The evening times., 1896-01-10
FLIGH-kIMaDEI NAN
Abraham Wight Robbed His En-
pl0ysI and His Wife.
LEFT,HIs FAMILY DESTITUTE
He Was Sub-Contractors j. NJ.
Dunn sands Took $3.50 Given Him
TO Pay; workmen-He Also Took
All the Money HIS wife Had-He Did
Not Drink or~Guinble.

Abraham Wight, of No. ga Third street
northeast, has left the city with $3.50 his
employer gave him to pay the workmen
underiliH, and deserted a wife and twelve
momths-old babe, leaving them to take care
| OF themselves as best they may.
| When James NJ. Dunn the contractor, OF
No. 1924 Fifth street northwest, some
| months ago took a contract TO erect row
| of half "A dozen brick houses on L street
| northeast, between North Capitol and First
streets. he let OUT the contract for the plas-
tering TO Mr.. Wight and a ma na med White.
Everybody that knew anything about it
said that the sIL- contractors took the job It
| remarkably low figures, and even Mr.. Dunn
himself is said to have thought he got the
work very cheap.
The plasterng was almost completed, and
| the pIisterers had their wagesf ortwo weeks
yet to draw! On last Saturday morning
Mir. Dunn gave Wight check on his bank
for $3.50. The money was intended 10
pay hgplastererS. .-...
HIS LAST APPEARANCE.
Wight went home TO change his clothes SO
as to riake'a better appearance in the dis
| tribulion OF the money. After he had donned
his best Sunday attire he told his wire at
the front door that he Was, going to see a
Mr.. Sands, a feliow-contra ctor, and that he
would be back. That WAS AT O'Clock on
Saturday morning, and that is the last re-
corded appearance OF the plastcrer.
. The piasterers among whom the money
was TO be divided We're ieanwhile waiting
in front of the row of brick houses on l.
street 10 receive their respective wages
for the two weeks that they had worked.
When darkness began TO settle down and
Wight and the $3.50 had not yet put I'm an
pearanct.tlie worknfeu gre W wapprehensivc
and repaired to WiEhts house. Their fears
swelled like d gas-ihflated balloon when
they-called Mr.. Dunn and learned that
he had given Wight check for the mems
wages in fun.
When a Times reporter called at No. ga
Third street he found a comely woman Of
about two and twenty. with bright baby
boy in her arms. She is Mrs. Wight and her
eyes We're still red with continued weeping.
and a haggard expression OF worry was
settling down over her handsome features.
TOOK HIS w1FE'S MONEY.
Il have not heard a word from my hus-
band since he left me in the best OF spirits
about II O'Clock Saturday, said she. Il
haven't The slightest idea of where he
has gone. He took all the money we had
in the house, n little over $50, together
with What he look from Mr.. Dunn, or from
the pla asterers, for do not know which the
money really beleagcd TO- The baby was
sick at the time, and l was most afraid
he would die on Saturday night. III any
thing ha d happened would not have known
how 10 reach his papa.
What ma kes Mr.. Wright's disa ppearance
so peculiar TO me is the fact that he was
what you might call a model man. He did
not drink or ambIc and was alwaysat home
at night. We havtbeen married about four
years and lived in Washing ton all the time.
He came from Staunton and came from
Fairfax, Va. l am going back home TO my
parents tomorrow.
Il do not think my husband has dealt
foully with himself. The only surmise that
/ can offer for his conduct is that he took
his contract for too little money, as he said
it would tax every cent we had IN the house
to pay out, and that he left with all the
money"
Mr. Dunn, thecontractor, refu used to discuss
the subject at any length. While admitting
that he had paid TO one Of his sub-c"ntrac-
tors $3.50 that had not reached the work
men, he refused to tell the name of the
contractor or tell where he was at work.
'fwas very much surprised in the man.
said he. He came TO me with the best OF
recommendations, and / am sure il is his
first offense. He was strictly temperance
man: in fact, believe he was leader in
temperance work. i will never hire an
other, and after this will look for the man
who drinks little / believe they can lie
depended on more than Others
Neither Mr.. Dunn nor any of the workmen
would say whether Wight will be prose-
cuted in case he returns to the city.
'.''HF .--- 60 -