Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-10
Warrant Out for Apprehen-
sion Of Attorney Fields.
THE CHARGES MADE
ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT OF AN
ASSOCIATIONS FUNDS.
Certificates Of Deposit Which Were
Said to Have Disappeared,
Restored to Files.

A warrant alleging embeszlement was is
sued from the Police Court this afternoon
for the arrest of Thomas NJ. Fields, the
missing attorney who disappeared from the
city several weeks ago disappeared from the
is alleged, money intrusted to the care Of
himself and Attorney Andrew j. Lipscomb,
as receivers of the Washington Beneficial
and Endowment Association, to which or
ganiZation the funds belonged.
The warrant was issued on complaint Of
Attorney Lipscomb, who made a statement
Of the facts to Prosecuting Attorney Ralph
Given at the Police Court. That official,
after an interview with Mr.. Lpscomb, d.
rected that the paper for Fields arrest he
issued, and went with him to the clerks
office, where it was drawn up. The sum of
81. So. IS is the amount named as having
been appropriated by Fields.
The charge is brought under section 81
of the code, which cites that ANY executor.
administrator, guardian, trustee, receiver,
collector other officer into whose posses
sion money, securities or other property or
the property or estate OF any other person
may come by virtue Of his office or employ
ment, who shall fraudulently convert or
appropriate the same to his own use, shall
forfeit all right or claim to any commits
sions. costs and charges thereon, and shall
be deemed guilty of embezzlement Of the
entire amount value of the money or
other property so coming into his posses
sion and converted or appropriated to his
own use, and shall be punished by fine
not exceeding one thousand dollars &1,0 O0).
or by Imprisonment not exceeding ten
years, or BOTH
Cancelled Certificates Found.
The Cancelled certificates of deposit that
were missing fl ON the records in the Wash
oI,@t
case, tha funds of which. it Is alleged, have
been embezzled by Thomas NJ. Fields. one
of the receivers. have been located. Learn
ing from The Star yesterday that the certi-
ficates in question had disappeared from
among the papers IN the case, 1t was sup
posed in a mysterious mo inner, Mr.. Burr NJ
Edwards made a search and found the GER
tifcate3 among the effects of his father, the
late James 8. Edwards The latter figured
prominently as counsel tn the endowment
association case. Accompanied by Attorney
Nathaniel Wilson, Mr.. Burr N. Edwards
today delivered the certificates that had
been missing to the auditor of the Supreme
Court ct the District of Columbia, and the
latter, with Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Edwards,
proceeded to the Office of the United States
attorney for the District of Columbia and
turned the same over to that official. who
had called for the papers in the case
Trust Company in Nowise Responsible.
The Washington Loan and Trust Com
pany has been absolved from all connec-
ton with the disappearance of the Ger
tificates for four years. The attorney for
the company yesterday placed before the
auditor of the court the latter's receipt
for the certificates The receipt was
signed by the auditor in January, 1900
The body of the receipt Is in the hand
writing of Captain Andrew Parker. treas
urer of the Washington Loan and Trust
Company, and it was signed by the audi
tor while Captain Parker was at the city
hall as a witness in the endowment as
ISOLATION case He left the certificates
with the auditor at that time.
When the late Mr. Edwards left the audi
tors office at the conclusion of the hear
ing. it is assumed, he Internationally bun
died up the certificates with other papers,
anime them. Shortly thereafter he was
taken i'll and died, since which time the
certificates have reposed among his eff
fects. and, of course, could not be located
ance of Mr.. Fields with funds of the as
sociations, the inability to find the certif-
Gates at the city hall and the prompt pro
duction by the Washington Loan and
Trust Company of the receipt signed by
the auditor, for the same gave rise to the
assumption that the certificates had been
improperly extracted from the records at
the city hall. -
This assumption was also believed to have
been warranted because of the fact that 1t
was discovered some time ago that an i'm
portant report was missing from the case.
Fortunately, though, a copy OF the report
was procurable.
Statement by Mr.. Hawken.
In support of his contention that the
certificates never were in the files of the
District Supreme Court, Mr.. s. McComas
Hawken, superintendent of the file room,
office of the clerk of the Supreme Court
of the District of Columbia, today said:
1T is customary to deliver court papers
to the auditor when any case has been re-
ferred to him, upon his giving receipt
This was done In the Beneficial EndoW-
ment Association case. 1t seems that dur
ing the course of the examination, under
the reference to the auditor, these certif-
Gates were produced 1t is quite probable
that Mr. James S. Edwards took the GER
tificates at that time, they not then hav-
ing been formally filed, but merely submit
ted to the auditor, either inadvertently or
for the purpose of preparing hts claim.
There could have been no reason for Mr..
Edwards to have waited until after the
certificates had been filed with the clerk OF
the Supreme Court of the District of Co.
lumbia, because at that time the examina-
ton under the reference had been conciud-
ed and Mr.. Edwards could not have needed
them for any purpose.
Mr. Edwards was very careful man,
and II he had waited until after the certtfi-
Gates had been filed with the clerk of the
court before taking them he would have
broken rule of the court, and this Mr..
Edwards did not do, and, am sure would
not have done. Mr.. Edwards submitted a
brief to the auditor during the course of the
reference, and when the court papers were
returned the brief accompanied them. 1t
Is not usual to retain briefs submitted to
the auditor among the court files, and had
intended to give this brief to Mr.. Edwards
lan CHI In No Aln