The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-03
A. GORDON BLAIR'S CAREER.
FORGER TELLS OF mrs ALLEGED
CONQUEST OF SOCIETY.


a Bwtndier Under Arrest tn Boston says ne
Has Besn Entertained by the Astors and
vandorbiIts-His History at Newport-no
Says ne IL the Son or n Naval Omccr.
Boston, Mass, July "a. Gordon Blair, the
young Southerner who was arrested about two
weeks ago, having in his possession another
mans property which no acknowledged that he
had stolen, has issued a statement, which has
been printed in tho Globe, purporting TO be a
story Of his lifo. He says his real name is
Lawrence p. Graham. and that no is q son of a
commander in the United States navy: that his
uncles arc officers in the army, and that the late
Admiral Meade was his first cousin. He says he
has moved in tho most fashionable circles In
the country. and has been entertained by the
Astcrs and the vanderbilts. He says that Mrs.
Paran Stevens was one OF the bcst friends he
ever had In the world.
In his statement Blair says that when he was
IL years old his mother died; that about n year
later his father married again and thereafter
took no interest in his son. He graduated from
a military college at Burlington, N. j., and went
afterward to q school at West Farnham, near
Montreal. 1t was hero that he began his wrong
doing. indorsing n check payable to the troas-
Juror Of the school and drawing tho money there
with. the money / went homo to Washington
and told my father what l had done. He after
ward made the amount good. and was ,scnt to
the University o; Virginia. Practically the
many because + had, no money to attend tho
regular college functions. The professors sym.
pathizcd with Inc. and l In, turn lost control of
myself and secured money In various dishonest
ways for some time. The natural result camo.
i had to leave to escape being punished"
Blair says he tri31 work without success ind
continued his thicying habits. He went on, the
road with a theatrical company from which he
stole money when he could not get his salary.
He forged q check at Hartford, two Mt Williman-
tic and for the latter crime served two years In
the penitentiary. OF this he says:
The only one who wrote to me during these
two long years was my eldest sister. who is tho
Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City. Utah. She sent
me boxes of things and reading matter, ana did
everything IN, her power to help me bear up"
Soon after that Blair says he served six months
jewelry store. OF himself and his friends Blair
says:
Narragansett Pier, Bar Harbor, and Cape May.
In each place have managed to mako friends
dance and sing and play. the music Of Chopin,
Beethoven. Wagner. Iiszt, and others. This
surely would OF itself give me tho entr6e in all
secluded corners, with, of course. the general
bearing of a gentleman; At Newport !
yachts, the hosts being men Of wealth
and position in society. Little did they
dream that an ex-convict was among
them. This goes to show what q littlo means
among them without means. and naturally l
secured it in various ways. but was never once
detected. 1t has been very easy for me to do
wrong. With n good education. neat clothes,
could easily deceive those with whom l came in
contact. There Is not a relative who would help
me were I breathing my last, and the climax to
q dishonorable life has been reached"