Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-06
A GRAVE OFFENSE ALLEGED
8. 2. Williams Charged With Forging sena-
tor Mason Name.
A Letter Addressed to a Railroad
Company Requesting Passes-Ac-
cused Says He is Innocent.

A young man named 8. p. Williams,
whose home is in Bismarck, N. D., is I'M
der arrest here on charge of having
forged the name Of Senator William e.
Mason of Illinois. It IL alleged that he
wrote note to the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company, asking for railroad passes, and
to this note. 1t is charged, he forged the
senator's signature. The case is a novel
one, and the arrest of the young man was
accomplished only after considerable effort
on the part of the members of the Capitol
police force. Capt. Garden and Officers Sim
mott and Joyce of the force of Capitol po-
licemen have worked on the case for sew
eral days, and the young man was cap
tured in the Maltby building about noon
today.
1t appears that some time ago the letter
asking for the passes was sent from here
to hte main offices of the railroad company.
and the senator was soon made acquainted
with the fact that such letter had been
written. He turned over the matter to the
police for investigation.
1t was well known that the senator's mail
was delivered at the committee ro0ms in
the Maltby building, and the officers con-
oluded to put watch upon It.
Decoy Letter.
Today the railroad letter. said to be de-
coy. was delivered and placed on a table
The young man now under arrest came
along. and, it is charged. he picked up the
decoy and was promptly arrested. He was
identity much surprised, and declared the
utli,erS had ART sted an innocent man. His
rCtcs alton of innocence did not secure his
reieas however, and he was seat to the
sixth precinct police station art oc!."d up.
Later he was taken to poiice headquarters,
but was again returned to the station, where
he is now held a prisoneF.
Williams Statement.
Speaking to a Star reporter the prisoner
said he was innocent of any wrong doing.
He went to the Mal:by building, he said, to
get his mail, as he had been doing every
day since the last of April. His letters, he
said, he had caused to be directed there,
and he had frequently received them there.
The mail. he said, is put on a big table,
where everybody has access to it.
Il picked up letter." he said land had
it been directed to 8. P. Williams 1 should
have taken it,"
The letter, he added, was not addressed
to himself. and he was about to put it
down when an officer grabbed him. Will
i1ams is about twenty-five years old, and
Is one of the army of ofIice-seekers who
nave been here since soon after President
Mckinley was inaugurated. He has been
clerk. he said in the office of the second
controller, having been appointed under
President Harrison's administration. More
than two years ago he lost his situation
and in April he returned and has been try
ing to get reinstated He said he had fair
prospects of getting back, and railroad
passes would have done him no good for
he intends to remain here until his appli-
cation is finally acted upon. Since his re-
turn here he has been stopping at 1926 11th
street northwest. Tomorrow he may be
given hearing in the Police Court.
On the oath of William J. Joyce of the
Capitol police force. warrant was this af-
ternoon issued for the arrest of Samuel
p. Williams, alias c. J. Downing" for the
alleged crime of forging Senator Mason's
name to a request of the Pennsylvania
Company for the issuance of two round
trip passes from Washington, d. c., TO
New York city.
The witnesses named on the warrant are:
Senator Mason, A. H. Washburn, Colin
Studs, w. r. Williams and Capitol Po-
licemen J. J. Sinott and William J. Joyce.