The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-06-04
EX-CONvICT MADE
MONEY BY THE
BARREL
Sky-Rocket Career in Georgia
of A. D. Oliver.
BOUGHT BANKS AND LANDS
Was Arrested While Trying to Escape
in an Automobile Loaded Down
With Money.

cambridge, Ga, A. ID. Oliver who
posed as a multi-millionaire, duped
Georgia citizens out OF thousands oil
J dollars and married one of the pretti
| est young women in this section OF
the state, has been positively identi
fed as an escaped convict with an un.
expired term OF eleven years hanging
over his head.
The identification was made yester-
day morning by Sheriff T. o. Jones of
| Aberdeen county, Miss, and came as
a climax to the arrest of Oliver sever
al days ago when he was fleeing with
ais young bride in automobile
Sheriff Jones re; ehed cambridge
yesterday morning and Immediately
went to the Jail The moment he saw
the ex-banker he positively declared
that the prisoner was a fugitive from
the Mississippi penitentiary, where
he was known as Charles Harding.
The sheriff stated that Oliver, alias
Harding, was arrested in Aberdeen
county, Miss. May 30, 1908 and re-
manned in jail under various charges
for several weeks, finally being con-
victed on all counts brought against
him. The sheriff said that Oliver es-
capped from the penitentiary on Dec.
81, 1905. Several days after his es-
cape Oliver reached this section pen
niless, but in a very short time he was
reputed to be worth millions and be-
gan buying banks, sawmills and prop
erty throughout the whole state. oil.
yer in a few weeks became famous for
ais ready replies to all propositions.
This applied to land. houses and
stocks, in fact everything that was
purchasable He had the reputation
of never refusing to trade and he al
ways paid a small proportion in cash,
and insisted that the seller deposit
the money in one of divers many
banks, and thus the endless chain of
kiting continued until divers trades
amounted into the hundreds Of thous-
ands
He purchased automobiles at whole.
sale and gave them away right and
left to his newly made friends He
built many fine houses and the whole
country stood aghast at his wealth and
his business ventures.
Oliver found time to court Miss
Rose English, daughter of a promi-
nent family and married her, giving
ler diamonds worth $4,000 as we'd
ling present. He lived like a prince
and spent money lavishly upon his |
Young bride. He established elegant |
stables and bought blooded horses and
almost weekly added to his stock of
lie bought more banks and more
ands and signed contracts for the
building of towns in the prairie coun-
ry and drew at will on New York
ranks. His Waterloo came when n
heck for $4,000 given to an Albany
contractor was returned unpaid A
warrant was issued for Oliver, and his
rrest followed his flight in an auto
mobile with his bride. When Oliver.
has Harding, was arrested in Balm.
ridge it is said his automobile was
alf full of bills of large denominat-
'ns' wrapped in newspapers.
Immediately following his arrest he
uttered a collapse and was released
n bail, as his mental condition an.
cared to be serious. Additional war.
ants were issued and he was again !
laced in jail. The four banks bought
y Oliver have been looted Oliver '
not only wanted in Mississippi but
Is wanted in Atlanta and Birming.
am by the Federal authorities.
IL Is said that he mas served a term
the Ohio penitentiary for obtaining
almonds under false pretenses. It is
iid also that he has three other I
ives. T