Evening star., 1900-05-03
GIVEN A BAD RECORD
HENRY e. HILLS PAST REVEALED
BY CORRESPONDENTS.
Six Times Arrested and Has Served
Time, According to the New
York Authorities.

The man who was arrested yesterday on
| a charge of having attempted to rob the
office Of the collector of internal revenue
at No. 700 G street northwest. and who
| gave his name as Henry E. HILL is still
| held a prisoner at the first precinct sta
| ton. Major Sylvester received a message
| from Capt George W. McClusky of the
New York police department this morning
concerning the prisoner, together with the
| latters picture and criminal record Ac-
| cording TO the information received from
| the New York authorities. the prisoner is
known Walter Williams. George Wat
| son, George Holden and Billy Coleman
| The records show that he was first arrest
ed in 1869. Five times since then he has
been in the hands Of the police, and the
sentences imposed on him aggregate twen-
ty-nine years, although he did not serve all
this time. for he escaped from Sing Sing
after he had served one-sixth of a sentence
| of twelve years.
The record shows that he was arrested
In 1869 at Poughkeepsie. N Y, for sneak
| job committed at the office of the Mutual
Guarantee Company of Dutchess county.
! in August, two years later, while serving
| the sentence of twelve years. he escaped
from Sing Sing and got away on a tugboat.
A year after his escape he turned up in
Pittsburg, Pa, where he was taken into
custody on a charge of grand larceny. The
specific charge was that he committed a
$4,000 in bonds For this offense a SEN
| tence of three years was imposed
Robs Bank In Lockport.
Five years after his arrest at Pittsburg
the officers Of Lockport, N. Y, arrested
him on a charge of robbing bank in that
city. Four years was the sentence imposed
on him at that time. Under the name of
George Watson, alias Billy Coleman, he
was arrested in Augusta, Ga, for the theft
OF an express package worth s. 700
Johnny Price, who is now serving three
years un Ter sentence at Columbus for an
orense committed in this city, was with
him in Augusta. Price is the man who
robbed A. o. Babendrier of the Metropoli-
tan Railway Company of a satchel contain
ing 1,5O0 in a 9th street lunch room in 1898
ne Is now endeavoring to secure pardon.
For the robbery committed at Augusta
coleman. the man with many aliases was
sentenced u seven years Imprisonment.
he had not been out of the Georgia prison
many months before he was caught at
Rochester, Nh, with a noted crook named
billy, Maher, and sentenced to three
years IN the state prison for stealing 5000
worm OF postage stamps from the post Of
nee sale In November of last year he was
picked up in New York city and photo-
graphed. A copy of the Photograph taken
at this time was furnished the local police
today.
The Attempt of Yesterday
Deputy Collectors of Internal Revenue
Harrison Nesbitt and f. w. Day, who are
directly responsible for the capture of the
prisoner, have received the congratulations
of the authorities regarding their effec-
tive work on the case yesterday. AS pub
lished in yesterdays Star, Mr. Nesbitt
was alone in the Office at the time he dis
covered the alleged sneak thief, and Mr.
he was asked to catch the man who was
then running away. There were three
customers in the office just before the in
cident occurred. Mr. Nesbitt had waited
on them and had turned to arrange his
cash. when he saw the form of man re-
treating through a hallway to the rear
room AT first he thought he knew the in
truder, but he soon realized that he was
a stranger. Then he followed to see if
he would jump out of a rear window or
pass out through the front hallway, by
which he had entered. 1t developed that
the rear room had Just been vacated and
the doors had been left open for the pur-
pose of allowing the scrubbers to enter
and clean it, The intruder had passed
through this room to get to the vault
where the stamps are kept
When Mr.. Nesbitt reached the front door
and saw Mr.. Day at the corner of 7th
street he called to him: stop that man"
Mr. Day pursued him far as H street,
where he says he caught him and returned
him to the officer, when he was turned
over to the police.
Il want YOU Mr.. Day said to him, as he
dPpi Hllu near n street.
Il guess you are mistaken" said the
man who had been pursued. 'I amt the
man." He added that there must be some
mistake.
Under the Common Law.
This afternoon the police consulted As
sistant District Attorney Taggart, who told
them that they could proceed against the
prisoner under the common law for at
tempted larceny from the United States.
Some time ago a quantity of beer stamps
which had been stolen from the govern
ment were recovered in Brooklyn, 1t is
stated. and 1t ia believed by the police that
the prisoner who is under arrest here now
may be able to throw some light on that
transaction. About two years ago the rev.
enue office in Baltimore was robbed of a
quantity of stamps.
The beer stamps which were In the yauIt
IN the local revenue office yesterday were
kept IN boxes, as many as $40, 900 worth
being in each box.