Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-10-19
Charge OF Obtainfpg Money from
Governments Employees Under False

Governments Employees CDder False
In the Police Court Judge Smelly Saturday
Afternoon lest, the case OF the United States
against j. W. Moody and Arthur W. Hart,
charged with obtaining money by false pre-
tences, came up for a hearing. The circum-
stances OF the arrest of these parties by De-
tectives hCpevitt, Miller and COOmes, some
four weeks sgo, and their arraigument on the
this city, by procuring the endorsement OF a
ftdeTSI Official residing in st. Louis, named
JobD ". Long, by fraud, have heretofore been
given in these columns. At that time the par
tee were srraigned and pleaded not guilty, but
the hearing had TO he postponed from time to
time on account of the absence of Mr.. Long,
and on Saturday the case came up from q
former continuation. District Attorney Fisher
appeared On the part Of the government and
MessTs Hine and Tustin for defendants
Mr.. Fisher stated that he had expected on
this occasion tn have bad Mr.. Lorg here. He
had been summoned, and in addition, an order
bad been sent him from the Secretary of the
Treasury, and a response had been received
from him stating that sickness would prevent
asked further pOstponement of the case until
Ne xt Tbursday. In the meantime he asked
tbat defendants be srraigned on two new war
rants, charging them with obtaining $40 from
Walter Van DYKE, district attorney at San
Francisco California, sDd $40 from w W
Murray, United States attorney at Memphis,
Tennessee.
The defendants were about to be srra.gned
when Mr.. Hine asked that the former charge he
dismissed, the accused now having been in Gus
tOdy about month ana nothing having been
found against them.
After some discussion between the counsel
the court refused 20 grant the request, remark.
ing mat the government must have a reason.
able time TO procure witnesses, and If defend
ants were not satisfied their remedy was in A
writ of habeas corpus.
The defendants were then arraigned and
Counsel for the prosecution here made A
brief recital Of what the government expected
10 prove, previous to which the witnesses, on
motion OF Dir. Hine, were requested to retire
INTO another room. Judge Fisher related how
Il had been discovered by the head of the signal
bureau and by the chief clerk of the Attorney
GeDerafs office, Mr.. A. j. Falls, tn at these Off
ces bad been made the medium by which
frauGs had been perpetrated upon unsuspecting
snbordinates in various parts of the country.
sent from the chief clerk Of t hs'e A ttSn
ney Generals Office had been discovered
IN which IT was set forth that Congress-
having failed to make the necessary appropria-
ton to pay the expense of publishing new
compilation and digest of the decisions OF the
Attorney General, together with rules and in
sunctons for the guidance of district attorneys;
that the Attorney General himself, at lis ON
expense, had caused the publication of sufTi-
cient number to supply the attorneys, and had
assessed the expense, pro rata, upon the several
districts, and requested in each case a remit
lance OF $40, on receipt OF which the work
would be forwarded, sc. These circulars were
signed ..JOhn Il. HolliDgate, chief clerk" or
named Hollingate connected with the office
and 10 such books had ever been published a.
described. Numerous responses had been made,
addressed, as the circular requested Ito box No
80, Washington post Office, containing money
and post-of1ice orders. Some of the persons re-
eeiVing them, being sharper than others, wrote
the genuineness Of the circular, whereby the
fraud had been detected and means taken 10
arrest the OriginatOrs and benefciaries of it, he
then rehesrsed the means employed by the Gov
n fr1y nrTfr Hcr
laid before the court copies of the circu III which
had been returned by the district attorneys
with the renittances asked for. These were all
addressed 10 "JOhn L. HOlIingate box No. o.
f1oB which box they we're given to the detec-
tives.
Mr.. A. J. Falls, chief clerk of the Department
Of Justice, was the first witness, and fully cor
Toborated what is above stated, and that he
employed Detectives McDevitt. COOmes, and
Miller to aid in arresting the guilty ones, re-
sultiDg IN the arrest of Moody and Hart.
IhORGS Murphy, a young sporting man, testi-
fis q that he had met NOodg and Hars AT 3 5an-
ping house CT 14th street frequently, that
Moody bad asked him to 20 70 the post office.
box No. 80, and get some letters which CON
tanned money belonging to defendants, but that
be refused to have anything to do with it, as
he suspected there was something wrong about
it. TIE reason he thought 50 was that he h al
seen NcDevitt, and sometimes Miller watcbi1l
about the post office, and lie knew that they
were not there for nothing. Moody then re-
quested him to get the cOlOred man who Eait,
OF INC sambiiHB muse 10 20 Tor Tue letters, but
lie declined 70 do so. Moody had also asked
him II lie knew NcDevitt and Miller or C0ones
and what kind OF chaps they were, &c. which
aroused his suspicious that they were not right.
his witness here underwent a scathing cross
examination by Mr.. Hine, during which the
weak points Of witness was severely tested. ana
the lights and shades OF his sOm6uhat chsck-
cred life shown up.
Hr. W. Fl. Earle, an engraver EMPLOYED In
the Treasury department, was introduced as Az
expert u writing, and a due bill gwen TO Mr..
Eberly y Hart, together with the manuscript
circulars before mentioned, handed to him
which he proceeded to exam ne critic ally after
which he gave it as Lis opinion that tLey we're
both written By one and the same hand.
The hearing occupied some two hours.
Judge Fisher claimed that sUffici LrOof
had been adduced To warrant further lnTestl-
Cation by the Criminal Court, when further
evidence would be presented, and asked that de-
Iendant be held for action of the grand jury.
After considerable discussion bet tween the
counsel the court decided to held them both as
and fixed the bonds At 81 900 each il
each case, making So 900 for each of them.
They were both re-cOmmitted, being unable
70 give the bail required.