The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-16
| SAY THEY SOUGHT FRAUD, TOO
WHfTMORE AND WILSON DENY
THE BLtCkMAIL CHARGE.
wilson Explains That he Was Only DOins
a Little Private Detective Work and
Got DIR. Mhi,mOrc TO Help IIim-Ar.
raigned and Held In "a, 500 bail Each.

DR. Ben amin T. Whtmors, an employee
~ Parke. Davis 4 Co. Wholesale druggists
- O. Maiden lane. and Henry c. Wilson.
Chief clerk to Col =. NJ Mansfield, the
f. gineer officer in charge Of the harbor
improvements, were arraisned before Mag
trate Cornell in the Tombs police court
yesterday on the charge Of blackmailing
he Water Front Improvem snt Company
ont cf $500. The Magistrate held the
prisoners in g. 800 bail for examination
next TUESDAY, morning
Herbert Tu-rcll f Parke, Davis 4 Co.
gave bail for Whtmore. Owing 10 the
fact that all his friends were out OF town
wilson was unable 70 get a bonismln
Yesterday. hut George Gordon Battle
attorney for both mAn. said that he would
have one on Monday
After DR.. Whitmore had been admitted
10 bail, Mr. Turrell said;
"Dr. Whitmore has been in our employ
for more than ten years, his work being
- interest physicians in our specialties
lie is college graduate, practised medicine
IN 81. Louis and then went to Chicago
where he became connected with our Chi
caGo house. Later he came here
He is member Of several clubs, in.
Guiding the Lotos. and has wide ac-
quaintanCe. part .cularly among physicians
If the highest standing About a year
ago, his daughter married n Mr.. Calhoun
f 81 Louis, the head of the largest dry
goods firm in that city. Mrs. Whitmore,
VINO il Possessed of considerable means,
g IN 81. Louis on visit 10 her daughter.
Il had a talk with DIR. Whitmoro IN court
and hc told Inc that his connection with
his affair came about through his desire
g help his friend wilson. II seems that
"ilson, who, as | understand it. has been
q clerk in the War Department for twenty
years, suspected that somebody was eX-
acting money from the Water Front I'm
lroNpmcn' Company for the Use of Gov
err msnt dredgcs and tugs at Rkers
Ie'ard
Wilson started on an investigation on
his own hook. and ask o,l Whtmore To help
known to the persons with whom he wanted
10 deal II" felt AT liberty 10 ask Whit
mor"'s assistance. because he had once
done n favor for Whtnore. when the latter
%antet 10 call 10 the attention of the War
Department "a beef extract which We were
putting on N" market
Just what the Information was which
Wilson had received don't know, but Whit
nor" consented 10 do what he could and
what he did has got him into trouble |
am confident that Or. Whitmore is legally
and morally innocent In this matter, else
] would, not have gone on his hail, and
that all | know about the matter"
Mr.. Battle couldn't tell much more than
Mr. Turrell could, He said he hadn't been
able 20 get clear understanding of what
Mlson a.. vas trying 70 got at, il, he was sure
that Whitmore had no guilty connection
with the transaction. Mr.. Battle said that
a. nearly As he could learn Wilson wanted
TO unearth fraud, all on his own hook
and get the credit for the work by report
.ng what he had done TO his chief. Col
Mansfield
What lcads me To believe that Wilson
- innocent Of any iuten, ional wrong doing
aid Mr.. Battle. is that he tells me that all
dat "a" did was known To- Mr.. Preston.
lu associate Of his in the Office where he is
Employed. IT that h" true, then we shall
have an interesting story to tell later VII
son says that II A. :. Martin, superin-
;endent Of the Water Front Improvement
company, Dor" him i'll will and u may de-
yelop that Martin was the man for whom
Wilson was cunning
AT the Army Building II was said thai
40 such person as Preston was known
there, but that a clerk In the Office Of Col
Mansfield OF the name Of Coke or Coxey
IL probably the person 20 whom Wilson
refers. Col. Mansfield returned from Port
land, Me-, yesterday morning He said that
he would have nothing to say regarding
wilson's arrest until the latter's desk lad
been examined and until he had received
instruction. from Washington. Wilson
made this statement:
Il may have been foolish to undertake
the work If n detective, but / have done
such work before in the twenty years I've
been III the Government service and |
thought | could do it again. | hoped to
have this business all rounded up in time
to report to Col, Mansfield on Monday
morning. ! received information about
six weeks ago that somebody, whose name
do not care TO reveal, was getting money
for the use of Government dredges and tugs
NJ Riker's Island. ! determined to investi.
gate and here ! am. That's all I care to
-ay at present