The San Francisco call., 1903-12-04
Grand Jury IndictS
st. Louis Social
Leader.

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 3.-James L. Blair,
formerly general counsel of the Louisi-
ana Purchase Exposition, was this aft
ernoon indicted by the Grand Jury on
charge Of forgery irf the first degree.
Blair has been i'll for several weeks in
a local hospital, and for time his life
was despaired of.
The Indictment is the result of
charges filed by James t. Roberts, an
attorney at one time employed in
Blair's office. Roberts procured certain
papers and records, on which he after
ward based his charges that Blair was
juggling the finances of large estates
committed TO his trust. Roberts pub
licly charged that Blair had forged
deeds of trust and mortgages on which
$50 600 was obtained from the estate of
the late Peter Blow of st. Louis, and
that he had counterfeited and used no
tarial seals of the Recorder Of Deeds of
st. Louis, and frequently employed
walter F. Jenkins" purely fictitious
parsonage, to attest the documents.
Blair characterized Roberts accusa-
tions as a tissue of falsehood, woven
around a few grains of fact"
DICKS DEFY THE COURTS.
Blair acted as sort of fiscal and in
vestment agent for the firm of Dick
Brothers of Philadelphia and New
York Evans r. Dick, the head of the
firm. was cotrustee with Edward S.
Robert in the Blow estate.
The Grand Jury requested the Dicks
and their attorney to come. to ST. Louis
to testify, but they ignored the sum-
mons.
Following the Blair expose, Mrs.
Blair, who was chairman of the board
of lady managers of the fair, resigned
her position, and since then the Blairs
have sold their costly home and she has
disposed of her jewels and her fine
stable of horses.
BASED ON ALLEGED FoRGERIES.
Each indictment is based on the al
legged forgery by Blair Of a deed of
trust to secure loan from the estate
Of Peter Blow of ST. Louis, OF which he,
as a trustee. had charge. One indict-
ment alleges that on December 10, 1896,
Blair filed for record a forged deed in
favor of Michael O'Laughlin and his
wife, Johanna, to Louisa Meyer for
s12, ,oo0 Notes and property near Four
teenth and Spruce streets We're given as
security.
The other indictment charges that on
July 10, 1895, Blair filed forged deed
for $780, 900 in favor of Elizabeth and
John Dwyer and the st. Louis Trust
Company, their agent, to Otto NJ. Mes
mer. 1t covered eleven notes and prop
erty at Seventh and Pine streets. The
indictments also charge Blair with for
gerry of the seal of the st. Louis Re-
corder of Deeds The indictments were
assigned to Judge Daniel D. Taylor's
division of the Circuit Court
ACCUSED MAN GIVES BOND.
Blair gave bond in the sum of S10.-
000 Before the deputy sheriffs started
for the hospital with the capias word
was received through one Of the de-
fendant's attorneys that Blair would
appear personally before Judge Taylor
and give bond. The capias was with
drawn and Blair's appearance was
awaited. Later a closed carriage hur-
riedly drove up TO the Circuit Court
and Blair. accompanied by counsel and
friends. was received in chambers by
Judge Taylor. Less than fifteen min
utes was spent in arranging the bond. |
Blair was evidently in great pain. He
walked with crutches and was assisted
by friends Nothing was said outside
Of matters pertaining to the bond, and
as soon as the bond was accepted Blair
and his companions returned to their |
carriage and Immediately drove back
to the hospital.