The San Francisco call., 1895-12-02
Charles Radford's Plea for Help
to the Secretary of the
Navy.
KILLED a LEADING BANKER.
The Accused Wrote to General War.
field That the Killing Was in
Self.DefenSe.

Charles Radford. an ex-Confederate
officer and a prominent citizen of the
South killed the leading banker of Cali,
Colombo, recently, and is in jail at that
place. His chance of escaping the death
penalty is thought to be very slender.
although he asserts that he killed the
banker in self-defense. News of the ira
gedy published in yesterdays CALL now
brings out many interesting facts in Mr..
Radfords career, which lead to the belief
that the imprisoned American and Mr..
Herbert, the Secretary of the United States
Navy, are close friends.
On March q last, General R. H. War
field, coming by train from Los Angeles,
met an ex-Confederate officer in the smok-
ing compartment OF the car. This officer,
who gave his name as Charles Radford,
talked freely of his career. He seemed to
be under the influence of liquor, and in
fact. before he reached San Francisco he
said TO General Warfield: General, | am
a stranger in San Francisco, and as | have
been imbibing too much, l want to go to
your hotel, where you can take care of
me-
General Warfeld said, 'All right, come
along; we will look out for you"
~
train General Warfield noticed that Rad
ford declined to allow the hotel runner to
take his valise. Nothing was said of this.
but Warfield was a little surprised when
Radford requested the valise to be put in
the hotel safe.
Radford registered as "Chares Radford.
Virginia" He seemed to have plenty of
money and spent 1t freely. In one of his
excursions about the City sharpers feeced
him of $3.50. Then General Warfield called
him into the office and said: Here, Rad
ford, this won't do. | am not a banker
now, but a hotel keeper. You must take
this money out of the safe and deposit it
in bank. will go with you and see it
properly deposited.
Accordingly Warheld and Radford
went to the bank and the money, which
amounted to large sum, but not so much
as $4,000, as stated in yesterdays CALL,
was placed on deposit.
Some little time had elapsed, when Rad
ford said he was going to Central America
and would draw the money out of the bank
and take it with him.
General Warfeld asked, "Are you going
to take it in your valise aboard the
Steamer?'
Radford replied in the affirmative, and
Warlield then said, Bradford, am not
your guardian nor q relative of yours, but
| tell you that you must not do anything
of the kind. You come with me to the
bank and buy London exchange with that
money. You take the first drafts and l
will hold the second, or duplicates.
Radford assented to this, bought the
drafts and sailed away. Subsequently he
gave a few thousand dollars to a trusted
agent to buy cattle and horses for his place
in Colombo.
General Warfeld heard nothing more of
Radford until early in last month, when
he received a letter wherein Radford stated
that he had killed the German banker, the
leading citizen of Cali, and that the killing
was in self-defense. He said in the letter
that he didn't know that the letter would
reach Warfield, but that a man had
sacredly promised to see it mailed. He
spoke of his imprisonment in Jail and the
belief that he would be put to death He
wrote also that his property had been con-
fiscated and his London drafts of $1,000
each taken away from him. He implored
General Warfield and the president of the
bank here in San Francisco to secure the
money if possible for his wife and chill
dren. and to telegraph at once to his friend
Secretary Herbert at Washington, of his
arrest and peril.
The banker at once cabled to London to
stop payment of the drafts. A long mes
sage, reciting all the facts contained in the
letter, was telegraphed to Secretary Her
bert. General Warfeld also telegraphed
to United States naval officer in Cen
trail Am erican port of Radford' s peril, and
asked him to look after the American.
cattle was reached by telegraph at Panama
and advised to sell the stock for Radfords
benefit.
General Warfield is confident that Rad
ford gave his true name, and the fact that
Secretary OF the Navy Herbert was re-