Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-12
CONFESS TO DETECTIVES
TWO YOUNG MEN ADMIT PASSING
WORTHLESS CHECKS.
willing to Go to Philadelphia 70,
Trial, II Required by the
Authorities.

Two young men whose names were regis
tered at police headquarters as Arthur W.
Spinner. alias Francis Wilson, and Oscar c.
Hilton, jr., alias Oscar p. Belmont were
arrested this morning by Detectives Peck
and Miller. No specific charge was pre-
ferred against them and Inspector Board
man says they will probably be turned over
to the Philadelphia authorities. Their ar
rest was the result of report received at
police headquarters last night from Mrs.
Evans of AS 4th street northwest Her
charge was that two young men had called
at her house and wanted to engage a
room. A check was rendered in payment
for the rent Of the room, and the young
knowing Just what to do, Mrs. Evans went
to another part of the house to consult
member Of the family about accepting the
check When she returned to the room to
inform them that she could not cash the
paper she discovered that her gold watch
had been removed from her desk.
Mrs Evans accused them 81 having taken
her timepiece, and when they saw several
guests Of the house entering the room Hill
ton admitted that he had taken the watch.
and he then handed it to its owner.
He begged her pardon and said 1t was
simply case of yielding to temptation.
After the men had left the house Mrs.
Evans concluded that she would notify the
police, in order to protect others from SINH
lar operations.
Detectives Notified
This morning Inspector Boardman read
the descriptions of the men to the members
Of the detective corps and gave them in
structfons to look out for the alleged Gull
prits. The inspector remembered thai two
men answering to the descriptions given
had been getting off checks in Baltimore
and Philadelphia, and he thought the men
" 100
who were wanted in the cities mentioned.
Soon after the arrests were made the pris-
oners confessed that they had passed
checks in both Baltimore and Phila delphia
After leaving Mrs. Evans house the
strangers went to Burdine's Hotel, on 9th
street, where they spent the night. A
check for IS was left in the office for their
lodging, but no change was given. The
belonged to one Of the prisoners and in 1t
they found a number Of checks. Some Of
them were blanks, while others had bsen
filled out for small amounts.
These checks showed that the prisoners
had been in Philadelphia, Chambersburg,
"a. Tyrone. Pa. Camden. N. j., and Bal
timore. There was also in the satchel a
pawn ticket for a diamond ring on which
50 had been obtained from Philadelphia
pawnbroker. This ring, they said, they
had purchased at jewelry store and paid
for 1t with a worthless check.
Hilton an Ex-SOldier.
A discharge from the army in the name
of Oscar P. Hilton, jr., was also found in
the satchel The discharge shows that
Hilton enlisted in the LIST Illinois Regiment
and did service in the trenches in Cuba.
His character is given in the discharge as
excellent. Hilton told Inspector Board
man that he had been a reporter on New
York paper, while Spinner a salesman.
The former is twenty-seven years old and
the latter is twenty.
During the will no
tectives the prisoners said they left New
York about six weeks ago and had been
on the road ever since. They admitted that
they had passed a number of checks IN
stores, and expressed a willingness to re-
turn to Philadelphia. The Philadelphia au-
thorities have been notified of their arrest.