The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-24
PRLSOl.
 FRC1,.

Duffy. attorney for Boidenweck stat ed that to-morrow Fitzgerald would be removed from State to Federal Ju-
 Had other Deals.
 The detectives, 1t is said were un- able to satisfy Mfr. Bodenweck's cu- Fiosity as to how much of the siTs.- 900 it would be possible to recover. Aside from the specuiations already mentioned, it Is stated that Fitzgerald was interested in other. deals. and De- tsctive Young Is authority for the statement that Fitzgerald had become financially involved even before the colossal theft with which he Is charE- cd.
 Asked for the motive which prompt ed the deed, Mir. Young said that he had reason to believe that part of the money went to satisfy a previously contracted speculative debt and he as- serted that he had evidence that the prisoner had been implicated in other thefts prior to the coup of February goth of last year.
 The continuation that any of the sub-treasury officials had of short age was on Wednesday afternoon. when Fitzgerald. who had been a gov ernment employe for seven years. walked from his cage over to the cashier. F. c. Russell and told him that he was short 917s,OO0. What Is that7 Short s17s.000? Why man, what Is the matter with your
 T am not fooling Mr. Russell ! tell you that I am short 3173.o00."
 An examination of Fitzgeralds books showed that the shortage was not a matter of book-k 5eping. but of actual loss. Further investigation, lf Is said, developed that by a strange coincidence that the balance retained by the asserting teller in his custody the night before was the exact amount of money missing. Inquiry at Wash ington showed that the money had not been shipped there by mistake.
 Thomas |. Porter. chief of the Unf- ted States Secret Service in Chicago. ascertained that three previous theffs had taken place. it is alleged. in Fits- gerald's cage prior to this time. These losses are respectively $500. s600 and ss00.
 Fitzgerald. when questioned. laid suspicion upon a party of worlxmen who had been employed about the sub treasury the day previous. The money. Fitzgerald said. lay in stacks upon his desk in dark corner of the cage and might easily have been reached from under the grating. He said at least a dozen men had access to the cage.
 AA4A EA NAu HAhlAAcu AUV4t EA NNtsVNV each day. It was his custom each night to lock the Iaoney In his private steel box. Fitzgerald constantly as- serted hts innocence with an air of injured dignity, which finally was rf-' fective in the absence of direct evil dence In diverting suspicion in other directions.
 John F. wflxIe. chief of the United States Secret Service. after consul tatton with secretary shaw. of the Traaaury, and fresideat Roosevelt took persona1 charge oe the case A widespread ana systematic iilvestjga- f ton, eoverlrk tiie whole country fol- lowed. but without obtAining sufficient evidence to warrant an arrest. NoSre- ward. however, was offered.
 Says Client is Inmoeent.
 Edward R. .Litzinger, formerly q candidate for the ofIlce of states Att torney and an intimate friand of Fitz- gerald, who was summoned soon after the arrest aud his services enlisted as counsel while refusing Co go into details of the case today expressed his belief in his clients innocence and termed the arrest iTridiculous and sb- surd." sa
 Absolutely and unequivocally ], and all of. Fitzgerald's friends, declare him innocent of the crime with which hc is charged" he said. "Not only is he innocent, but he has absolutely no knowledge as who stole that money. if 1t was stolen. have known him for twenty years personally and he is a good man morally and socially. All his friends will stand Dy hru until he is shown to be innocent. or is proved guilty beyond all doubt.
 'sThe case Is not one that the States | Attorney should handle. but under stand that the warrants were sworn out before Judge Chetlain because they could not find Federal judge" l Captain T. l. Porter. head of the | United States Secret Service in Chi- | cago. in an interview tonight. inti- | mated that the arrest of Fitzgerald | was made prematurely and that there | was doubt in his mind as to the strength of the case against him.. ! ----------------------