Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-21
WILLIAMS WAS SHEAR.
MORE ABOUT A FORMER LOS ANGE-
LES RASCAL.
The Man Who Stole Mrs. Catching e
Money Turns Out to Be q NOtori-
GUS Convict-The Bid ellis
Knew Him.

The bold operations OF the matrimo-
NAL shark and confidence operator
Charles H. Williams. who, in the spring
of 1888, won the affections OF Mrs.
Catching of Los Angeles, married her
and then ran away with $4,000 which she
had saved. attracted the attention Of
George Bidwell, who is lecturing in San
Francisco about his experience as con-
Wet in England, says the Examiner.
When it was intimated that the Austria
liam butcher Deeming was really Will
Jams, Bidwell read the accounts of the
frauds perpetrated by Williams and
learned all that he could about the ap-
pearance OF the man and his habits,
and at last recognizedin him a notorious
ex-convict, who has left a trail of Grim
inality in all his movements since he
was liberated from Sing Sing peniten-
tiarv in 1884.
Bidwell first knew Williams under the
name of Shear. man who gave that
name having called at the Bidwell home
in Hartford, Ct., early in 1889. Shear
asked for sympathy and assistance, and
was urgent in his request to be given
shelter and something to do. He had,
he said, been long convict at Sing Sing
for a forgery on the Park bank of New
York, and mad since his release been
repeatedly thrown out of employment
when recognized as an ex-convict and
having the story told to his employers.
Shear showed considerable polish and
general knowledge. He was an excel
lent penman and a good talker, and
claimed to be "sick of crooked work"
81 want you to help me up in the
world" he said to Bidwell, and go i'm
pressed that sympathizer that Shear
was given place under the Bidwell
roof and permitted to eat at the family
table. Mrs. Bidwell was not told about
Shears history, and soon came to be-
lieve in him as an unfortunate and
worthy man.
Bidwel tried him in many ways and
found him very capable, SO that it was
not surprising that when, two months
| after Shears application for help, Mrs.
Bidwell urged her husband to give him
regular employment, the request was
needed and the man put on a regular
footing as clerk for his benefactor.
Shears clothes were shabby, and as
an advance in a salary way, he was fitted
out with new and good clothing, includ-
ing everything necessary to enable him
to appear we'll. Shear was good clerk
for time, and the Bidwells considered
themselves fortunate in having him,
until one day he was handed several
checks and requested to have them
cashed, and with the proceeds buy a
money order to be sent to England to a
sister of George Bidwell. who was in
that country laboring to secure the
liberation of her brother, Austin Bid
we'll, then undergoing imprisonment for
forgery.
Next day George BidweN ascertained
that the checks had been cashed and
that his clerk had levanted with the
money.
1t did not seem possible that any man
could be so ck-hearted as to deprive
the sister in England of what was essen
tial to her support in strange land,
but Shear had baseness sufficient for the
deed.
Warden Brush OF Sing Sing reported
that Shear, alias Williams and a half
dozen other names, had been confined
there.
Bidwells search for Shear developed
the fact that that worthy had wife
living in Johnsbury, VT, but that he
had married at least three other women
and run away after getting what money
they had. When last heard OF by Bid
well, Shear, alias Williams, was in Kan
sas city, intending to 60 west. Then all
trace of him was lost until the recent
intimation that the man Williams who
swindled Los Angeles might be Deeming
of Australian infamy.