The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-11-20
WIDOW ENSNARES
MAN IN ALLEGED
LETTER SW|NDLE
Mrs. Frank Gardner, Sister-in.
Law of Former Police Com
missioner, Causes Arrest.

Becoming suspicious of the purpose
afhinating a man who had been writing
letters to her husband for the past
month. Mrs Frank Gardner. sister-in-
law of former Police Commissioner
Gardner, with the aid of the police.
laid 80 clever trap for him that he
was arrested, arraigned and held today
for the action of the grand jury under
$500 bail.
Mrs. Gardner's husband died in Sep
.ember and 1t WAS several weeks later
hat the first .of the letters addressed
70 him reached the house at 10l South
eighth street. In these letters the
writer. who signed his name William
H. Ward, spoke frequently of meeting
Gardner In 1907 in this city, and sx-
pressed his appreciation of the latter's
kindness to hlm. He declared that his
uncle in st. Louis had recently died
and left him a comfortable fortune and
that as soon as he was able 10 leave
the hospital he would go to claim II.
He said tnat he would not forget his
good friend Gardner. In ali of the let
ters and the post cards Ward wished
10 be remembered most kindly indeed
TO Mrs. Gardner.
One of the postcards bore the picture
of the Van Norden Trust Company OF
Manhattan. where, Ward had naively
let it be known, he kept his securities
and other valuables. Another bore the
portrait of a turkey and the slogan,
"Hurrah for New Jersey
In his letters Ward promised that
some day he would drop over to New
ark and pay his old friend Gardner
visit.
After the receipt of the second let
ter Mrs. Gardner paid a little visit to
Captain Long at the Fifth Precinct
station. and after a conference left the
station house looking pleased with her
self and the world.
Yesterday Ward paid his long prom
ised visit to the Gardner house. In
the course of a friendly chat he let
slip the information that he would need
about 1926 to defray the expenses OF
his trip to st. Louis when he went out
| to get his fortune. He was naturally
| shocked to learn of the death Of his
old friend and tookeit pretty hard for
Ia few minutes, but soon got mack 10
| the subject of the expenses. When
Ward appeared a neighbor of Mrs.
Gardner, according to a prearranged
plan, telephoned Captain Long at the
Fifth Precinct station. Ward was just
warming up to his theme when the bell
rang. The door was opened, and Pa
trolmen Thornton and Pickel of the
Fifth Precinct. were ushered into the
ROOM When they returned to the sta
tion house Ward accompanied them.
The prisoner refused to discuss his
plight yesterday, but is alleged to have
said to Plainclothesman McCabe, who
questioned him today, that 1t was his
intention 10 get Mrs. Gardner inter-
ested in his new fortune SO that she
would in time grow Interested in him,
and thus he would win home. He had
in his pocket another obituary notice
which he was holding as an alternative,
it is believed. Ward said he was so
years old, that he was an engraver and
lived In Elizabeth. He was arraigned
before Judge Herr in the Second Pre-
cinct Court today and held in $500
bail for the action of the grand jury
The following letter, dated Novem-
ber II, was the opening gun in Ward s
campaign of correspondence, ,and was
addressed to Frank Gardner:
Dear Friend Frank hope you and
Mrs Gardner are in the best of health.
| met you in Newark N. j., in the year
1907. with my dear uncle. you may re-
member He died November "a. 1908,
and left a fortune to me. I am not
! forgetting your kind and good advice
to me when met you in Newark. l
will tell you. Dear Sir, do not want
anyone to know about my fortune but
dear friend Frank and Mrs. Gardner
my dear wife, son and daughter died
last February, 1909. You do not know
how feel, all alone in this world for
| twenty two months, a sick man in a
hospital. / thank the Lord I will be
fContinued on Second Page)