The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-16

ALLEGED CONsPIRATOR MAKING A
"TRIP ABROAD.
HIS PROPERTY HELD THERE.
SAID HE WOULD RETURN IN -FOUR
OR FIVE WEEKS.

Report Has II That Capt. Greene
Sailed on the Lucania Week or
More AgO-Though 1t Is Not Posi-
lively Confirmed. II Comes From n
Source That Gives II Every APP
pearance of Truth-His Return May
he Postponed or Abandoned, in the
Event Commissioner Shields De-
cides There Is Probable Cause to
Believe Him Guilty.
Benjamin D. Greene, the reputed chief
of the alleged conspiracy in which former
Capt. Oberlin NJ. Carter and John F. Gay
nor are said to be the other bright and
shining lights is reported to have sailed
from New York for Europe. on the Luz
CANA, week or more ago.
The report lacks absolute confirmation,
but it comes from a source that gives it
every appearance of authenticity. There
is no reason to doubt It's correctness, and
it if be true it opens up a wide field Of
conjecture.
Capt. Greene is said to have stated that
his departure for Europe meant a stay
of only four or five weeks. In his abb
sence. however events may transpre
which would cause an entire change in
his original plans and cause him to post
pone indefinitely his return to this coun-
try. Such an event, it may be imagined,
would be a decision from United States
Commissioner Shields, to the effect that
there ,is probable cause to believe him
guilty of completely in frauds by which
the government was mulcted of two mil
lions of dollars and furnishing the basis
of a warrant of removal from the South
ern district of New York to the Southern
district of Georgia. to stand his trial.
\ decision such as this is daily expected.
Commissioner Shields has the entire re-
cord in the hearing had before him on
this question of probable cause, and the
briefs of counsel for both the government
and the defendants were submitted to
him some two weeks ago. His familiarity
with the case would seem to warrant the
conclusion that his decision cannot long
be delayed and it can be but one thing.
The evidence adduced by United States
Attorney Erwin has been too direct and
too overwhelming to permit shadow OF
doubt on this question.
The bond that has been given by Capt.
Greene is only for S25, 600 and it may read
Ely be believed that the loss of such sum
cd with that of the profits of the alleged
frauds, would not prevent his selection
of Europe as a place of residence, in case
he should find the air of New York or
Savannah uncongenial.
For two days this report of the depar-
ture of Capt. Greene has been known in
Savannah and. conceding its correctness,
it cannot be said to have occasioned any
particular surprise. District Attorney Err
win refused to discuss the subject for
publication, and the other officers of the
court were alike reticent However, it has
been predicted for months that when the
fight before the commissioner and the
United States courts in New York APP
preached it's end the government would
find itself compelled to make its fight
ever again i'm some other state or in some
foreign country. Capt. Greene's departure
looks like the first step of this expected
exodus.
From the same source from which is
derived the information as to Capt
Green's departure for Europe, comes the
statement that he has recently transfer
red his property to England and that II
is now held there, principally in the name
of his wife. This looks like he expected
the storm would soon break and that he
IS making the needed preparations for the
prospective rainy day. As there is an
other adage which says ut never rains
but it pourS.' ii would probably be wei
for the captain to make his rainy-day
residence an exceedingly solid structure
1t may be. of course, that Capt. Greene
will be back In the country in the course
of the four or FIVE weeks which he gave
as the probable duration OF his triT
abroad. but under the circumstances it is
impossible to give entire credence to such
a belief as this. Were the commissioner
10 decide against him and the District
Court of the Southern District of New
York direct his return to this jurisdiction
20 stand trial, belief that he would will
lingly pursue such a course would become
more impossible still.
A story is told of John Gaynor, to the
effect that he assured a former Savannah
ian, who recalled the fact that he had
had the pleasure of meeting Col. Gaynor
in Savannah, some years before, that "he
would never have that pleasure again"
The actions of the defendants give as
surance that so far as they are concerned
they are determined that this statement
. of one of them shall be a prophecy. and
that they will fight the effort to bring
hem here for trial to the last ditch and
the last gasp. Capt. Greene is probably
as much averse as any of the others tc
giving his Savannah friends the pleas
ure of seeing them again.