was Katherine's sister. Also living in the same home was Clara Merritt Collins, another of Katherine's sisters. Katherine is not shown as working in the census listing although her daughter, Vivian, is shown as attending school and her sister Clara Merritt Collins is shown as working as a stenographer.
Katherine Merritt, it seems, had lost almost everything. She had lost her husband. She had lost all semblance of saving her husband's reputation. She had lost her position as Pelham Postmistress. She had lost the life she lived in Pelham. Finally, she found herself living with her sisters and a brother-in-law in nearby Mount Vernon.
Map of Pelhamville Published in 1868. Source: Beers, F.W.,
Atlas of New York and Vicinity from Actual Surveys By
and Under the Direction of F.W. Beers, Assisted By A.B.
Prindle & Others, pg. 36 (NY, NY: Beers, Ellis & Soule,
1868) (Detail from Page 36 Map Entitled "Town of New
Rochelle, Westchester Co., N.Y. (With) Pelhamville).
NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.
* * * * *
Below is the text of a host of articles that shed light on the events that are the subject of today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog. Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.
"EXTRA
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STATION AGENT CHARLES H. MERRITT INSTANTLY KILLED.
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A CIDER PRESS FROM WAGON FALLS ON HIM.
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His Life Crushed Out -- Death Instantaneous.
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At 4:30 o'clock Saturday evening, a rumor spread through Pelhamville, that the well-known citizen, Postmaster and station agent Charles H. Merritt had been killed. The report proved all too true. Mr. Merritt had met his death and in a most peculiar manner.
The circumstances leading up to the fatal accident are as follows:
Mr. Merritt had been at the station releasing freight for the Wartburg Farm School, to Edward Flannigan, the teamster, having it in charge. After a load had been made up, and the return to the Wartburg Farm begun, the route being through Second avenue, on which Mr. Merritt lives, he decided to ride to a point near his home. He did not get on the seat but took an easy position on the rear of the truck.
On the truck were several pieces of machinery and a cider press weighing perhaps 1,000 to 1,400 pounds. This great weight undoubtedly gave to the wagon an incline and it is thought the press was not resting securely for this reason. Mr. Merritt, it is supposed took his seat near it.
When near Principal I.C. Hill's residence Mr. Flannigan stopped his team to permit Mr. Merritt to step out. Before Mr. Merritt could balance himself to jump, the horses started up and it is supposed that he grabbed at the press to save himself, and instead pulled it out upon him. He was thrown backward and the press fell on his chest crushing the bones and causing instant death.
Mr. Flannigan brought his team to a standstill and called for assistance. The press was removed from the prostrate man, and a messenger dispatched to this city for a physician. Dr. Robert H. Dinegar was secured and hastened to the scene on a bicycle; but when he arrived could do nothing. Coroner Banning was notified and will hold an inquest Wednesday evening, in the rooms of the Liberty Hose Company.
For a period of twenty-two years, Mr. Merritt had been in the employ of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, as its agent at Pelhamville. He was also tax collector of the Board of Education. At the time of his death, he was a member of Liberty Hose Company; also of Arcana Lodge, No. 256, F. & A.M., Pelham, Huguenot and Hiawatha Lodges. He was for eight years, Postmaster of Pelhamville. At the time of his death, he held the position and for years has been a prominent figure in local and town affairs. He was 49 years of age, had acquired considerable property and leaves a wife and several children.
Funeral Services were held at the Episcopal Church, Pelhamville, Tuesday August 6th at 2 o'clock. The interment was at Woodlawn.--Daily Argus."
Source: EXTRA -- STATION AGENT CHARLES H. MERRITT INSTANTLY KILLED --
A CIDER PRESS FROM WAGON FALLS ON HIM -- His Life Crushed Out -- Death Instantaneous, Mount Vernon Daily Argus, Aug. 5, 1895, Vol. XIII, No. 1,020, p. 1, col. 6. See also Charles H. Merritt Dies, New Rochelle Pioneer [New Rochelle, NY], Aug. 10, 1895, Vol. XXXV, No. 20, p. 8, col. 3 (same text).
"MRS. C. H. MERRITT SUCCEEDS HER HUSBAND.
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PLACED IN CHARGE OF PELHAMVILLE STATION.
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She May Be Appointed Postmistress.
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It was Lord Coke who stated that corporations were soulless, but happily there are ever exceptions, a case in point, Saturday, August 3d, Charles H. Merritt, station agent at Pelhamville, was killed in an accident leaving a wife and child. Almost immediately the New Haven Company tendered to the wife so suddenly bereft of a husband, the position he held, and she has accepted the responsible place. This very considerate action of the New Haven Company, which was also accepted, and Widow Merritt is now in full charge.
Mr. Merritt, the deceased, was also postmaster at the time of his death and a petition is now in circulation asking President Cleveland to retain Mrs. Merritt as Uncle Sam's representative.
This is not the first instance where the N.Y., N.H. & H.R.R. has placed the widows of employees who have been killed in the road's service, beyond want. Mrs. J. H. Hughes, agent at New Rochelle, succeeded her husband, who met death in a railroad accident there about 10 years ago."
Source: MRS. C. H. MERRITT SUCCEEDS HER HUSBAND -- PLACED IN CHARGE OF PELHAMVILLE STATION -- She May Be Appointed Postmistress, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Aug. 9, 1895, p. 1, col. 6.
"Widow Merritt Made Postmistress of Pelhamville.
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Mrs. Katharine Merritt, wife of the late Charles H. Merritt, of Pelhamville, who was killed there accidentally last summer and who, at the time of his death was station agent and postmaster, this week received her commission from President Cleveland to act as postmistress. Her appointment is approved by all patrons of the office."
Source: Widow Merritt Made Postmistress of Pelhamville, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jan. 24, 1896, Vol. XVI, No. 1,165, p. 2, col. 2.
"REPUBLICANS AFTER PELHAM POST OFFICE.
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TWO FACTIONS MAKING A BID FOR IT.
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Sparks and Case Circulate Petition.
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PELHAM, July 23. -- Mrs. Katharine Merritt, widow of the lat Charles W. Merritt, is the present postmistress of this village, having received her appointment from Grover Cleveland.
But now that another administration is in power, Republican politicians are after the salary.
There are two aspirants, John Case and ex-Justice William H. Sparks, a Robertson Republican, the man who knocked in the door of Tarrytown's convention hall, last fall at the time district delegates were to be chosen, on the other hand Case is a Fairchild man, and Congressman Ward, who is substituting in Congress, would not commit political hari kari, by selecting him, and it is more than possible Mrs. Merritt will be retained, although Messrs. Case and Sparks have circulated petitions.
Mrs. Merritt is a woman who is thoroughly respected, and her retention would please a majority of the citizens."
Source: REPUBLICANS AFTER PELHAM POST OFFICE -- TWO FACTIONS MAKING A BID FOR IT -- Sparks and Case Circulate Petition, Mount Vernon Daily Argus, Jul. 23, 1897, Vol. XXII, No. 1,620, p. 1, col. 7.
"For the past three weeks Pelham has been in a fever of excitement. The commotion has been caused by the dropping of the local post-office from the third to the fourth class, and some say the loss of patronage is due to the fact that Pelham is a 'dry' town; but be this as it may, the fact that the office has been taken out of the third and put in the fourth class, opens that office to a possible new occupant, and several zealous citizens are doing their utmost to get there. Mrs. K. J. Merritt was appointed postmistress to take her husband's place, after he was killed in the discharge of his duties, by President Cleveland. By the loss of patronage the office has been reduced and the appointing power now rests with the Assistant Postmaster General. W. H. Sparks, Sr., representing the Robertson faction of Republican politics, and John Case, a friend of ex-Congressman Fairchild, entered the lists against Mrs. Merritt. The citizens of the place, especially the women, favor Mrs. Merritt and for three weeks there has been some big hustling in the old town by the three contestants. The ladies, in their zeal, wrote to the wife of the Assistant Postmaster General and Mrs. McKinley to help their favorite. As a result, word was received yesterday from Washington that Mrs. Merritt would likely be appointed; but this Messrs. Sparks and Case will not admit."
Source: [Untitled], The New Rochelle Press, Jul. 24, 1897, p. 8, col. 2.
"FAIR POSTMISTRESS ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLING
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Took Husband's Place, but Could Not Make Whole Shortage Good.
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Mrs. Katherine I. Merritt, Postmistress at Pelham, N.Y., was arraigned before United States Commissioner Shields to-day on a charge of embezzling money order funds and revenues of the post office to the amount of $747.57. She waived examination and was held in $500 bail to await the action of the Grand Jury.
Miss Merritt was arrested by Deputy United States Marshal Blake, and she was accompanied to this city by her maid servant.
It was explained to Commissioner Shields that Mrs. Merritt's husband, who held the position of postmaster at Pelha, was killed about three years ago. It was found that his accounts were very much involved and that his accounts with the Post Office Department were about $1,700 short. Mrs. Merritt, who was appointed as postmistress, made every effort to settle up.
She sold a small piece of property she owned and borrowed enough money to make good the shortage except about $400. The man from whom she borrowed the money recently made an imperative demand for its return, and in complying with his demand Mrs. Merritt used some of the funds in her possession.
Mrs. Merritt is an attractive looking woan, thirty years old. Her only means of livelihood is her salary as postmistress."
Source: FAIR POSTMISTRESS ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLING -- Took Husband's Place, but Could Not Make Whole Shortage Good, The Evening Telegram [NY, NY], Dec. 17, 1898, 10 O'Clock P.M. Edition, Vol. XXXI, No. 10,289, p. 1, col. 4.
"FOR HUSBAND'S SIN
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Arrest of Mrs. Merritt, Postmistress at Pelham, for Embezzlement, Due to Merritt's Crime.
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DEFAULTER WHEN HE DIED.
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Widow Sold Her Property and Borrowed Money to Make Good His Shortage.
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LENDER DEMANDED LOAN.
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To Repay Him Mrs. Merritt Says She Used Some of the Post Office Funds.
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Mrs. Katherine I. Merritt, Postmistress at Pelham, N.Y., was arraigned before United States Commissioner Shields, in the Federal Building, yesterday, on a charge of embezzling money order funds and revenues of the Post Office to the amount of $747.57. She waived examination and was held in $500 bail to await the action of the Grand Jury. Mrs. Merritt was arrested by Deputy United States Marshal Blake. She was accompanied to this city by her maid.
She explained to United States District Attorney Houghton and Commissioner Shields that Mrs. Merritt's husband, who held the position of Postmaster, freight agent and ticket agent at Pelham, was killed suddenly about three years ago. It was found that his accounts were very much involved, and that his accounts with the Post Office Department were about $1,700 short.
Mrs. Merritt appointed Postmistress, made every effort to settle up these accounts. She sold a small piece of property she owned and borrowed enough money to make good the shortage, all except about $400. The man from whom she borrowed the money recently made an imperative demand for its return, and in complying with his demand Mrs. Merritt used some of the funds in her possession.
Mrs. Merritt is an attractive looking woman, about thirty years old, and lives in the house where the Post Office is established, with her five-year-old daughter and a servant. Her only means of livelihood is her salary as Postmistress."
Source: FOR HUSBAND'S SIN -- Arrest of Mrs. Merritt, Postmistress at Pelham, for Embezzlement, Due to Merritt's Crime -- DEFAULTER WHEN HE DIED -- Widow Sold Her Property and Borrowed Money to Make Good His Shortage -- LENDER DEMANDED LOAN -- To Repay Him Mrs. Merritt Says She Used Some of the Post Office Funds, Dec. 28, 1898, p. 4, col. 4.
"DEAD HUSBAND'S DEFICIT HERS.
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Postmistress at Pelham Arrested on a Charge of Embezzlement.
Mrs. Katherine I. Merritt, Postmistress at Pelham, N.Y., was arraigned before United States Commissioner Shields yesterday on a charge of embezzling money order funds and revenue of the Post Office to the amount of $747.57. She waived examination and was held in $500 bail to await the action of the Federal Grand Jury.
Mrs. Merritt was arrested by Deputy Marshal Blake, and she was accompanied to this city by her maidservant. The maid explained to Assistant United States District Attorney Houghton and Commissioner Shields that Mrs. Merritt's husband, who was Postmaster, freight agent and ticket agent at Pelham, was killed about three years ago. It was found that his accounts with the Post Office Department were about $1,700 short. Mrs. Merritt, who was appointed Postmistress, made every effort to settle up these accounts. She sold a small piece of property she owned and borrowed enough money to make good the shortage, all except about $400. The man from whom she borrowed the money recently made an imperative demand for its return, and Mrs. Merritt used some of the funds in her possession.
Mrs. Merritt is an attractive-looking woman, about thirty years old, and lives in the house where the Post Office is established, with her five-year-old daughter and the maidservant. Her only means of livelihood is her salary as Postmistress."
Source: DEAD HUSBAND'S DEFICIT HERS -- Postmistress at Pelham Arrested on a Charge of Embezzlement, N.Y. Times, Dec. 28, 1898, p. 12, col. 3.
POSTMISTRESS CHARGED WITH THEFT.
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HAS BEEN WORKING HARD TO MAKE UP A SHORTAGE IN HER DEAD HUSBAND'S ACCOUNTS.
Mrs. Katherine I. Merritt, postmistress at Pelham, N.Y., was arraigned before United States Commissioner Shields, in the Federal Building, yesterday, on a charge of embezzling money-order funds and revenues of the postoffice, to the amount of $747.57. She waived examination and was held in $500 bail to await the action of the Grand Jury.
Mrs. Merritt was arrested by Deputy-United States Marshal Blake. She was accompanied to the city by her maid servant. The accused woman explained to Assistant United States District-Attorney Houghton and Commissioner Shields that her husband, who had held the posts of postmaster, freight agent and ticket agent at Pelham, was accidentally killed about three years ago. It was found that his accounts were much involved, and that his accounts with the Postoffice Department were about $1,700 short. She was appointed postmistress, and made every effort to settle up the accounts. She sold a small piece of property she owned and borrowed enough money to make good the shortage, except about $400. The man from whom she borrowed the money, however, recently made an imperative demand for its return, and in complying with it she used some of the postoffice funds in her possession.
Mrs. Merritt is an attractive-looking woman, about thirty years old. She has lived at the post-office with her five-year-old daughter and one servant. Her only means of livelihood has been her salaray as postmistress."
Source: POSTMISTRESS CHARGED WITH THEFT -- HAS BEEN WORKING HARD TO MAKE UP A SHORTAGE IN HER DEAD HUSBAND'S ACCOUNTS, New-York Daily Tribune, Dec. 28, 1898, p. 5, col. 5.
"POSTMISTRESS'S ACCOUNTS SHORT.
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She Says She Vainly Tried to Shield Her Predecessor, Who Was Her Husband.
Mrs. Katherine I. Merritt, Postmistress at Pelham, N.Y., was arraigned before Commissioner Shields in this city yesterday upon a charge of having embezzled $747.57 of Post Office funds. She waived examination and was held for the United States Grand Jury under $500 bail. Mrs. Merritt was appointed Postmistress at Pelham in February, 1896, succeeding her husband, who was Postmaster and railroad station agent and who was killed while handling freight. Mrs. Merritt told the Commissioner yesterday that when she took charge of the Post Office she found a shortage in the accounts between $1,700 and $1,800. By selling some property and borrowing oney she made up $1,200 of the deficit, and was gradually making good the balance when she was stopped temporarily by a peremptory demand made upon her by a man from whom she had borrowed for payment of his claim. A few days ago Post Office Inspector Morris made an inspection of the office and discovered the shortage. Mrs. Merritt told the inspector her story, but after thorough inquiry he found that he had no alternative but to cause her arrest, which was made yesterday morning by Deputy United States Marshal Blake. Bail was furnished for her late yesterday."
Source: POSTMISTRESS'S ACCOUNTS SHORT -- She Says She Vainly Tried to Shield Her Predecessor, Who Was Her Husband, The Sun [NY, NY], Dec. 28, 1898, p. 7, col. 4.
"HONOR HER OFFENCE
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Pelham Residents Praise Mrs. Merritt, Technical Embezzler, to Save Husband's Memory.
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SHE STILL IS POSTMISTRESS.
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She Tells of Her Brave Struggle Made Ineffective by an Importunate Creditor.
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DEBT TO GOVERNMENT PAID.
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Kindly Bondsman, Appreciating the Honesty of Her Intentions, Makes Good the Deficiency.
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Unbounded sympathy is being shown in Pelham for Mrs. Katherine I. Merritt, the postmistress of the village, who was arraigned on Tuesday before United States Commissioner Shields, in the Federal Building, charged with the embezzlement of $747.57 of the Post Office funds in her custody.
Before the Commissioner Mrs. Merritt frankly admitted the charge, and made the simple statement that she had taken the money for the purpose of discharging a debt which she had contracted in order to protect the good name of her husband, who had died a defaulter. She had hoped to replace the money, but had found herself unable to do so. She thereupon was released on nominal bail. That she has not forfeited the confidence of the Post Office Department is shown by the fact that she is still in charge of the office.
When I called yesterday afternoon at the little Post Office at Pelham I was received by Mrs. Merritt, who is an exceedingly comely young woman, tall and of graceful figure, with honest brown eyes and unaffected manner. On the floor above the Post Office she occupied a tiny suite of rooms with her little daughter, Vivian, a pretty child of five, and a servant. Her story, as she told it to me, in the intervals of attending to her duties in the office, was a most pathetic narration of what a brave woman, unaided and unadvised, had endured in defense of her husband's memory.
WAS MUCH HER SENIOR.
Mrs. Merritt lived, as a girl, in Jersey City, and was employed as a stenographer in a Wall street office until six years ago, when she married Charles H. Merritt, who for twenty years was Postmaster and station agent at Pelham, and was her senior by twenty-five years. Merritt was killed three years ago by the fall of a piece of heavy machinery, hardly a stone's throw from his home. As his widow was conversant with his duties as station agent she was at once appointed to take his place, and she continued to discharge the duties of postmaster until, on the recommendation of friends, she was officially appointed to fill the vacancy. Two business men of Pelham became her bondsmen in the sum of $5,000 each.
She had scarcely entered on her new duties when she made the discovery that her husband's accounts in the Post Office were $1,700 short, and that he was a defaulter to the New Haven Railroad Company to the extent of upward of $1,000 more. Her first impulse was to resign both positions and made a full admission of her discoveries. Then she thought of the disgrace that would rest on the memory of her husband, and for the sake of her little Vivian she determined to make a desperate effort to defend his good name.
If she could only raise some money, she thought that with the income of both her offices she could, by close self-sacrifice, pay it all back. She had a little property of her own, and this she sold at a sacrifice, receiving about $1,000. The rest of the money she managed to borrow, and within two weeks after her husband's death every cent that he owed had been paid. The Post Office, which is of the commission class, paid about $60 a month, and this she devoted to paying off her loans, depending for her support on her little salary as station agent.
RESIGNED ONE OFFICE.
She had paid back all except a few hundred dollars, and soon would have paid the rest had she not found that her strength was unequal to the task of performing the work of both offices, and she was compelled to resign the position of station agent.
Then trouble came in the shape of an urgent demand from one of her creditors that his loan should be repaid. The man would not wait, and it seemed too hard that after all she had endured she must at last be forced to reveal the secret of her husband's wrongdoing. Then it was that she paid her creditor out of the government funds in her possession, hoping that she could replace them in some way.
'When I found that this was impossible,' said Mrs. Merritt, 'I realized that I had struggled in vain, and that concealment was no longer possible, so I simply notified the Post Office authorities in New York that I desired an examination to be made of my accounts. This examination was made two weeks ago, and yesterday I went before Commissioner Shields and told him my story. I was treated with the utmost consideration by him and the District Attorney, Mr. Houghton. I was not placed under arrest, and I was permitted to return here and continue my duties as postmistress after I had given a small bond to insure my appearance before the Commissioner on January 11.
WOULD HAVE ADVANCED MONEY.
'Afterward I regretted the course I had taken, for one of my bondsmen propmptly made good my deficiency, and has most kindly assured me that if I had come to him in the first place he would have gladly advanced me the necessary sum. The government has lost nothing, and I hope that the authorities will take into consideration the painful conditions under which I was placed, and will permit me to retain my position.
'I have received nothing but sympathy from my neighbors in Pelham, for which I cannot too deeply express my gratitude.'
Mrs. Merritt also told me that at the time of her husband's death she had reason to believe that he had accounts in two banks, but that the bank books had never been found.
Many residents of Pelham with whom I talked told me that Mrs. Merritt had the warmest sympathy of the whole community."
Source: HONOR HER OFFENCE -- Pelham Residents Praise Mrs. Merritt, Technical Embezzler, to Save Husband's Memory -- SHE STILL IS POSTMISTRESS -- She Tells of Her Brave Struggle Made Ineffective by an Importunate Creditor -- DEBT TO GOVERNMENT PAID -- Kindly Bondsman, Appreciating the Honesty of Her Intentions, Makes Good the Deficiency, N.Y. Herald, Dec. 29, 1898, p. 7, col. 6.
"SHIELDED HUSBAND, NOW IN TROUBLE.
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MRS. MERRITT'S VERY UNCOMFORTABLE PREDICAMENT.
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Her Neighbors Still Stand By Her.
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Mrs. Katherine I. Merritt, Postmistress of Pelham, was arraigned Tuesday before United States Commissioner Shields in the Federal Building, New York, charged with the embezzlement of $747.57 of Postoffice funds in her custody.
Mrs. Merritt frankly admitted the charge, and made the simple statement that she had taken the money for the purpose of discharging a debt which she had contracted in order to protect the good name of her husband.
She expected to replace the money but was unable to do so. She was then released on bail.
That Mrs. Merritt has not forfeited the confidence of the Postoffice Department, is evidenced by the fact that she is still in charge of the office.
Mrs. Merritt succeeded her husband, Charles H. Merritt, when the latter was killed about three years ago by a piece of heavy machinery falling upon him.
Charles H. Merritt had been station agent for the New Haven road and Postmaster for more than twenty years. When Mrs. Merritt took charge of the Postoffice in Pelham, she discovered that her husband was short in his accounts with the New Haven road more than $1,000 and with the Postoffice Department nearly $1,700.
She first thought of resigning both offices, but for the sake of her child, decided to borrow the money, square the account of her deceased husband, and then pay back the money borrowed. When one of her creditors demanded his money, and Mrs. Merritt found it impossible to meet the demand, she simply notified the postoffice department to examine her accounts, which was done, and the shortage discovered.
One of Mrs. Merritt's bondsmen immediately made the amount good, and told her that if she had come to him in the first place he would have given her the money.
Mrs. Merritt continues her duties as postmistress, and she has the sympathy of the entire community."
Source: SHIELDED HUSBAND, NOW IN TROUBLE -- MRS. MERRITT'S VERY UNCOMFORTABLE PREDICAMENT -- Her Neighbors Still Stand By Her, Mount Vernon Daily Argus, Dec. 29, 1898, Vol. XXVII, No. 2,062, p. 1, col. 3.
"P. O. FUNDS SHORT.
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Postmistress Merritt of Pelham Arrested. -- Says Deceased Husband to Blame.
Mrs. Katherine I. Merritt, postmistress at Pelham, was arraigned before Commissioner shields in New York, Tuesday, upon a charge of having embezzled $747.57 of Post Office funds. She waived examination and was held for the United States Grand Jury under $500 bail. Mrs. Merritt was appointed postmistress at Pelham in February, 1896, succeeding her husband, who was postmaster and railroad station agent and who was killed while handling freight. Mrs. Merritt told the Commissioner that when she took charge of the post office she found a shortage in the accounts of between $1,700 and $1,800. By selling some property and borrowing money, she made up $1,200 of the deficit and was gradually making good the balance when she was stopped temporarily by a peremptory demand made upon her by a man, from whom she had borrowed for payment of his claim. A few days ago, Post Office inspector Morris made an inspection of the office, and discovered the shortage. Mrs. Merritt told the inspector her story, but after thorough inquiry, he found that he had no alternative but to cause her arrest, which was made Tuesday morning by Deputy United States Marshal Blake. Bail was furnished for her late in the afternoon."
Source: P. O. FUNDS SHORT -- Postmistress Merritt of Pelham Arrested. -- Says Deceased Husband to Blame, Mount Vernon News, Dec. 29, 1898, p. 8, col. 2.
"POSTMISTRESS RETURNS TO DUTY.
Mrs. Kathrine I. Merritt, the postmistress of Pelham, who was arraigned on Tuesday before United States Commissioiner Shields charged with the embezzlement of $747.57, has been discharged from custody and is again at the office attending to her duties. There is much sympathy for Mrs. Merritt in the village, because of the manner in which the shortage was incurred. When arraigned Mrs. Merritt frankly admitted the charge, but said that she had taken the money to discharge a debt which she had contracted to protect the good name of her husband, the late Charles H. Merritt, formerly station agent and postmaster at Pelham. She had intended to return the money, but had found herself unable to do so. Mrs. Merritt mortgaged her property and paid all of her husband's debts except a few, when the shortage occurred. Henry Iden, representing the bondsmen, has given surety for Mrs. Merritt's appearance before the Commissioner on January 11."
Source: POSTMISTRESS RETURNS TO DUTY, New-York Daily Tribune, Dec. 30, 1898, p. 12, col. 1.
"GOVERNMENT INSPECTORS FIND A SHORTAGE IN PELHAM POST-OFFICE.
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In an effort to conceal the shame of her dead husband and protect the good name of herself and little daughter, Mrs. Catherine Merritt, the Postmistress of the village of Pelham became a technical defaulter.
The Government, however, has not lost a single penny, and Mrs. Merritt still retains the confidence of the Administration as well as her position.
Six years ago the young woman, then a stenographer in a Wall street office, married Charles H. Merritt, who held the dual position of Station Agent and Postmaster at Pelham. Three years ago he was accidentally killed.
His wife, who supposed he had accounts in two banks, was unable to find any trace of such deposits.
Worse still, when, through the influence of friends, she had succeeded to her husband's place, she discovered that he was short in his Government accounts, and also those of the railroad.
To conceal these shortaages Mrs. Merritt sacrificed some property she owned and paid the amount due to the railroad. With borrowed money and her commissions as postmistress she had managed to make good the bulk of the post-office indebtedness, and might have liquidated the entire amount without any one being the wiser, but for two unfortunate occurrences.
Worriment and consequent ill-health compelled her to resign as station agent and lose one salary. Then one of her creditors insisted upon the immediate return of his loan. Hoping to replace it, the struggling young widow used some of the Government money on hand.
Finally, disheartened and broken down in health and spirit, able no longer, on her meagre earnings, to conceal the real facts, she applied for an examination of her books.
They showed a shortage of $747.57, which she made no attempt to deny.
Her story won sympathy even from her bondsmen, who made good the deficiency, and mildly reproved her for not coming to them first.
Commissioner Shields fixed a nominal sum in bail for her reappearance onb January 17th."
Source: GOVERNMENT INSPECTORS FIND A SHORTAGE IN PELHAM POST-OFFICE, The New Rochelle Pioneer, Dec. 31, 1898, p. 4, col. 2.
"PELHAM POSTMISTRESS ACCUSED.
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Arraigned in United States Criminal Court for Being Short in Her Accounts.
At the opening of the January term of the criminal branch of the United States Circuit Court yesterday, half a dozen Italians pleaded not guilty to indictments charging them with having passed counterfeit money, and about as many more persons denied charges that they had stolen from the mails. Among the latter was Katharine I. Merritt, Postmistress at Pelham, N.Y., whose accounts, it is alleged, were found to be $747.57 short. She took charge of the office upon the death of her husband, about three years ago. He had been Postmaster at Pelham under several administrations, and it is stated in behalf of Mrs. Merritt that when she succeeded him she found a shortage in the Post Office accounts of $1,700. She sold property and borrowed money in order to make good the deficit, and had reduced it to $747.57 when the inspection which revealed the shortage was made. She pleaded not guilty to the charge of misappropriating Government funds, and her trial was set for Thursday next.
The cases of a number of accused persons who are at large under bail have been passed from term to term for several months in order that persons in jail might be brought to trial. Assistant United States District Attorney Baldwin said yesterday that he hoped to so clear the calendar as to be able to try some of the bail cases. He would begin, he said, with that of John Reedy, former Postmaster and Western Union Telegraph operator at Pocantico Hills, N.Y., who is accused of having aided and abetted the operations of green goods men.
The Grand Jury was empanelled yesterday, with Charles H. Webb, a dry goods merchant, of 342 Broadway, as foreman."
Source: PELHAM POSTMISTRESS ACCUSED -- Arraigned in United States Criminal Court for Being Short in Her Accounts, The Sun [NY, NY], Jan. 12, 1899, p. 7, col. 3.
"There are rumors around that the Postmistress Mrs. K. I. Merritt is going to resign her position at the postoffice."
Source: [Untitled], Mount Vernon Daily Argus, Jan. 19, 1899, Vol. XXVIII, No. 2,083, p. 1, col. 5.
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Labels: 1895, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, Accident, Charles H. Merritt, Katherine I. Merritt, New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company, Pelham Post Office, Pelham Train Station, Pelhamville Depot, Vivian Merritt
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