The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-05
CHARGED WITH FRAUD
COLORED LAWYER SAID To HAVE
BOLsTERED PENSION CLAIMS.
SUPPLIED MISSING LINKS.
w. Z. MOORE ARRESTED AND
BEFORE L. $. COMMISSIONER.

Arrest Made at the Instance of Pea
sion Examiner A. ID. Parkey, Who
Claims That Moore Has Presented
to the Department "A Number of
Claims Which Are False ana
FrauduIent-The Defendant Well
Known Republican Politician and
an officer of the District Executive
COmmittee-Witnesse Repudiate
signatures to Ahidavits Moore
Claims They signed.
A preliminary hearing in the several
cases of pension frauds, charged
against w. E. Moore, colored lawyer
and pension attorney of Savannah and
Guyton, was begun before United
States Commissioner Ryals yesterday
morning, and was continued until
Tuesday afternoon.
The specific charge in the warrant
upon which Moore was arrested in
Guyton yesterday morning and brought
to the city is procuring false and fraud
ulent signatures and affidavits to the
pension application of Louisa Simpson.
the widow of Jesse Simpson, a soldier
in one of the negro regiments mustered
in and then mustered out towards the
close of the War Between the States.
There are, however, half a dozen other
charges of the like character against
Moore, in some of which the investi-
cations of Pension Examiner A. B.
Parkey have seemed to disclose a very
much worse state of affairs.
Moore is a we'll known Republican
politician, prominent in the conduct of
party affairs in this section of the state.
He is an officer cf the Executive Com
mittee of this congressional district.
and away up in the councils of the
mighty. He was represented at the
hearing by Mr.. D. II. Clark.
Preacher Witness.
The two witnesses examined
were Jerry. NJ. Stephens, a negro
preacher who holds forth at Waycross,
and Robert Strobhar. also somewhat
colored.
The preacher is a brother of the wo-
man for whom the pension was sought
to be obtained, and acted for her in
engaging Moore's services. He testified
| on the stand he had been told by Moore
| that he had authority, as his sisters
agent, to sign her name to any paper
connected with the case and that he
had signed several papers with her
name.
When, however he was shown the
original declaration for pension,
which was signed Louisa Simpson"
he denied that the signature was his
handiwork He denied also that he
signed an affidavit purporting to be his,
which described. in minute detail the
marriage, death and burial of Jesse
Simpson, the husband of his sister.
| upon whose war Heeord her claim. for
| pension is based. Stephens said he did
| not remember his sisters marriage,
| was not present. when Simpson died
and came in late at the funeral.
Didn't Know Notary.
All the affidavits in the case purport
to have been witnessed by George W.
Davis. a notary public resident in
| Guyton. Stephens swore that he never
| signed a paper in Davis presence in
his life and would not know the man
were he to meet him on the street.
He detailed a conversation he had
| had with Moore, in the course of which
| the defendant had advised him not to
| suffer his sister to appear before Ex-
| aminer Parkey, as the latter was
known to be somewhat rigid in his re-
quirements and was likely to find some
| reason for throwing out the claim for
pension. In the course of another con-
versation, had with Moore when he
and his sister were on their way to Sa-
vannah to appear before Mr.. Parkey,
Moore asked Stephens ito look after
him in the case"
Strbhar's story.
The evidence given by Strobhar was
short and to the point. One of the af-
| f1davits attached to the decIara ton
purports to have been signed by him
and contains a comprehensive and ex-
| haustiVe summary of Simpsons early
life, army service, subsequent career,
marriage and death. Strobhar testified
that his only acquaintance with Simp-
son was during the war and that after
the muster out of their regiment he
| had never seen him. He did not know
of his own personal knowledge that
| Simpson was married, that he ever
lived with his wife or that he was
dead. He swore positively that he had
never made such an affidavit as that
which purported to bear his signature.
These were the only witnesses who
testified yesterday and the commits
sioner adjourned the hearing until
Tuesday to permit the Introduction of
| other evidence on behalf of the gov
eminent. Moore was admitted to bail
in the sum of $500 for his appearance
at the adjourned hearing.
1t is probable that other cases will be
made against him. Examiner Parkey
has investigated large number of
claims with which he has been con-
nected and only in a relatively small
number of instances has 40 evidence
| of fraud appeared.
Hit With SlinR-RhOf.