The herald., 1896-12-23
STRONG EVIDENCE OF GUILT
Additional Particulars of Young
Affords Forgery Scheme
A FONDNESS FOR DIAMONDS
The Aggregate Sum OF Paper Found
Amounts to S7Sz5
A FONDNESS FOR DIAMONDS
He Makes Damaging Admissions to- the
Detectives-Seen in His Cell, but
Will Not Talk


The arrest of Allen l.. Afford, cap
tured in front of the Nadeau hotel Mon
day afternoon by Detectives Auble and
Hawley upon charge of forgery, full
account of which was exclusively pub
lished in The Herald yesterday morning,
caused something of a sensation when
the matter became public. and was the
general topic of conversation about the
hotel lobbies all day. That he should
have been able to impose upon such
shrewd business men as Wesley Clark,
the bank officials and others is not re-
markable when it is considered that his
father Gen. George f. Afford, is we'll and
favorably known to many persons in
this city, who We're formerly residents
of Dallas, Tex, where the general is
one of the most respected citizens.
Few additional particulars came to
light yesterday, although the detectives
ascertained that Afford had fully i'm
proved his time after the depositlng Of
the forged $1,000 draft in the First Ma
tional bank, in drawing checks against
it and securing as much cash as possible
with which to decamp. He had evidently
carefully arranged his plans before COM
ing to the city. His first move was to
telegraph himself. care of the Nadeau
hotel, from San Francisco, the message
awaiting his arrival. He also mailed
himself a letter to the same address, in
closing the $500 draft, which he de-
stroyed when arrested. Both letter and
telegram We're used in impressing the
hotel people and others with his honesty.
The telegram called him to the bedside
1t, lab l,.nt 1ar.
Wash. and was used to give him an ex-
cuse for leaving town Immediately. The
$1,000 draft was removed from the dunn
my letter in the presence of Mr.. Clark
and gave Afford certain prestige in a
financial sense, paving the way for the
presentation of the $1,000 draft later on
When he suspected that he was about
TO be arrested in the hotel, Afford took
from his pocket the letter containing the
$1,000 draft and another for $3.50, tearing
them to fragments before the eyes or the
detectives, and dropping the pieces into
a cuspidor. Owing 10 the fact that the
officers had promised Mr.. Chase, the
proprietor, not to arrest the fellow in
the hotel, they stood by and watched
him tear up the letter, only to return ana
secure the fragments as soon as AFFORD
had been landed in Jail.
All the pieces have now peen nltso
together, making two complete drafts,
and they will be used as eNioence
against him. Besides these drafts there
were found in his valise others fuiiy
made out and signed, of date ana
amount as follows: December lst Sooo;
December I'd, $500; December Isl, soVo'
December Sd, $500; December ISL, sl'1.
yAll were of the same character. ora"i
70 he order of A. l.. Afford, and purport-
;o,. +o have been issued and signed by
r. s Hubbard. cashier of the Trades
mems National bank, DreXel building
philadelphia, on the American EX'
change National bank of New YORK.
Along with the drafts already niisu
ont were five others in which only tne
amounts had been punched in the cor
rer by a perforating machine Two el
them were for s1OJ apiece, the othsf
three for 1925 $500 and S20oo, respec-
lively. There were also eleven plaihs
which had not been touched, put WHrIu
all bore the heading of the same pahk.
Wben questioned by the detectives a
IN ,u,;r.e he got the blank drafts Alior,
said they had been found by frieHi
of his in Spokane Falls, who f,,ked MN
whether they were of any use ara linaiis
gave them to him. He admitted haHlias
done the perforatiEg OF INC nun ,,n al
himself hut when asked whether he nlu
,lnt also write them declined to answer
as was natural. a:.
After a time he did, however. ADMIT
that he had written the dummy rev.
and sent the bogus message TO hilnsei.,
hut there he ended and would say 10
,,,o-a In his pocket was found a memo
rand,1n which contained the numpets
and amounts of all the drafts Ire had
ready for passing, footing up so290, Or
with the amounts punched on p!anN
drafts a total of s7S25. 1t is thought "
the officers that Afford has been opera
;n,- all along the coast. as he is known
70 have stopped at Spokane. Portland
ard San Francisco. Letters have al
ready been sent to these places making
inquiry as to whether Afford passed any
bogus paper while there.
When arrested he had s94 in cash on
his person, all that remained out OF the
s1OO he had secured from the bank III
the morning when the draft was nlst de-
nosited In the hotel safe was $500 more
Awaiting his disposal, but even TINS di1
not satisfy the fellow. He proceeded 10
the jewelry store of NJ. Lissner d 90 OF,
South Spring street anu tme1s ~ -
a fine diamond stud, solitaire rihs d'.H
diamond set watch charm, giving III
nayment two checks on the first Ma
tional bank for s195 and S29 dispiayiuS
his deposit book as evidence that me
checks were all right. All this JeWelrE
was taken from him wneh sealrne,,, ~. ~
Attachments have been placed by tae
bank and jewelers. on all the cash ana
property now in possession of the police,
and Afford has lost them forever
The prisoner was seen in his cell IN
Jail yesterday afternoon. ana askTd
whether he had anything to say FOR nm
self He is in appearance slight bulil
youth of medium height. smooth faee
with pasty. sallow complexion and the
air of one who has gone the pace. He
10 an inveterate cigarette smoker, ahd
came to the bars of his cell puffing at
one of the coffin nails. A positive re-
fusal was given to a request for state
ment. although politely, as he had not
yet had an opportunity of consulting a
lawyer and did not think that any
thing he might say would tend TO help
his case. He simply desired Ia be given
the benefit of the doubt until he should
be proven guilty. If such should happen
Regarding his reported scrape Of a SINH
lar character year and half ago in
St Louis he would say nothing and po-
Iitely wished the interviewer good day.
A complaint will probably be sworn to
today in court and Afford arraigned and
+, date of preliminary examination set