Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-02
cess of hiding as Dorsey had. This causes
the belief among some that hezs still here
An Old Incident

Collector Davis received numerous re-
marks of sympathy from friends today
He thinks his trusted messenger is in Can
ada or "some- other seaport where the
United States has no extradition treaty.
Collector Davis reiterated to a Star re-
porter today the confidence he had in Haw-
kins. He recalled how several years ago
at the old District building on 1st street
Hawkins had found package containing,
$500 and Immediately brought it to him
in great excitement. At that time 1t was
supposed that Sergeant Pierce, the old po-
treasury, had dropped the package, and
Hawkins was commended on all sides for
his honesty. Now it is thought he alb
stracted the money and fearing detection
at the time was fishy, for the reason that
he said he found 1t in the passageway,
where clerks and citizens passed every
second during the day. When he found
hour. and Collector Davis at the time won
dered how it was 1t had laid there un.
noticed until Hawkins CHANGED upon it.
Now that Hawkins and the money have
gone, the collector, while deploring his loss,
Is glad 1t is no more. He might just as
well have stolen $75,OOO," said Mr. Davis.
1t often ran up to that amount, and he
could have decamped with it all. I had
the utmost confidence in his honesty and
trusted him implicitly. He frequently went
to the banks with the bank messenger. and
remained in the buggy. with many thous-
and dollars in his possession, while the
bank messenger was making the deposit ~
Those clerks who knew Hawkins inti-
mately declare him to be a very shrewd
person. He was always asking questions,
and seemed to delight in raising legal ques-
tions and hunting up some clerk versed in
the law to answer it. Although favorite
with the collector, he was never much
thought of outside the tax office. The mes
sengers regarded him with suspicion and
fofa wit 10
heads Of the other departments would not
brook his presence. He was of a cringing
nature, and was always supplicating in his
manner
there was nothing new in the case. The
officials interested have had several con-
situations today, but, SO far as they stated,
there was no positive information con-
cernlng the whereabouts of the fugitive.
The Penalty.
The extreme penalty for grand larceny is
three years Imprisonment In the peniten-
tiary at hard labor. The offense of grand
larceny consists of the theft of $50 or more
but the law makes difference between
larceny from a private individual or COR
poration and that from the United States,
the theft of money or other property Of the
United States being punishable by a fine not
exceeding 5000 or Imprisonment for not
more than five years. or BOTH In the opin-
loH oI some lawyers tnR person guilty OF
robbing Collector DavfS safe would be
guilty Of larceny fromsthe United States.
But the more general belief Is that the Of
fender, or offenders, stole money belonging
to the District of Columbia, and can, upon
conviction, be punished by Imprisonment in
the penitentiary for not less than one nor
more than three years at hard labor.
Assistant District Attorney Hugh I. Tag
gart is one who holdsF that the robbery
amounts merely to grand larceny, and IS
not larceny from the United States. MIR.
Taggart also holds that should the sus-
pected man be found to- be the guilty one
his offense could not be said to be embez-
Element, for the reason that he was not,
although an employe of the District, such
an employe or agent as would make him,
in contemplation Of law, custodian Of the
missing money. -
In speaking of the robbery of Collector
Davis safe, Mr.. Taggart referred to the
case of Dan" Williams, who stands in
dicted for the embezzlement Of Police
Court funds to the amount of several thou
sand dollars. Mr.. Taggart said that Will
Jams will be one of the first persons to be
tried upon the reassembling of the Grim
inal Courts next month He also stated
that it is the purpose of District Attorney
Davis to prosecute Williams to the full
extent of the law