The U.S. Supreme Court case Evans v. United States in 1893 revolved around the interpretation of a federal law that prohibited anyone from knowingly accepting or receiving any property stolen from a post office. The defendant, Mr. Evans, was charged with receiving and concealing letters stolen from a mail bag by an unknown person who had broken into the post office at night when it was closed to the public. Evans argued that he could not be convicted under this statute because it only applied to those who received stolen property directly from postal employees or contractors involved in stealing while performing their duties - not third parties like himself who were unconnected to the postal service. However, the Supreme Court disagreed with his interpretation of this law and upheld his conviction. They ruled that Congress intended for this statute to cover all instances where someone knowingly receives or conceals mail matter knowing it has been stolen – regardless if they are connected with the Postal Service or not.

In the dissenting opinion for Evans v. United States, Justice Brewer argued that the majority's interpretation of the law was too broad and could potentially criminalize innocent actions. He contended that accepting a gratuity after performing an official act should not be considered bribery unless there is evidence to suggest a corrupt intent or agreement at the time when the official act was performed. According to him, if an officer accepts something of value after executing his duty without any prior understanding or agreement, it cannot be deemed as illegal under existing laws against bribery. Therefore, he disagreed with convicting Evans based on such grounds because there wasn't sufficient proof indicating any corrupt deal between him and those who gave him money post completion of his duties.