The New York herald., 1878-10-31
esq and EIGHTY
An Adroit Swindle Charged Upon an
Ex-0ficer Of the Army.
COLONEL PoTTERs LAND TRADE.
Acquitted Of Arson and Accused oi
Forgery and Perjury.

Colonel Henry l. Potter. a man with a history do
cidedy out oil the common, who is OF perjury
IN Essex county, N. j., ana OF forgery In Union
county, was held TO bail in Newark, last evening. by
Judge David A. Depue, upon the charge OF perjury.
Colonel Potter 10 q middleaged man, OF fine appear
ancs and suave manners, and carries himself with a
decidedly military air. He has a ane. intellectual
acc and head ana bears all the outward appsarance
Of polished, welI-brad man Of the world. His wife
70 handsome woman, q native OF South America an
sf Spanish extraction Their residence 10 AT Linden,
sh,ldren, and In their neighborhood figured amsng
the bon ton Of the place.
ARMY ousroH HOUSE.
Il is reliably stated that the Colonel made . Ono
record Tor himself in the army during the late civil
war. He served In Hooker's brigade with great
yaliantPy, having been wounded three times in the
wrist and arm and twice in leg. besides having
had two horses shot from under ham. Hs also
served under General Hancock. Upon the close OF
the war he procured an appointmsnt ~ inspector
In the New York Custom House, and held for eleven
years. until overtaksn by troubles which will pres
emily receive attention.
rho Colonel purchased property In Union county
Inis72 traded this property for inner ons-a val
liable iarm worth $780, 900. The trade was made with
Mr.. Aipheus Gibbon, now Mayor OF Railway. Potter
gave for this properly his real estate worth $14 00O
and mortgage on the other property for $16, 0O0
In 1873 the Colonsrs residence burned aown.
Tue insurance people, upon an investigation Of the
mstter, made up their that the place had beon
destroyed by inconaiarism. They suspected Potter
ANA refused - pay the premium. ts7
AsNs al ARRESTED FOR ARSON. tsl.. .f
Then Colonel roter's rouoic began. He was ar
rested on u charge Of arson, indicted by the Grand
jury and tried a. Elizabeth, tho lastt ny many
days and creating considerable scnsatIon because
Of iho high figure the Colonel and his vile had cut in
Union county socicty. Tho case was tried before u
'struck jury" ono wilness testified ih.. he saw
Ing barn. Another Icslincd that when the Grs was
put out some powder was found lying the do
brA Alter zen minutes delluerstion tns jury re-
turned verdict Of acQuitta. Tns insurance men
pAid the losses amounting about S., 600 Ih,s
money was paid 70 Mr. GoDoa on the principal OF the
mortgage aud with other lunds paid reduced 1t 70
$9.SUu r.lN HMrts
CHARGES OF soRGExY AND PKRJUsY
Ono evening duriug The year 1875 Ioionci Potter
claims, he and MS con visited Mayor Gibbon paid
1910. principal and Interest," on the mortgage, eav
v,st OF Coionei Potter bit that no rscelvod
more than $500, Instead OF 81, 300 Mr.. GiDbon then
brought tho matter before the Vice Chancellor
ceedngs 10 iorecose Tue mortgage. Upon the sxami-
nation Of the before Vice chancellor Van Eioet,
IN Newark, the bond was shown, and surs enough II
Received from u. L. Potter hundred dol
lars
Gibbon denied that Pottsr's son was present He
nus pen aud ink and wrote the above receipt IN
La Gpbon ~ presence, and that alter writing aud
latter returned " TO Potter
~ pat tine amount IN hgures at the button he sgned
roceipt as he supposed, tor $780, Potter prod uced
the receipi, anu itfead 800 10 words aud 1gures
Inc bond has no hgures.
A CLEVER THEORY. fa
IL was not Tor several weeks aiterward that Gbbon
found, ~ 10 said, that ths bond Endorsed with
IS $40 pad. ihe theory oi h,s cou nse--but Gibbon
couIu not tostfy positively -is that Poller, when he
nrsi wrote the receipt the bona, wroLs Reccived
iion H. l. Potter, E.q, three hundred dollars" bat
that, When asked to pace ths figures bottom he
dextorously changed the 'sEsq +" INTO "Eghty.n
Potters counsel secuted such theory, and SAID
he Was Incapable oil committing the lndelicacy, in
Tue arst place, of wr,ting ESQ after his
But al sxperi testineu that thcTe had been adj
AiIiou such was suggested ny Gibbons counsel
Inc Wee Cnaucsor gave judgment against Potter 10
ihs, effect that only $500 was paid--Ihs interest
merely. The receipt On The bond does not say
word about intsrssL or principal IL should
be said tnat that on The trial Mrs Potter
testified that she gave her husband $1,000 Just
before he pnd tho amount claimed. His sou
testified that no saw the money PAID. rho Colonel
reliable witnesses 20 testify tnat they saw that
amount oil money III his possession ABOUT the time
stated Upon the showing OF facts before the Vice
Cnapcsor Potter WAS indicted for forgery 10 Union
county aud for perjury IN Essex. As tue burden
OF proof these GRIN nuf suits upon thc Slate
tno Of the IN tho before tho
Vice Inancsuor--ii cen readily DC seen tho
Involves some very delicate points oil law and lacI
ADMITTED TO BAIL
Last evening upun writ oi habeas corpus Colonel
PutLer Drvugnt from ths Essex County JAIL here
he has been lor several weeks before ua.e Depuc,
who admitted him 10 bail in the sum oil $l,uOQ
Colonel Potters bondsmon beng Colonel Charles n.
Houxnton. Collector vi Customs Perrin Amboy, nd
Mr.. Joseph Martin, oil Railway. 4fM #HiT tlas