Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-10-18

Arthur I. Vorys at Lancaster, ONO,
and on July 80, 1880, the claim Tor Slooo
was allowed.
Vorvs operated through a pension
firm in Washington and two dralts on
the treasury were sent to Mrs. Ehsllsil
for the amount. She took them 10
Vorys. not knowing what she should
do He told her that that was TO
settle her pension claim and to make
her mark. She made her mark IN the
presence of Vorys and thus indorsed
+ha drafts. Vorys advised her to take
from him, so she would have nome
of her own, a house Whlcn ne OWL
at $500. She, assuming that he was ner
friend. took the house from him tor
Sso0 and he then turned over to her,
in addition to this house, $35l.25, winch
the re.der will observe, does not make
I'm bv about $500 the amount sent 10
her in drafts from Washington. he
charged her a fee of SAL and that with
the house and the $351.25. he told her'
made s1192.25, which was all that she
had received.
His offense
An old veteran read in the National
Tribune. a soldier paper published IN
washington, that Mrs. Engllsh mao
been allowed that large amount OF
back pension money and went 10 co,i-
gratulate her. She told him what she
had received--the house, $500, ana the
$351.25. He said that she had peen
cheated. She went with him to the
prosecuting attorney, stated the Lacls'
the soldier comrade of her son snow
ing the COPY of the National tribune.
The prosecuting attorney went to
Vorys, who was an attorney in Lam
caster, Ohio, not a kid by any means
and a very shrewd one, as his treat
ment of this woman manifestly showed:
He threatened to prosecute MN anu
report him to the department at WASH
Ington. He was reported to the de-
nartnent The commissioner of pen
sions wrote him to explain himself ana
why he had kept back the old woman's
money. He made the foolish plea,
which was not worth the paper on
which it was written, that he kept
back her money to keep 1t from the
hands of her second husband a man
given to drinking. Why did ne not
keep back all the money except wnat
he took for the house II his opJect
was to protect her from her second
husbands Incorporate habits?
The commissioner of pensions turned
the case over to the secretary or the
interior. who ordered him to notify
Vorys that unless he could give sat
isfactory explanation he would be dis
barred. Thereupon Norys Wrote
long letter to Commissioner Dudley
irving to Justify his course. The COM
missioner wrote him that his excuse
was not even sworn to, and at once
reported the case to the secretary OF
the interior, who ordered him dis
barred. He was restored after our
good and sanity friend, Mark Hanna
came into power, in November, 1897.
The case was investigated thorough
rKafG a IL
ary. 1881, Vorys received notice that
his statement was not satisfactory.
Then Special Agent Shepard investi-
gated the charges of improper acts on
July 10, 1881, and recommended Vorys'
suspension, which was ordered by w.
W. Dudley, commissioner of pensions
and on July 26, 1881, over year after
the transaction between him ana the
old woman, Vorys was diSbarred and
his certificate as notary public was
withdrawn. So he was old enough to
have a certificate as a notary public
from the interior department. Fifteen
wears later, on November 2, 1897, Vorys
filed a petition for reinstatement to
date from the time of his dlsbarment'
Certain influences prevailed and ne
was restored, but no open inquiry was
made.
Vorys Silent
The facts in this case, in substance
as above, were first made public in the
Fairfield County Republican of April
10, 1900, and published in the Cincin-
natl Enquirer on either that or the fol-
lowing day. Vorys has carefully aovid-
ed making any statement himself con-
corning this case. The record is in
the files of the interior department in
one of the bonud volumes and can be
seen by any person interested enough
to look it up. 1t will be found In the
public library at Columbus, Ohio.
He was selected to serve as Mr.. Taft's
boomer by Charles p. Taft of Cincin-
natl. and Charles p. Taft using the
presidents theory in regard to Mr..
Bryan's knowledge of Haskell, must
have known that Mr.. Vorys had been