Evening star., 1901-03-29
Grave Accusation Upon Which Indict-
ments Are Based.
CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON ACCUSED
The Destruction of Bryant Man.
sion in September, 1897.
ARRESTS MADE TOD 4

/
Bingham this morning for Thomas II. Pick
ford. real estate dealer and grocer at Louis
lana avenue and 9th street; Aaron Brad
shaw, clerk in the District building; John
| HI. Walter, real estate dealer at 1921 r
| street. and Granville C. Shaw, a decorator
| living on the Good Hope road, who are
charged In Montgomery county. Mary
land, with arson. Accompanying the
| requisition is copy of the indictment
found by the grand jury OF Montgomery
county at Rockville at the present session
OF the court.
1t is alleged in the indictments that the
defendants caused the destruction by fire
Of an untenanted dwelling house the prop
erty Of Thomas II. Pickford and John H.
Walter. I'm September, 1897. The house in
question was at Four Corners Md, and
was known as the Bryant mansion. II was
originally the property of George y. Beale,
who is alleged to have sold IL to Mr.. Bryant
a former resident of New York. At the
time Mr.. Beale owned the property there
was small frame house upon IT, and Mr.
| Bryan improved IL by erecting a residence,
1t Is stated, at cost of about $15oo0. The
property. it Is alleged. was afterward
! owned by Mr.. Walter and Mr.. Pickford.
Mr.. Bradshaw, II is alleged, has been for
| number of years associated with Mr.
Walter in the real estate business but
| what connection he is alleged to have had
| Will MIN IN lnlS case does not appear
the face of the indictment. 1t is alleged
| that Mr.. Shaw was employed to decorate
| the interior of the house, and that the
| buiidins was destroyed by fire before the
completion of the work. 1t is claimed that
the building was more than fully Insured,
| and that after a controversy the matter
was compromised, the insurance companies
paving over stated sum. believed to be
SZZ,ob, to the proprietors. Witnesses were
heard by the grand jury recently with the
| result that the indictments were returned.
Sheriff Makes Arrest.
Sheriff Arthur Williams and two deputies
came here last night and sought the as
sistance of the local police. Inspector
Roardman detailed Detectives Helan and
Horne to assist the sheriff.
The first place visited was the home Of
Mr.. Shaw. on the Good Hope road where
he has small vegetable garden. Mr..
Shaw was sick in bed, but he dressed and
accompanied the officers TO the first pre-
cinct station. On their way to the station
the officers stopped at the houses Of Mr..
Bradshaw and Mr.. Pickford. respectively.
but they were not found. The officers also
looked for Mr.. Walter last night, but were
unable to find him.
Each Denies Allegation
In conversation with the officers. Mr..
Shaw denied that he was implicated in any
such thing as the burning of a building
He is an old resident of the District, and
has done decorating in a number of public
buildings. including the White House dur
ing the past quarter of a century. Last
night he was made comforts able i'm a wit
ness room, and this morning he was taken
to police headquarters, where he met De-
PENDANTS Bradshaw and Walter, who had
been arrested. one at his home and the
other at his place of business. Mr. Pick
ford could not be found this morning
The three men I'm custody had but little
to say of the affair, except that there was
no foundation for the charge, and that
they knew they would be exonerated upon
a hearing of the case.
Il guess we've been in Maryland politics
too much for somebody" Mr.. Walter re-
marked.
But not in the census" said Mr. Brad.
shaw.
When Chief Justice Bingham had issued
the warrant on the requisition, the three
men were placed in charge of the marshal's
deputies, who escorted them to the court
house.
The Montgomery county officers who
came here to take part in the case said but
little about the details Of the affair to the
local officers, and the latter were not told
who was alleged to have applied the torch
to the house.
Confident Of Innocence
Friends Of the men charged express them
selves as believing in their innocence and
some of them believe the indictment was
brought about In a manner that will show
it is stated that politics may have had
something to do with the affair Mr.. Wal
ter, 1t Is stated, has q home at Berwvn
Md. as well as in this city, and both he
anu Bradshaw have done active political
work In the state. 1t is also claimed that
Tor three years an attempt has been made
to get money from one or more of the de-
PENDANTS by threatening exposure II is
stated that shortly after the destruction OF
the house at least two of the defendants
shown w bat r.aa
to be story for publication In a paper
and a demand, II is alleged, was then made
for money. At the proper time, one of the
defendants stated, the whole thing will be
laid bare. and 1t will then be shown that an
attempt to blackman the defendants was
made.
Oppose the Regulation.
Hearing was had before Chief Justice
Bingham of the Supreme Court OF the Dis
trict Of Columbia late this afternoon on the
requisition, 30 far 1t concerns John II.
Walter. Aaron Bradshaw and Granville c.
Shaw, who were in court. The three men
were represented by Attorneys w. Mosby
Williams and Arthur Peter. Assistant
United States Attorney Semmes appeared
for the government. The granting Of the
requisition was opposed on the ground that
the Indictment in the case alleged no
offense
The Bryant Mansion.
ground Monday night, September 13. about
s o'clock, and no clue to the origin Of the
fire could be obtained at that time. The
house built by Mr.. C. o. b. Bryant,
who died a few days prior to the confiagra-
tion. At the time of the fire no one was
occupying the handsome residence. The
day it occurred workmen had been en-
gagged in making repairs to the property.
They had stopped work, and were at an
adjoining building eating supper, when
one Of them noticed flames issuing from
the top story of-the house. 1t was not
long before the whole country for miles
around was brilliantly Illuminated by the
fare of the fierce flames. The building was
destroyed.
The Bryant mansion, as II was originally
called, was located at Four Corners a
short distance from Silver Springs, Nd
One of the characteristics of Mr.. Bryant's
buildings, II Is stated. was that he rarely
ever finished any of them. or so frequently
made changes that virtually none of them
was ever completed. This fate attended the
building burned. The front entrance was
never built. and only a temporary one intij-
Gated where he eventually expected a grand