Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-28
HOWGATE AFREE MAN
Sentence Of Former Weather Bureau
Chief in Penitentiary Expires,
STORY OF ROMANCE And CRIME
Disclosures Which Created a Sen
sation in the Capita City.
FLIGHT, RECAPTURE, TRIAL

Capt. Henry w. Howgate formerly chief
| of the weather bureau in this city, will
| tomorrow step forth from the pentent;ary
| at Albany, N. Y, free man. Thus is
| ended for all time the most interesting GRIM
| inal and romantic episode perhaps the ma
| tional capital has ever known. Captain
| Howgate, now an old man, was sentenced
| to imprisonment in 1895 for period of eight
| years. The sentence terminates Saturday by
| reason of good conduct on the part of the
| prisoner. The belief is that his confine-
ment has not been very much in the nature
| of a hardship. for during the entire period
he has been assigned to duty "a the libra
rian Of the penitentiary. The supposition
Is that Captain Howgate will return to this
| city and make his home with his devoted
daughter, Miss Ida Howgate.
1t will be readily recalled that Captain
| Howgate was arrested about twenty years
ago for the emheZZ,ement of large sums of
money from the government, and for for
| gerry. The disclosure of the crime created
sensation in official and social circles.
In substance the accusation against the
officer set forth that in 1876 he was
signed to duty in the signal service office
and subsequently became the disbursng Of
hcer of the bureau, which grew rapidly in
proportion until at length the weather bu-
reau was organized. Large amounts of
money were appropriated for the bureau
and this was disbursed by Captain How
gate. He performed such duty until Sep
tember $780, when he was relieved. The
| monthly accounts of the Western Union
Telegraph Company, which were in printed
| form, each being chargeable to particu-
lar appropriation, went to Captain
Howgate for payment, and 1t was
charged that certain Of the vouch-
ers were made out by Captain
Howgate for fictitious services. To one of
these. it was claimed a signature had been
forged. that the defendant had committed
the forgery and thereby had frauduently
obtained S11 800.
The Arrangement.
At the time of the discovery Of his en-
bezzlements Capt Howgate was not In. the
city, but was located in Michigan, and was
brought here by special agent Of the De-
partment of Justice He arraigned be-
fore a United States commissioner under
charge of embeLzlement, supposed TO
amount to $40 900, and bail was accepted In
that sum. The day he was released How
gate left the city, and the government filed
suit to recover $101 257 the amount having
been increased by subsequent developments.
The grand Jury, October p, 1881. reported
an indictment for embezzlement and sub
sequently several others for the same Of
Tense, as well as additional ones for forgery.
When Howgate left here after the first ar
raignment 1t was supposed he had gone for
good, but he suddenly appeared. whereupon
he was rearrested and committed to jail.
For several years prior to the discovery
Of the embezzlements, so it was charged
Capt. Howgate had led a double domestic life
in Washington. Only a short distance from
the home that contained his wife and the
daughter who has chung to him so deter
minedly during his troubles, he supported a
woman, Nettie Burrill. in luxurious style.
After the arrest Mrs. Howgate and her
daughter took possession Of the handsome
home. 617 18th street. built for Nettie Bur-
ri11 ha 1att heir
When the trouble had overwhelmed the cap
tain Nettie Burrill set to work to secure
his release. The impression at the time was
that Miss Howgate had been no small fac
tor in the escape of her father But this
has never been established. The almost
unanimous opinion was that Nettie Burril
formulated the plans and arranged the ave-
nues Of departure that pursuit would be
hopeless.
News of the Escape.
One evening during the year 1882 the in
teresting news spread through the city
that Captain Howgate had escaped. He
had been in the District Jail under. the i'm
mediate eye Of Warden Croker and the
authority of United States Marshal Henry
The case against the man had proceeded
to the extent Of the filing Of an indictment
and his arraignment Hereunder. While
at the jail the former weather bureau chief
was treated with more consideration than
are ordinary indicators His cell was
comfortably furnished and he ate from
his own expensive chnaware and silver
The rules Of the jail were relaxed to the
extent Of allowing Captain Howgate to
visit his residence on 18th street in order
that he might battle in his own bath room.
On the occasion Of these visits he was, OF
course, always accompanied by deputy
United States marshal
Expressing desire to go to his nome,
Captain Howgate entered carriage Thurs
day, April 10, 1882 and, in charge of Depu-
ty Marshal Dewing and bailiff. was
1p4l, Ptnp obi
ting short time with his daughter, he
asked her for a change of undertaking,
and she proceeded to another room to pro.
cure the garments. Upon the return OF
Miss Howgate to the sitting room from
that errand the captain excused himself
and ostensibly departed for the bath room,
the officers remaining in the sitting room
Miss Howgate sang for the men in uni
form and entertained them so pleasantly
that an hour glided by before they request
ed the young lady to call her father. She
was gone long time, and then came back
pale and excited. She reported that she
searched the house from top to bottom and
then rushed out and gave the alarm.
Escaped the Back Way.
By this time Captain Howgate had a
start Of two hours. He escaped by going
out Of the rear of the house when he Was
supposed to go to the bath room, and, pro-
ceeding into a blind alley in the rear.
turned into passage running out to
street. where a carriage containing the
woman in the case. Nettte Burrill, was
awaiting him. A search was Immediately
made. but Captain Howgate was not APP
pretended, although 1t was notorious that
communication was readily established
with him when his friends found 1t neces-
sary for months after his departure. Net
tie Burrill returned to Washington two or
three days after the escape and was shad-
owed by detectives but found no difficulty
in eluding them whenever she cared to
do so.
1t was generally believed that Captain
Howgate went down the river Immediately
upon his escape and took up his residence
in ST. Mary's. 1t Is stated that he was
seen in that locality as late as 1887 He