Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-09
HAD BIG NOTES OUT
leonidas H. Preston Was Many
/. Thousands. Short.
WIFE THOUGHT HIM RICH
Until He Asked Her to Lend Him
$500 the Other Day.
HE HAD A SALARY OF S12, 500
Left Note Saying That He Had
Faith in God-Suicide il
Now Admitted.
|WIFE THOUGHT HIM RICH
HE HAD A SALARY OF $12, 500

| NEW YORK, March 9.-Busfness asSo-
ciates of Leonidas H. Preston. secretary
and manager of the Thinker Roller Com
pany, undertook today thorough investi-
cation of the tangled affairs of Mr.. Pres
| ton. who died suddenly in his apartments
| In the Hotel Cumberland from prussic acid
poisoning just as his partners were about
| to call on him to ask for an explanation of
his conduct of the company,,s business. The
! district attorneys Office also continued an
| investigation of the circumstances attend
| ing his death.
Mr. Preston came to New York from Dali
las, Tex, several years ago and was re-
| puted to own considerable property near
| Dallas and to be heir to an estate in New
| Orleans reported to be valued at 100000
| Investigations up to the present have not
| located any of this property, and Mr.. Pres
| tons associates now believe that he had
lately suffered heavy personal losses and
| had involved the affairs Of the Timken
| Company. 1t is said that his wife haC eeen
led to believe that Preston was very
| wealthy. His brother in Paris, Tex, has
| informed PrestonS associates that he does
not know of the existence of the reported
fortune of 100000.
Salary Of $4,000.
| AS secretary and manager of the Tim
ken Roller Company Preston received
| salary VI $l-,oVO d year III liNeo III a
fine suite in the hotel with Mrs. Preston,
who was formerly saleswoman in a New
York department store. Last Thursday
| afternoon three members of the Thinker
| Roller COmpany-William r. Thinker, E.
| R. Hewitt and Leonard Gray-called at
| the hotel. Preston sent for them to come
| to his room and then excused himself to
his wife and a guest of the latter, went
| to the bath room, and on returning ex-
PRED suddenly before his associates ar
rived 1t was at first stated that he died
| of natural causes, but an autopsy insisted
upon by his partners showed the presence
| of the poison.
The Thinker Company at once employed
an accountant to examine Preston's books
| to ascertain whether it's funds were in
| tact. This investigation is now in prog
| ress.
Mr.. Beekman's Statement.
Charles R. Beekman, counsel for E. r.
Thomas, said today:
Il fear and suspect that we shall find
| that Preston had overdrawn and the COM
| pany is perhaps embarrassed. OF course.
l do not know that yet, and it may not
| be SO, but fear it greatly.
while neither myself nor any of the
men In the Office here knew much about
Mr.. PrestOn's social life we did not even
know where In New York he lived He
| was not wealthy. There was a report
yesterday that he was about to inherit
some $4,000 from great estate in
New Orleans. So far as we can find out
this is nonsense. The brother in Paris
Tex. with whom we have been in COM
munication today, does not know OF any
such money"
That Leonidas NJ Preston, secretary and
manager of the Thinker Roller COMPANY
had forged the name of E. r. Hewitt, one
OF the members of that company, to notes
aggregattng 81 coo to 500. 900 was the sub
stance of a statement made to the coroner
today by James A. Shea, counsel for Mrs.
Preston.
Said He Was Insane.
1t was also discovered today that Preston
| left note saying that he had been insane
| for some time. The statement by Mr.. Shea
| was made at coroner's inquest into the
cause of Preston's death. Mr. Shea tesu-
| fed that E. r. Hewitt son of the late
| Mayor Hewitt. had informed him that Pres
| tons books showed the forgeries but the
| investigation was not yet complete One of
| the alleged forged notes was for $1,000, and
was due on the day of Prestons death
April / next.
In card case in a pocket of Mr. Pres
tons clothing Mr.. Shea found the following
message, scrubbed in lead pencil on a
business card:
Faith in God.
I'm case of death or serious accident to
me notify my wife, Mrs. L. NJ Preston. care
of Hotel Cumberland, New York; my moth
er. Mrs. c. c. Preston, 21S Reaves street.
Tyler, Texas; Edward NJ. Preston, College
station Texas; Mrs. ]. o. Mathews, care of
Rice. Silk & Company, st. Louis; E. w. r.
Thinker, Canton. Ohio. My wife,s wishes to
be considered first in all things
Il realize that l am, AID have been for
some time, insane. 1 have lost my mind
my power to grasp things. my memory. I
have lost everything except my firm faith in
God and His Son, Jesus Christ l am in
His hands. and l leave 1t all to Him. He
has been my refuge and strength and will
never forsake me- Imp"
Preston also directed that in the event
of his death the full amount of life in
surance policy be paid to his wife.
Mrs. Anna G. Preston, Preston's widow,
testified before the coroner that Preston
was betting on the horse races throughout
his recent visit to New Orleans. She said
she had supposed Preston VS. wealthy I'M
til two days before his death. when he asked
her to loan him 500. She declared that she
was destitute. The hearing was adjourned
to await the report OF a physician as to
the contents of PreSton'S stomach