Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-03-12
SAYS HE Is GUILTY
A Young Man Robbed His
Dancing Partner.
he IS A YALE GRADUATE
Webster B Hall, Of Brooklyn, Passed q
Phillip D. Armour

While a Guest at q Hotel He Stole 9
Diamond Pin From a Fellow BOardel
AT a Reception I'm Princeton, Although
He was Not Invited, DespOiled q YOuns
Lady OF Her Jewels, and Then Pawned
Them.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, March 12.-Webster
B. Hall, young graduate of Yale Uni.
versity, has been arrested on a charge
theft at the Hotel St. George, in this
. city. The story of the young prisoner Q
crime and the circumstances that led to
his detection aud arrest are most inter-
esting.
About a month ago Hall, who is a
handsome, stalwart young fellow, about
70 years of age, engaged suit of rooms
for his mother and himself at the St.
George. He appeared to have no en-
ployment, but dressed very well and
seemed to have plenty of money. To his
Fellow guests in the hotel he described
himself as a journalist, and said that he
expected to get an appointment on the
editorial staff of New York paper
About three weeks ago valuable scarf
pin, fashioned In the form Of a fly, set
with diamonds, was stolen from the
room of W. V. Nissan, jr., directly OPP
posite the apartments of Mr.. Hall. The
police were notified, but at the time no
suspicion attached to young Hall, who
was foremost in condoling with Mr..
Nissan on his loss.
On Feb. ~ the young man turned up
at Princeton, N. J., where he attended a
reception given by one of the most prom
iHent citizens of the town, which was
largely attended by undergraduates of
the university, among whom Hall had
many acQuaintanoes. Among the young
ladies present was Miss McElvaine, who
had met Hall in Brooklyn, and with
whom lie danced frequently during the
evening. After the entertainment Miss
McElvaine found that she had lost q
number Of valuable ornaments, consist
ing of q blue enamled locket, a gold
watch, diamond lace pin and a chate-
laine chain with a ball pendant. Some
of these articles had been left in the
tcldAk room, while others had either been
tlvst In dancing or stolen from her
person.
@Ihe discovery was the cause of the ut
most CONSERVATION among the guests,
and of great annoyance to the lady in
whvse house the entertainment was
given. 1t was remembered that Hall
had danced repeatedly with Miss Nell
vaine, and no one thought of suspecting
him until the discovery was made that
his name YVES not ON the last of invited
guests Then an inquiry was set on foot
and it was learned that a young man
answering to Halls description had put
up that night at the principal hotel in
Princeton, where he had passed himself
as Philip D. Armour, the son of the
Chicago millionaire, who was invited to
the reception, but was unable to attend.
EAobably the discovery would never have
been made had not the hotel proprietor
been struck by the remarkable fact that
the wealthy mir. Armour had left
without settling his bill Hall had, of
course, passed at the reception under his
own name, and steps were at once taken
to secure his arrest.
John NJ. Knox, a New York lawyer,
living at 104 Willow street, this city,
who was a guest at the reception, called
at the Hotel St. George and discovered
that Hall was still living there.
Even then proof sufficient to warrant
the arrest of the suspect was lacking,
and in all probability he might have es-
capped had he not, for some inexplicable
reason, himself furnished the proof of
his guilt. On Wednesday, the day after
Mr.. Knox's visit Of inquiry, young Hall
went to the Office of the hotel and handed
to the clerk blue enamel locket which
ne said Ae had picked up in the parlor,
remarktnE: cts a good thing that this
wasn't found by soma dishonest person
who would have kept it."
Nh. Knox was at once sent for and
identified the locket as the property of
Miss MoElvaine, and, in response to
dispatch to Princeton the mayor issued q
warrant for Halls arrest. The wal rant
was then given to Capt. Campbell,
who arrested Hall at the hotel on an
other warrant issued by Justice Walsh
of this city.
The young man WAS at first disposed
to be defiant, but when pawn tickets
representing the watch and cbatelaine
were found on his person he broke down
and confessed not only that he had
robbed his partner in the dance,
but that he had entered Mr.. Kis-
SANS room and stolen his diamond pin.
The stolen lace pin was found in his
room, with pawn tickets for the rest OF
the property, with the exception OF two
articles, which he declared he had
lost
What induced him to to steal he could
not say neither could he explain the
restitution of the locket which led to his
arrest.
Mrs Hall was overwhelmed with dis
tress over the disgrace of her son, whose
previous career appears to have been
most exemplary. The unfortunate
young man was looked up in the Adams
street station, and will be held to await
extradition proceedings by tue New Jer-
sey authorities.