National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-09-11
treasury BOND ROBBERY.
ESCAPE OF MOORE AND WILLIAMS
At PHILADELPHIA.

1T PH{LADRLPHIA.
ANExTRAoRDINARY AFFAlR-A TRANS.
ACTION THAT NEEDS EXPLANATION
THE CRIMINALS OBTAIN EASY RELEASE
FROM THE PRISON VAE-AN INVEsTIGA-
TION ORDERED.
James K Moore and E. o. Williams, who stole
sasoOoO in drafts from the United States Treas
Gry, were permitted to escape from custody by the
Philadelphia Oficials on Wednesday last. The
full details Of the mysterious escape, and 9 hts
toryO the unlawful doings Of the escaped cal
prits Is published by the Philadelphia Evening
Telegraph Of yesterday, from which we take the
following:
An affair, which in its details is both myster-
lous and extraordinary, has taken place IN the
vicinity OF the court house, resulting in the es-
cape Of two criminals who had obtained celebrity
for the wholesale way in which they committed
rObberies and forged signatures.
These two men, lodged in Moyamensilg prison,
where a detaineT from Buffalo would have held
them, even If the charges preferred By persons
in this city had not, were allowed TO make their
exit in a van, under the charge Of q Quarter
Sessions tipstave. and somehow or other, in the
vicinity OF the courthouse, and in q manner that
is shrOnded in the prOfoundest mystery, are al
lowed to escape. The particulars OF
THIS EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR
are as follows: In January last two men, named
James K. Moore and Z. o. Williams, stole from
the Treasury Department at Washington $4,000
This robbery created great sensation, and Of
course an official investigation, during the con-
posing Of their plumber wherever they could.
They went to New York, passing many Of the Sc
curities and obtaining pretty large sums Of money
which they as rapidly went through. New York
soon became
TOO HOT FOR THEM,
and they migrated to Philadelphia, where they
made victim Of MI. LaVens, liquor dealer,
doing business at 207 South Front street. Mr.. La
vens was acquainted with Mr.. Williams, and when
that gentleman produced Government draft for
81 1887, and said that his companion was the per-
son to whom the DRAFT was payable, Mr.. LaTens
credited the statement.
The payee was in peeuniary fix, and wanted
to negotiate the sale Of the dratt, which was
finally accomplished by Mr.. Lavens handing over
$500 in cash and due bill for the balance and re-
ceiving the draft with what he supposed was q
genuine Endorsement to him on the back. This
Enforcement in few days he found out was
forged. ~ .-. ~,
forgers
RETURNED TO NEW YORK,
where they were soon arrested by q Government
detective one at the Fifth Avenue hotel and the
other at place Of resort, and were, under guard,
escorted to Washington to await trial.
Mr.. LayeDs, hearing Of their arrest, employed
General McCandless to work up his case, and q
reQusition was sent to Washington for them, in
order that they might be held to answer for their
crime here If by any hocus-pOcus they escaped
being imprisoned there. About the 18th Of March
last the authority this requisitIon was asserted
and they were brought 10 Philadelphia and
lodged in prison, and on the 18th Of that month
were
BROUGHT INTO COURT.
In our local intelligence Of that day appeared
the following:
into court E. A. Williams and James X. Moore,
and assigned them seats in the dock. They had
originally been arrested in New York on the
charge Of having stolen from the United States
Tran Washington. Treasury
amounting TO $4,000.
''They we're arraigned in Washington, but their
trial there was continued until April %. Mean
while a requistion was sent on for them to secure
their presence here to be tried upon q charge of
forging the name at James NJ. Wayne to an inter-
nal revenue warrant, numbered 6,792 for Sl.12S97,
upon which they obtained from John Layens the
sum Of $500. No day has yet been fixed for their
trial"
The defendants at once retained James H Hev-
erin, ESQ.,, and he made an application for q con-
tinuance of the case, which was granted. Bonds
them, when detainer from the authorities Of
Buffalo, N. Y, (Where the defendants had pinched
a gentleman for s1,5OO,) reached here, and of
course it acted against the bail, and they were
The case was continued from time to time, it
being next to impossible almost for Gen. McCand-
less TO obtain his witnesses. A few days prior to
the 18th of July, on which day they would have
been freed from Mr.. LaVens' charges under the
'twO-term rule" Gen. McCandless announced
that he would in q day or so have all his wit
nesses, perhaps the day before, perhaps the day
after, the two terms expired, and Mr.. Heverin
waived for few days the benefits that might &C
erue from that rule, in order that the case might
come to trial.
There was another motion for q continuance,
which acted against the discharge of the defend
ants, and the case remained in StdtT quo for some
time, the men being still in prison.
THE DENoUEMENT.
Mr.. Heverin left the city on the 18th of August,
and learned during his absanee that an effort
was being made to compromise the matter
On SATURDAY. last he returned to the CITY. and
went over into the courthouse where he met one
Of the tipstaves, Mr.. Waterhouse, and Mr.. Heye-
rim is our authority for what followed
Mr.. Waterhouse said: "Wen, your fellows got
of; they are all right"
ayes; we brought them up and then let them
out. don't think It was right, however; they
should not have been discharged"
1t then dawned on Mr.. Heverin's mind that the
''iellOws" meant Moore and Williams, who could
not legally have been discharged from prison,
even by the expiration Of the "tWo-term rule"
because the detainer from Buffalo would have
held them, and that detainer is still on file.
Mr.. HeVerin then commenced an investigation,
and ascertained that on Friday morning last
AN APPLICATION FOR DISCHARGE
was made by young lawyer, under the two-term
rule. and that the discharge, under that rule Of
the defendants, was ordered, so far as it related
TO the case Of Mr.. Lavens pending against them.
1t was known, however, that when this dis
charge was presented to the prison authorities
they would not release the defendants because of
the Buffalo detainer; and should the defendants
be brought into court they would not be liberated
there either, because notice of that detainer was
there on file. The order for their discharge was
on the Indictment in Mr.. LaYens' case, which is
presented below, and none other This being the
condition Of affairs, Mr.. Heverin was astOnished
when he learned Of the liberation Of the men, and
he forthwith instituted an inquiry, which re-
suited in the discovery that the men had not been
discharged in prison, nor in court, but had been
LIBERATED FROM THE VAN
in the vicinity of the courthouse. Mr.. Heverfn
asserts that the order Of discharge was not pre-
scented at the prison, for then the prisoner would
have been still held under the detainer, and no
tice would have been sent on to Buffalo to dis
patch officers to to Ike the men in custody.
1t was necessary then to bring the prisoners
from MOyamensing upon the usual order, as if
for trial, and while in transit to get them of.
This, it is alleged, has been done. The men are
free, and tomorrow, in the Quarter Sessions, an
investigation will be Instituted to see who are
the culpable parties to this escape.
The affair has been kept very quiet. Mr..
of the court: at is wrong to let these men OF
this way. What If the reporters get hold Of it!
There will be an awful time"
There are many r1mors about the affair, and
among the people at court 1t is the sensation of
the day. Report has gone SO far as to declare
that detective was paid q 900 to get the men
the investigation tomorrow.
The men could not have been legally dis
charged in view Of the detainer againstthe they
were not liberated from prison; they were not set
free in court, but got out Of the van and walked
of. Now, who is to blame?
Mr.. Heverin declares that the men were dis
charged from the van by Mr.. Waterhouse, who
brought them up from prison on the van, at the
instance Of Hugh Eisenhower, special officer,
and at that time Waterhouse is said to have re-
mOnstrated against the act.
INVESTIGATION POSTPONED.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1O.-The investigation
into the release of the two forgers from the prison
van was postponed, on account Of the counsel for
the prosecution being absent from the city.
AUCTION SALES TODAY.