The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-10-15

n.
missed from the Pension Office. and
others who became familiar swith the
circumstances of his case. feel that a
fair and complete presentation of the
matter has not yet been publicly made
This feeling is the reason for the fol-
lowing letter from Hugh NJ Sterling.
counsel for Mr.. Evans:
To the Editor of The Times:
The statement appearing in your is
sue of October 1, relative to the dis
missal of A l. Evans from the Pen
sion Bureau. is SO far from being a
correct presentation of the case that
a great injustice has been done Mr.
Evans, and Ii becomes my duty, as
his counsel, to supply you with true
statement Of the facts
For fifteen years Mr.. Evans had been
in the Pension Bureau and by success
sive promotions from a messenger had
reached the position of assistant chief
of the stationary section. He was re-
garded as very efficient in this posi-
ton. having brought about many econ
omies. and. in the words OF Chief Clerk
Bayley to me, he had brought order
out OF chaos and was in line for fur
Their promotion"
In June last some boys broke into and
ransacked the loft of a stable belong
ing TO Mr.. Evans and his brother, and
were arrested. having in their posses
sion property which they confessed to
have taken from the stable. This pro-
perty consisted of telegraph instru-
ment. a steam gauge of an automobile.
medical dictionary. some tablets, and
a miscellaneous assortment of station
cry, such as pens. pencils. ink wells.
etc. all of which by its condition and
appearance indicated some age.
Property Was His.
Mr.. Evans on being notified irnmedi-
ately called at the station where the
property was taken. and, according to
his statement and that of Mr. Thomp-
son. the desk sergeant. he identified the
property. saying that the telegraph in
strument was his; that the steam
gauge had been left at his ho-,e by a
tenant of the stable: that the medical
dictionary and the tablets and blank
books had been among the effects of
his late father. John q. Evans. who
was special examiner in the Pension
Bureau. and whose death occurred as
the result of an elevator accident in the
Pension Bureau shortly after his return
from the field; and that the miscellane-
Gus stationery was the property of his
brother, who at that time was in New
York
The inventory of all this property pre-
pared at the station showed an arbitrary
valuation of about SIS. but of this
amount the stationery junk formed but
trffiing part
Mr.. Evans might have refused TO
prosecute. but did so only out of a sense
of duty. and because the police authori-
ties requested it His action in signing
the information and giving a receipt for
all the property was entirely proper.
AT the office of the Prosecuting At
torney for the Juvenile Court the father
OF one of the boys claimed in MrN Evans
presence that the property belonged to
the Government. but this, although de-
signed TO deter Evans from prosecuting,
did not alter his determination or give
him any concern, as II might have IL he
had appropriated Government property.
Mrs. Dunlop, mother of one of the
boys brought the matter to the atten-
ton of the Commissioner of Pensions.
and forthwith a preliminary investiga-
ton was ordered, and for this purpose
request was made for the property
Evans courted the fullest investigation
and was anxious in every way to assist
therein.
An Eyelet Punch.
All that this investigation developed
was the fact that Mr. Evans had Dor
rowed small eyelet punch. together
with some eyelets of three different sizes.
in order to put two or three eyelets of