The Washington times., 1895-03-11
BLOOD MONEY IN Win
Mrs. Fosters Alliance With Her
Sons Slayer of No Avail.
PROSECUTION WILL GO ON
No Statement Made by Her or Request to
the District Attorney to Drop the Case
Has ANY Weight With Him-Has No
Doubt She Was Bribed- Grand Jury to
Inquire Into the Affair at Once.

When the mother of Reuben Foster went
carriage riding on Friday afternoon with
George A Gray, the brother-inlaw Of the
man who shot her son, and returned from
that ride with a quantity of liquor and a
roll ofgreenbacks, she was obliged to render
an equivalent for every thing that she re-
ceiyed
The family Of Adwin W. Green and John
A. Moss, the Anacostia lawyer, who has
identified himself with the Green interests,
did not entertain old Mrs. Foster solely out
OF sympathy for her bereavement, but the
whole episode from beginning TO end was
a conspiracy to get the woman to drop all
interest in the prosecution of the policeman,
and 10 identify herself with the opposing
faction.
Alarmed by the decided attitude taken by
leading colored citizens, and well aware
that searching investigation would result
in his Indictment for manslaughter, Green
and his friends grasped at the last hope left
to them and persuaded the dead mans
mother 10 sign document prepared by them
for District Attorney Birney, in which it
was stated that she was sure that the shoot
ing of her son was accidental, and in which
She asked the prosecuting officer to discon-
tinue all proceedings against Adwin W.
Green.
Piled HER WITH LIQUOR.
Filled with liquor until she was almost
irresponsible, and with the promise of
money to buy more held out to her, the
wretched woman was the willing dupe of
her companions.
Not only did she sign the statement at the
instigation of Gray and Moss, but she and
Mrs. 1alialero waited in the hack while
the lawyer and Green's brother in-law
entered the office of District Attorney Bir-
ney and presented him with the document.
Not only among the colored people, who
have as a unit risen up TO demand the in
dictment of Green, but throughout all
Washington, The Times exclusive expos
ure of this nefaTious transaction was read
yesterday with intense interest.
The statement made last night oy District
Attorney Birney that Gray and Moss
brought TO him Mrs. Fosters signed renun-
citation of her sons interests, places the
ndisputable seal OF truth on The Times
announcement yesterday that Mrs. Foster
was paid for her sons life.
MR.. BIRNEY DISREGARDS IT.
When seen at his residence at 10 O'Clock
last night and made familiar with the
transaction, Mr. Birney not only told
about the Foster document, but said that
he had no doubt whatever but that the
woman might have been bribed to sign
ii. He said that the paper would have no
weight whatever with him, as Mrs. Foster
was not a witness to the shooting, and
therefore that any statement from her in
relation thereto was utterly immaterial.
He also said that having carefully in
yestigated the testimony given before
the coroneT's jury, he believed that Green
should not have been eXOnerated.
He stated, moreover, that he had re-
ceived from the committee of colored men,
organized TO urge Green's prosecution, a
fun list Of the witnesses of the tragedy, and
that these witnesses would be summoned
to-day to appear before the grand jury,
where the entire matter would have. so
far as he was concerned, a thorough and
impartial investigation.
There is an interesting bit of history
in connection with this list of witnesses,
which was narrated at a private meeting
of Col. CaTson's committee on Thursday
last
FOUND IN A WASTE BASKET.
This was to the effect that the list OF
witnesses now in the District attorneys
hands, who VIII appear before the grand
jury to-day, was left at the police station
in Anacostia, where the citizen who
delivered ii afterwards found it Teposing
in a waste basket.
Attention was called by him to the matter
butthe names ofthe v illnesses were notcalled
during the progress of the inquest.
To-day, however, the District attorney
promises 10 see to it that every witness OF
the tragedy shall relate to the grand jury
his version of the shooting near Douglass
Hall.
MI Birney said last night that he did not
deem it in the least probable that Green
would endeavor to escape.