The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-03-05

The Forgery Case.

Many of our readers hereabouts are
familiar with the case of the white
man r. W. Hammond, alias J. c.
Parker, who forged tie name of Crow
& Marston to a check which he got
cashed at the Citizens Bank last De-
cember. The forgery was soon de-
tected and Hammond was overtaken
and arrested at Dabney. His case
came up for trial at the term CT
court just closed. The case being
called and it appearing to the Court
that defendant was insolvent, and it
being also suggested that he was insane
and had been in that condition ever
since the war, the Court requested Mr..
w. r. Henry to conduct his defense.
After long trial the jury found the
defendant guilty. Mr.. Henry then
moved in arrest of judgment, because
| of fatal defect in the bill of indict-
ment. The Solicitor appealed to the
Supreme Court. The Judge said from
| the bench that he was satisfied, from
certain letters which Mr.. Henry had
| received from prominent gentlemen in
| Virginia, that the defendant was in
sane, that the jury was not to blame,
! however, because the letters could not
| be introduced in evidence.
The following morning Mr.. Henry
| announced that he thought it best to
| withdraw his motion in arrest and let
the defendant go the penitentiary and
then he could 90 before the directors OF
the penitentiary and have him trans
| ferred to the asylum should he see fit
to do so in the future.
Some persons having doubted the
genuineness of the letter purporting to be
from DR.. Churchill J. Gibson, ofPeters-
burg. Va, thinking that Mr.. Henry
might have been imposed upon and not
knowing that the letter was in response
to telegram from him, Mr.. Henry
had the Doctor to send another letter
under Notorial seal. The following
is the letter
PETERSBURG, VA, Feb. %, '9l
W. r. HENRY. ESQ,
| Dear iSir:-I have known Richard
w. Hammond more than thirty years.
In the spring Of 1861 he became COM
municant of Grace church, of which I
am Rector He was volunteer in the
regiment of Col. Everard Field, of Viz
ginia troops, and during the war had a
fall from the railroad cars while in mo-
ton, striking his head and remaining
insensible for some hours. He was
sent to a hospital and, [ think, re-
moved from active service. Previous
to this his conduct had been very cor
rect. but after his recovery he devel-
oped a habit of kleptomania, which
caused him to be imprisoned in the
.iails Of Norfolk. Richmond, Petersburg
Baltimore and other places. He was
brought before Judge Geo. l.. Christian
| of Richmond, on one occasion, the
Hon. Geo. Wise being the Common
| "Oiltu . AAtUo1i ttui oil liiO oooll-
mony of the Rev. DR.. Keppler and my
self in the presence of an Intelligent
| fury, he was sent to the Eastern luna
tic asylum whence he was most iniu-
diciously released by a physician who
was uninformed ABOUT such cases.
Hammond has periodical returns Of
nervous restlessness and brain excite
ment which shows itself in acts of theft
and forgery and from which he seems
at the time to be too childish to make
efforts to escape. He is fit subject
for lunatic asylum and ought to be
kept in constant employment anc
under the eye of a kind and watchful
officer. If he is set at large he will
certainly do the same thing again.
| CHURCHILL J. GIBSON,
Rector Of Grace Church,
| Petersburg, Va.