The herald., 1897-09-23
BIRD CAUGHT
His Wings Are Clipped by
Sheriff Burr
G. J. GRIFFITH'S TALE OF WOE
PRECISE STATEMENT AS TO
VARIOUS IRREGULARITIES
The Defaulting Cashier Of a Los An
geles Capitalist Captured in
San Francisco

r. A. Bird, the defaulting confidential
secretary of Griffith j. Griffith, was ar
rested yesterday afternoon in San Fran
here at once for trial on charges Of
forgery and embezzlement The arres.
was made on a telegraphic warrant. A
dispatch from San Francisco says that
Bird refused to make any statement
other than that he understood that he
was accused of having forged g. J.
Griffith's name to a check for $4,000.
Bird left this city suddenly after his
peculations were discovered about two
weeks ago. He engaged a stateroom to
San Francisco under an assumed name.
but was seen and recognized at Saugus
while he was eating breakfast. The day
after Bird left a warrant for his arrest
was issued. Yesterday afternoon he
was arrested on Montgomery street,
San Francisco, as shown in the following
telegram received by Mr.. Griffith from
Sheriff Burr:
"Bird arrested on Montgomery street.
Applied for habeas corpus. If not stopped
JOHN BURR"
The warrant for Birds arrest was
sworn out by w. H. Knight and charges
forgery
Mr. Griffith said last night: ION
Thursday, August 10Th, Detective Brad
ish called on me for the purpose Of trac-
ing and discovering note which had
been stolen, but which had no connec-
ton with Mr.. Bird. At this time Bird
was attending to business for me at the
court house. and telephoned me, making
some inquiries. 1 replied to them, and
then it occurred to me, that he might
know something about the note, and
told him Detective Bradish was here
and would like to see him. Bird evidently
suspected that Bradish was here to in
vestigate his defalcations, for he did not
return to the office, and I have never
seen him since.
"That evening I had invited friends to
join my family at the Los Angeles the
ater. After the play we partook of re-
freshments at a soda fountain near by
and then returned home to the Nadeau
hotel. A hack driver stopped me at the
door of the hotel and said that a lady
in his hack wanted to see me on business.
business with at that hour of the night
was my wife, and that the person in the
hack could call at my office in the MORN
ing. But, SIR he said, this matter Is
very important and concerns your clerk,
Bird. So stepped to the hack door and
a woman who sat alone in the vehicle
related to me most strange and sensa-
tional story.
Among other things she said that she
had Bird locked up in room in her
house, and that he was about to commit
suicide because he had been systemat-
ically robbing me, who. he declared, had
been his best friend, and he feared the
consequences. I replied I had no knowl-
edge of any dishonesty on his part, and
doubted her statement. She, however,
stated further that she had refused to
let him run bill at her house to exceed
$140, but that she knew of another house
where he had run bills to the extent of
$500, and that he owed his hack driver
some $50 or $50.
1.-THE following morning a bill against
Bird came to the Office from the Ingleeide
Florist company for $5075 for flowers
delivered within five weeks of that date.
That, In measure, corroborated the
statement made by the woman in the
hack the previous evening, whose name
1 have not yet learned.
Birds immoral conduct having thus
become evident, remarked to neigh
Dor that a man who was dishonest to his
family was unworthy the confidence of
any self-respecting citizen. and then
sent word to him that his services would
no longer be required in my office.
Immediately thereafter engaged the
services of an expert accountant, who
convinced me in a very short time that
the man had not been faithful in the
discharge Of his duties, but nothing Of
a criminal nature was developed at that
time. and it took fully two weeks to learn
how the robberies had been committed.
At length forged checks were discovered.
Among them were checks ranging in
amount from S. 0to $780,"
Mr.. Griffith recited a number Of
checks, some of which were forged, and
also list Of other embezzlements in
amounts of from SIS to 5000.