The Washington times., 1910-09-18

about this time his wife discharged
the servant Ind began to do her own
houSeWork She told her neiEhbors
that her husbands business had been
injured by the exposure OF the IIIi-
nOts Central car repair graft, al
though the car repair company which
She said that they were too poor
to retain servant Upon every hand
were evidences, apparently, that Fitz-
gerald was not a man of wealth.
The Government has had handwriting
experts 10 investigate the currency blot
ter prepared by Fitzgerald February 90
1901, the day. upon which he reported
that Sl4S,Oo0 in currency was missing.
On this blottcr is an entry Of $537. 00O
gold currency, entered in ink over the
figure five is traced the figure three. in
indelibie pencil. Later, the figure FIVE
SEEMS to have been traced again
Allege Shortage Is 100000.
The Government contends at present
that there was really 3 shortage OF S2Csi.-
000. and that the correct figure in pencil
was traced through the habit OF figure
accuracy, which COMES naturally TO one
praCticed il the handling Of large sums
OF money. Government investigators
have been working on the theory that
Fitzgerald. checking his accounts IN All
stracted fashion on the morning that
the theft was discovered. found 500. 90
missing from the $4,000 package-the
former being the amount they suspect
mat fitzgerald took hrst-and that,
without thinking he started to correct
the figure five. in the same automatic
manner employed by him as an assert
ing teller for the past fifteen years
Then, the detectives reason, he prob
ably cane TO himself and ATTEMPTED TO
remove the tell-tale marks.
on the morning the theft is said 70
have occurred a package of $4,000 mu-
tilated money was sent TO the Treasury
department in Washington 1t has been
advanced that whoever stole the Sl73.000
from the Chicago subtreasury counted
upon confusion and the possibility Of
duplicates, and that. accordingly, $1,000
was returned. so that the missing
nGtilated currency sent washington
Thus delav might have been gained,
owing &c the possibility Of erroneous en-
tries and Washington shipment.
Fitzgerald In Fighting Mood
Fitzgerald was suIlen and in fighting
mood upon the day Of his arrest He
objected strongly to being searched and
yehementiy protested against the man
ner in which he had been beset by Sc
cret Service men Recently, however,
he has become more tractabIe- He talks
with his old-tine confidence Of the
lack of proof against him; he is con-
fident OF acquittaI. he believes himself
the victim Of unfortunate circumstance
and he rejOices in the belief in his inno-
cence as evinced by his wife and his
friends.
The Government cant have the
goods on ne, because ] did not take
the money." he said, with a show Of
spirit. They sprung those pencil marks
on me in t'sie original investigation and
laughed e them They said they
bod eunnlor ed handwriting experts to
work or the blotter and I safd-'To
h-H with your txperts'-and showed
them 5hs-t the totals on the blotter
had not been changed
Then they got hold OF man Who
had talked with M about the difficulty
OF cashing a 5000 bill. told him there
would be no trouble about Il al any OF
the larger banks and that the banks
made no record Of the number OF the
bill This yarn was multiplied until
they had II that I had offered this man
500 for every thousand dollar bin he
would get cashed for ne
II I were keen enough 70 steal SI77. 90
do you think I'd be fool enough 10
split with any One7
The Secret Service sleuths have been