The Washington times., 1908-06-03
Chief Wilkie Takes Stand
and Tells of DR.. Spears
Confession to Him.
FOUND THE LETTERS
ON TABLE IN ROOM
Had No Intention OF Theft When
He Took ChectA, Says.Young
OficS2

Cnief Will1ie, OF the Secret Servfss,
was the principal witness for the prose
cution ia the trial before the court
| martial at the Washington navy yard
this morning Of Assistant Surgeon
David A. Spear. After testifying as a
| handwriting expert that the alleged
| forged Endorsements on the backs Of
the pay checks OF Surgeon Z. J. Grow
and Assistant Surgeons Alderman and
| stibeens were made by DIT. Spear, adr.
Wilkie testified that during the investi-
cation Of the case by the Secret Service,
| DR.. Spear had made q fun confession
| OF guilt 10 him.
Chief Wilkie said that DR.. Spear was
asked 10 come 70 his office 10 give
the Secret Service some Information He
| came in response 10 this request and
| talked 10 Assistant Chief Moran. During
| this interview. which was brief. Mr.
Moran asked Dr. Spear when ana whers
he had gotten his pay checks. He said
| that he had met the letter carrier On
the afternoon delivery OF April l6, when
he was standing across the street from
any mail for himself and had received
a letter inc.osing his pay check He
said that he knew nothing OF the others.
| IAe afternoon Of Nay 25 DF. Spear
/ was again summoned 10 Chief wilkes
orhce. arriving there at $40 O'Clock. A.
! Ter closing the door, Chief WilHie told
MIN deliberately that he wished 70 talk
/ 70 MIN about the forged pay checks OF
MS brother officers. and that he pulled
l9heSe out rim under a blotter on his
desk. he told the doctor that he. and
otheF handwriting experts Of his d.
sion were absolutely certain that he was
responsible for the alleged forgery.
Women, Booze or Poker?"
| He asked him why a man OF his in
teiligence ana character should do such
thing. so the chief testified; whether
he was in trouble. and II il was women.
| booze. or poker.
Dr.. sDeas replied that 1t was not
poker. but booze.
Chief Wilkie testified that he then
| moralized with DR.. Spear as 10 his
bright prospects and about doing things
that would ruin such prospects right
on the threshold Of his career.
AT this JunctUre Commander Wells, OF
the judge advocate generals Office OF
the navy, was summoned by direction
OF Chief Wilkie. he was introduced 10
Df- spear and Chief Wilkie asked the
DOCTOR IN his presence II il was not a
fact that he had offered him no induce
ment 10 tell what he had told and that
as q man Of intelligence, II he did not
Know tLat Wnat he had said and any
Ihlhg n would say, would be used
against him. To this Dr. Spear replied
| in ths affirmative
II is also apparent that the defense
VIII endeavor 10 show that the indorse-
ments were not fOrgeTies by reason OF
| the assumption that DT. Spear made no
| effort to conceal his own handwriting
Pay Inspector S. L Heap testified TO
/ drawing the checks in favor of the Of
/ hcers on their pay account. He testi-
/ ned as 10 having previously seen them,
and also 70 his own signature.
Sent Out Checks.
/ n, A. Wright a clerk in his Office. tes-
| titled 10 making out the body Of the
| checks and to sending the mout in the
usual manner. He also testified as 10
/ the handwriting. expressing the belief
| that the signatures We're not genuine.
/ having compared them with originals,
but said that he had arrived at no def
mite conclusion as TO whose handwrit-
/ ing they were. Later in his examination
| he said that he had come 70 the ooncIu-
/ sion that :hey were in the handwriting
| Of Assistant Surgeon Spear.
| In reply TO questions by Captain Bar
| nett, president Of the court, he said THAI
/ he had come 10 this conclusion before
/ DR.. Spear was placed under arrest.
! On cross examination by Colonel Bry-
| an, attorney for DR.. Spear. he sair that
| he noticed, on close examination Of the
| signatures on the check, "a great sim
/ ilarity 10 Dr. DR.. Spears hand writing.
! He said, however. that the signatures
| resembled, in som respects, The sig
/ natures of the payee.
| Chief Wilkie said.
DIR. Spear said that after getting his
| own check from the nail man ne nad
/ returned to the apartment and found
| letters addressed 10 his brother officers
| on the table near the Telephone oper-
| atOr. This was shortly after o. clock.
No Intention of Theft.
! "He said that he had no deliberate
| intention Of taking the letters and
! did not come in with that object in
view and with prompting from Chief
| WilSie said that he did not know why
he had taken them, but reached for
| them on the spur of the moment. He
| then went TO his room. Later he vert
| out. and while walking along ] street,
! opened the letters, took out the checks,
/ tore the envelopes up and threw them
| away.
He wrote the Endorsements on them
/ in the cash division of the Treasury on
/ the morning of the 18th, and had no
I trouble in obtaining the money"
| Chief Wilkie said he asked him what
| he would do by way OF restitution, and
he said that he had $50 In cash and
| could get the balance from his father
| Chief Wilkie then suggested that along
with Commander Wells ne should go 10
| the Secretary OF the Navy. This was
all, said Chief Willde. that he knew or
the case
Judge Advocates Statement.
As soon as the court convened this
morning, First Lieutenant Rosseif Judge
advocate of the court. or prosecuting
officer. made his opening statement He
declared that the prosecution would
prove that fraud had been perpetrated
on the United States Governments that
the checks for claims against the Gov
eminent had been paid but that the
claims were not satisfied thereby; that
this fraud was peTpetratsd By Assistant
Surgeon Spear. that the accnsed -