Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-20
NORvEI.L m JAN.
He Talks About His Cass win . 0ear Re
porter.

porter.
DON'T ANow wnY HE TOOK rHx MONEY. AS BI
DIDN'T NEED IT Al ALL-pIp NOT COME BAcx
TO SURRENDER HIMSELF AND WAS SURPRISED
AT THE EVIDENCE THE eovERNMESr HAD.
The case of Willard s. Norveil, the young
man who was arrested yesterday on a charge
Of larceny from the United States Treasury, is
still very much of mystery. He is now in the
Jail awaiting his sentence, which is to be pro-
nounced upon him tomorrow in the Criminal
Court, and as the next batch Of prisoners for
the Albany peniteutisry viii be forwarded
from the Jail Monday night or Tuesday he will
probably be with them and will be an inmate
OF that institution in a very few days, thus
making one OF the quickest criminal trans
actions ever known in the District
Norvell has persistently refused to see per-
sons until this morning when he consented to
talk to a reporter of The STAR. who called at
the Jail for that purpose. He had been given a
cell in the third tier on the south side. not far
from the one occupied by d. Shepard White.
and when word was taken to him that the
reporter was waiting in the rotunda he
descended and was admitted TO the open space
between the cages
He was quite placid and bore himself braveiy
under the ordeal. Taking d seat with the ,e-
porter on one Of the benches at the west side
OF the rotunda he said that while he was willing
to talk for publication ne must first he given a
chance to see the statement of his case that APP
peared Iii NE STAR OF last eFening. Tor be did
not want to go ovs- any grourd that might
have been already covered
copy OF the paper was procured from one
of the prisoners ou the Police Court side and
FOR quarter Of an hour Norveli buried him
self behind its pages, occasionally marking a
~sCra tg-t la-a ...atl
dressed III brown suit of fal! clothes his col
lar ANA cuffs were neat, his tie orderly, and
he showed nc signs of having passed his first
night in Jail. He wore his hat during the in
teiview and was quite composed except at one
point where he referred to bis family.
When he had read the article over a couple
OF times and had satisfied himself as to it's state
nents be said that there was little to add TO it,
as 1t seemed to have covered ali the facts in the
case. There were few points, however, that
that should be corrected These he pointed
out.
WHAT MONEY HF RETURNED
He first said that he wished it known that he
had turned over to the Treasury Department
every cent he had in the world, amounting to
S3I6.S4, and had thus made restitution as far
as he was able. Next he called attention to the
fact that the notes that had been given to him
TO count and arrange had not remained IN his
charge during the three weeks between his
theft of the $500 and the discovery of the loss
but were locked up in the We ult where his pack
ages were contained. He was still responsible
for them, however, and no one else had access
to them.
He asserted that the officials of the depart
ment deserved no credit whatever for his ar
rest. for if il had not been for his mother Mr.
Rogers would have been unable to secure the
least evidence against him.
There was one paragraph that he did not I'M
derstand and that was in relation to a haze"
about his mothers story to the department
She would have told the matter fully under any
circumstances, he said. and her delay was solely
due 70 her struggle with her feelings. Then
again he asserted that he did not leave Detroit
earlier than he intended, but left Tuesday
evening at six. and as far as he knew no agent
OF the treasury had ever called at his aunt's
residence. Ii one called it was after he left
and he had shirked his duty and evaded his in
structions.
He wished to deny the statement that he was
engaged to be married to the daughter of a
clergyman in this city. He went on to saw
that 1t might have been understood, as the
article said, that this was true but it was not
true in fact. Beyond those particulars. he
said, there were no errors in the article, and
he did not know what to say further.
WHY HE TOOK THE MONEY.
tfYou know that don't talk very readily
he said. land if You want to learn anything
more You will have to ask questions. / shall
try to answer them plainly. L. there anything
that You want to knowE'
eyes," said the reporter. 'There is one thing
that very many folks want to know, and until
they do know 1t they will guess all sorts of
things about you and none of them compli-
mentary. Why did you take the money!"
Norvell's hand shook trife as he raised it to
push his hat back on his forehead. and he said:
Il really don't know why l did it. / don't
know what to say. did not want the money
didn't owe any money, and / had no use for
did it, Perhaps it was a temptation that could
moi resist. The money was there and l could
take it, and did. guess that that is about all
l can say about it.
But you must have known that you would
be caught?" suggested the reporter
"No, and l don't know nov that there was
any need for me to have been caught. Let me
say right here that did not come back to sur
render myself. l came back because l thought
IL was safe to do So There was no need for my
capture. and should not have been taken had
it not been for my foolishness about the
money"
But you surely knew that they suspected
your
FOOL ABOUT THE MONEY.
"Yes. because / had been discharged for that
reason, but it wa, not on the day you said last
night. 1t was not until the Thursday after the
day the loss was discovered. That was a lapse
of two days. l. was sure that they could get
nothing against me- and thought that if
could get away from the city and stay awhile l
conld come back and it would be all right.
really put myself in their power by
being fool about the money. You
see, had put the bills in the old dress
ing case in the store room. and while
was out Of the house they-the family-hcd
rummaged around the room to arrange it. We
had not been in the house very long and were
making ready fog the winter. l felt little
uneasy about the money and made that re-
mark about the razor in order TO throw them
of the scent when l went up into the store
room to see if it was safe. The bills were safe
enough but was a fool not to take them away
from there then. Had done SO l would not
be here now
Il should have taken the money away and
hidden it somewhere else or perhaps destroyed
it. Then l would have been perfectly safe.
But left it there and when 1 came home that
night they had found 1t and could not get out
OF telling them about it. They put it in mothers
bed room and some one was there all the time
until Sunday, when got a chance to get it,
They discovered its loss of course, and when
they asked me about it told them that it was
whore they would not find it. l assured them
that they could not get il unless they used per-
sonal force, and knew they would not do any
thing OF that kind.
WENT TO DETROIT.
"Thep later told them that was going to
Detroit wanted to get away from the city.
and thought that perhaps might be able to