Evening star., 1898-10-25
Charged With Stealing Funds of
Metropolitan R. R. Company.
BE ENTERS A PLEA OF NOT GUILTY
Arguments of Counsel Over the
Manner of His Extradition.
PARTICULARS OF THE CASE

tice Bingham, in Criminal Court No. l. of
John Price, indicted for larceny. The case
involves one of the boldest and most sue
cessful instances of robbery in the criminal
annals of the District. The afternoon of
March 30, 1897, at the busiest time of the
day, in busy section of the city and in
public cafe, some one walked away with a
hand satchel containing 81 ,6s2 in cash. The
government is attempting to prove that
Price was the robber. He declares the ac-
cusation to be false, and entered the court
room this morning confident of establish
ing his innocence.
Shortly after noon of the date given Ar
thur Q. Rabendrier, assistant superintend-
ent of the Metropolitan Railroad Company
drew from the Washington Loan and Trust
Company $1,GS2, with which to pay GER
tain employees of the railroad company
AS was his custom, Mr. Babendrier placed
the cash in his hand satchel and then pro
ceeded to the Vatoldi dining room, on 9th
street between f and f streets, for
luncheon. For safe keeping he turned over
the satchel to Miss Ettie Searles. cashier
of the establishment. She placed it on the
floor beside her desk the latter being in
closed within a railing. While Mr.. Baben-
drier was at luncheon in another part OF
the room an elderly man entered the es-
tablishment and requested that Miss
Searles have prepared for him as soon as
possible number of sandwiches. The
cashier turned to repeat the order to a
waiter When she returned TO her duties
the elderly customer had deuarted Miss
Searles, glancing through the window. saw
him walking up the street beside a we'll
dressed woman She did not notice wheth-
er or not the man was carrying anything
in his hand.
Discovery of the Loss.
When Mr.. BabenGrier was ready to leave
the place he called for his satchel, and il
was then discovered that Il robbery had
occurred. The police were promptly noti-
fed, but the bird, and incidentally the
satchel, had taken flight. The detectives
concluded that the robbery was the work
of professional and that among those
likely to undertake such a job was John
Price, VINO was alleged to possess a Grim
inal record. a photograph of Price. pro-
cured from the rogues' gallery, was shown
Miss Searles, and she pronounced it like
ness of the man supposed to have walked
OFF with the SatcheI, or of q person who re
sembied him closely. 1t required months
of ceaseless vigil to locate Price and secure
his arrest. The address of a widowed sis
ter Of The defendant was obtained through
the pension bureau. The detectives rented
a room in a house opposite her residence in
New York city, and after long watching.
learned, with the aid of opera glasses, that
a man was in the house. visit there
brought Price to light. His removal 10
this jurisdiction was fought in the New
York courts last summer but finally he
was surrendered to the marshal of the Dis
trict Of Columbia. brought here. arraigned
and released on bail.
In court today the defendant was repre-
sented by Messrs. Lipscomb and Turner Of
this city and Mr.. Abram j. Rose of New
York. District Attorney Henry E. Davis
and Mr.. John Z. Laskey, one of his assist
ants, appeared for the government Price
a man apparently sixty years of age, with
gray beard, was neatly attired and bore
none of the earmarlls of criminal.
Mr.. Davis Opens Proceedings
The proceedings were opened by District
Attorney Davis, who announced that the
government was ready in the case of the
United States against John Price In reply
Attorney Lpscomb stated that the defense
was not ready. He explained that three
had been returned against
Price many months ago. Price was a citi-
zen of New York. On two of them the
circuit court of appeals of New York de-
clined to order the removal of Price. He
was finally eXtradited under the third in
dictment.
This defendant was extradited under one
Indictment stated Mr. Lpscomb land
now the government proposes to try him
under another
An argument was then submitted to show
that such action could not be legally taken
District Attorney Davis, in response, de-
clared that the matter at issue was not an
ordinary eXtraditiOn, but merely a removal
from one part of the United States to an
other, under a warrant of the United
States, by state authority. Mr.. Davis ar
gued at some length in support of his con-
tention, and he was followed by Mr.. Rose
who took the other side of the proposition.
Question of Jurisdiction.
The matter of jurisdiction was also dis
cussed in detail Chief Justice Bingham.
after explaining that the question at issue
was net new to him, announced that he
would hold that this court has jurisdiction