The news & observer., 1905-12-19

FORGED DATE ON
MARRIAGE PERS
Woman's Attempt at
Fraud to Get Pension.
IN FEDERAL COURT
Judgment Suspended in the Case Of
Mrs. Clark, Other Cases Heard
and Disposed OF. Two Acquit-
tails and Several Suspen-
sion of Judgment.

In the Federal Court yesterday there
was a pathetic instance of violation
of aw by a white woman of the name
county, indicted for forging a date
upon her marriage certificate in order
to bl ing her case within the provi3-
ions of one of the statutes of the
United States comforting pensions on
the widows of veterans of the civil
war.
1 lie act under which Mrs. Clark
Sought 10 fraudulentiy draw a pension
was that Of the year 1890, by the
provisions of which only widows of
veterans who had married prior to the
year 1890 We're entitled toi pension.
.ars. CLARK was married in 1902 'lni
aIter The death of her husband applied
Tor pension. erasing the date on her
marriage certificate and changing the
Ssnc 10 1888.
When the papers were sent to
Washington, the alteration was at
once discovered and reference to the
marriage records disclosed the fraua
attmpted Nothing was ever paid To
the woman on account of 2 pension
Ihc Witnesses against the woman yes
terday were special examiner Goethe.
torney Wills, OF Washington. ex-regiS-
Ter OF deeds Freeman and Clark of the
Court Boone. OF Hertford County.
Special agert Goethe stated that he
had confronted Mrs. Clark with the
evidence OF her guilt and that Ne mad
made I prompt confession to MIN OF
having changed the date. but said that
while she knew she could not get a
pension if she We're married later than
1890 she had forgotten just when she
was married. 1hc woman also made
a similar statement to the court
After all the evidence was in Mrs.
Clark's attorney Mr. Bridgers, made
a plea to the court for mercy on the
ground of his clients ignorance and
her i'll health and destitute circum-
stances and special examiner Goethe
also made a similar request. saying
that the government had not suffer
ed anything by the attempted fraud
and that the conGition of the prisoner
called for SYM mpathy. District Attor-
ney skinner interposed no opposition
TO the plea. leaving the matter with
the court and Judge Purneil suspended
judgment.
Mrs. Clark, who appeared to be
about forty years of age, is still a
comelV woman although she shows the
traces of ill-health and poverty. Her
appearance was such as TO excite gen
eral sympathy among the spectators
and there was q feeling of relief on
the part of the audience when she
was set free. For awhile after the
bringing of the charge. she had be III
in jail but on account of her sickness
she was released through the good CT
fices of the district attorney on her
own recogniZance. coming to this court
of her own motion.
Other Cases Disposed of.
John Tucker, a Wake Forest negro.
was arraigned for retailing on tic
ground that he had bought iiquor for
a party of Wake Forest negroes. He
was defended by Colonel Harris ana
the testimony was that the negro had
purchased LIQUOR of a Wake Forest
drug store on prescription. In the
failure of the government to show pat
the defendant derived any profit from
the sale of the liquor the jury return
ed a verdict of not guilty under The
charge of the court that his purchase
of the liquor from the drug store.
which held n government license 10
sell. was legal.
Willie Dortch a white boy, charged
with tampering with rural free deliV-
ery boxes was let free on mol pros
owing to nOn-anDearance of two gov
ernment witnesses both of whom are
negroes Dorth has been attending
the court for several terms. trying Z"
obtain trial. and the mol pros was
entered upon the motion of his attor-
ney. V. H. Boyden. ESQ.
Other matters disposed of We're:
Lucy Jones, colored, retailing. ac~
Quilted.
Tom Littlejohn retailing. verdict OF
guilty -, -.
S. Lanier working at still, ludg-
ment suspended.
Maud Adams and Bertha Brown.
notorious Raleigh white women. re-
falling. judgment suspended.