New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-23
w. IT. KENT ARRESTED.
A PROMINENT MEMBER OF PLYMOUTH
CHURCH CHARGED WITH FORGERY.

HIS ASSOCIATES. A BROOKLYN LAWYERS
FINANCIAL TRICKERY LEADS TO
TRoUBLE-PENNIEs OF SUNDAY
SCHOOL CHILDREN PART
OF HIS PLUMBER.
William II. Kent a well-known lawyer, having
offices in the Continental Building. in Montague
ST.. Brooklyn. prominent member Of Plymouth
Church. in the Sunday-schOo OF which he Is
teacher. and the organizer OF the Penny Savings
Bank connected with the Bethel Mission Sun
day school. a branch of Plymouth. was arrested
yesterday afternoon a warrant Issued by Po-
lice Justice Brenner. OF the Adams Street Police
Court. charging him with forgery. He was ar
raigned before Justice Brenner at o'clock and
held in default Of $1,000 for examination on Mon
day morning at q o'clock
Mr.. Kent is charged by Mrs. Mary H. McCord.
Of No. 574 Washington ave. Brooklyn. with
falsely certifying and acknowledging satisfac-
tion Of mortgage, bearing the date Of November
3, 1897, and filed on the following day in the
Registers Office. Mrs. McCcrd. who is wealthy
woman, declared that her name. which appeared
on the satisfaction, was not put there by her
hand. or with her consent. She further charges
Mr.. Kent with falsely certifying and acknowl-
edglng the satisfaction OF the mortgage. knowing
that her signature not genuine.
It Is alleged by Mrs. McCord that Kent has
betrayed the trust reposed In him by herself
and that he has not only appropriated the 81 100
charged In the warrant, but that he has allowed
taxes on property to accumulate. and has used
money belonging to Mrs. McCord's niece. and
her servant girl, an elderly. frugal woman who
had been advised that Mr. Kent could be trusted.
The complaint issued at the Instance OF
Mr.. Caldwell an assistant in the Dstrict-At-
torneys office.
Mrs. McCOrd discovered a few days ago that
some OF her property was noted in the
book OF taxes as in arrears and for sale
and surprised when she examined
the records In the Registers ONCE TO learn
that the taxes on number Of parcels OF
real estate had not been paid for several
years. She says that she had given Mr.
Kent money with which TO pay these bills. and
that she had much confidence in him that she
did not ask to see the receipted bills. Mrs
McCord then began an investigation. She found
that the records In the Registers office showed
that satisfaction piece" had been given on
the mortgage in question. The satisfaction
piece" bore what purported TO be signature OF
Mrs. McCord. This she pronounces false. The
document bears the certificate OF Mr.. Kent as a
notary testlfying to the genuineness Of the Sig
nature and setting forth that tho signer per-
sonay appeared before him.
Mrs McCord went to the office Of Mr.. Kent
accompanied by Benjamin F. Blair, the lawyer
and officer armed with a warrant. Mr.. Kent
did not deny wronGdoing. but said that while
he deserved arrest. perhaps. he hoped Mrs
McCord would not have him arrested. as 1T
would disgrace his family. Mrs. McCord and
her counsel. Mr. Blair stayed at the office or
Mr.. Kent long enough to get possession or
nearly all the bonds and mortgages belonging
10 her which had been in the custody OF Mr..
and
Mr.. Kent was taken to the police station.
Mr. Kent lives at No 13 Mddagh-st. He has
n wife and little girl. His mother and two sis
ters live at No 26 Columbia Heights. He has
been prominent in Plymouth Church for many
years He is about forty or forty-hve years
old nve feet eight inches tall, and has Jet black
hair. eyes and whiskers.
When seen at the Adams Street Court yester-
day afternoon Mr.. Kent was nervous. and ex-
pressed the hope that little or no attention
would be paid by the newspapers to his arrest.
When asked for an explanation OF the charge.
he said that he did not know that Mrs Nc
Cords name mad been forged to the mortgage.
He said he sent the document to Mrs McCord
for her signature that IL had come back 10 MIN
with what purported TO be her name attached
to 1t. and he had no reason to suspect that the
name not genuine. He did not explain
how he came 10 afiN his affidavit that Mrs.
McCord had appeared personally" before him.
Mrs. McCord said that as soon as she dis
covered that her signature had been Forged she
looked the matter up. and found that the mort
gage had been paid through Kent. The date OF
the receipt was November s. ana MIS- McCord
said she had made no receipt for money on that
day as Il was the day after election and she
was so disheartened over the defeat or the Re-
publican party that she stayed In the mousse all
day and transacted no business
An official OF Plymouth Church VINO was seen
last night said Of Kent:
MIR Kent's work has been largely with the
Bethel Mission In Hicks-st. We nave not
trusted him fully for some tme-over year.
More than a year ago he organlzed penny
savings bank In the Bethel Mission. calling
himself the Presidential Treasurer We did
Ings institution OF the kind. and the official
members OF Plymouth Church brought pressure
IN hear on Kent to compel him TO stop ms
operatIons This he did. and then we found
that he had turned the funds OF the banks to
his own account, and that they were not at
had nearly refunded the whole amount when
his arrest was made. The depostors Will be
Maid the balance in full 1t was through n
humber Of men In Plymouth frinds OF Mrs.
McCord. that she was led TO investigate ner
business relations with her lawyer. A few
wears ago there died In Brooklyn a Mr. Ander-
son a we'll known member Of Plymouth. He
left Mr. Kent n legacy of $1,000 and appointed
him executor. Mr.. Kents accounts as executor
became SO mixed n few months ago that pro-
ceedInGs were begun In the supreme Court 10
have them investigated. EX-Judge Clement
was appointed reieree. anu 'he ihNes''Sat'oH
is still pending"
Kent waited at the Adams-st police station
for several hours for his friends to come for
yard with bail but none OF them came. and
at about o'clock he was taken to Raymond-st.
fail and locked up.