New-York tribune., 1910-06-24
WAS W|FE'S BROTHER
Who CAUGHT CHARLTON
Captain Scott Picked Him Out
and Helped Police to Estab-
Iish Identity.
GOT FULL DESCRIPTION
Army officer Denies He Intended
to Shoot Sisters Slayer
Trick Led to Break in
Prisoner S Nerve.

Prisoner S Nerve.
! Captain Henry Harrison Scott. of the
United States coast artillery, was prima-
r,ly responsible for the capture Of Porter
| Charlton ''It was the last service I could
do nv poor sister," he said last night
.I wish to correct couple Of statements
In connection with the affair. however, he
added ST never threatened the man Charl-
! ton with q revolver. / am an army officer,
and have too much respect for the law to
| do that ( had a revolver with me, as had
| expected to be much on the waterfront.
When I went to the office of Chief Hayes
with Charlton and he seemed about to con-
| fess. the chief asked me II / was armed,
| and then asked me to hand over my re-
| yoIver, which 1 did willingly. I do not
deny that when he finally admitted his
| identity I made a nervous motion, but l
never attempted to lay hands on him.
Another erroneous statement has been
made that my trip here was the result of
mission. I am no visionary. My coming
at this particular time was merely the re-
| suit of one Of those condolences that some
times happen, but # was most natural for
me to come Yesterday received a delayed
letter from Charlton containing list OF
names Of persons TO whom he wished me
| to send announcements of his marriage to
my sister.
Clipping Led to Trip.
| In the evening at the post, went over
all the newspaper clippings regarding my
sisters death, and among them I found one
which stated that a man in some way re-
senbling Charlton had boarded the Deutsch-
NV mind that /
| would come to New York and prosecute
! the search myself. L asked my COM
manding officer for leave to come to New
York. and he Immediately granted me a
ten-day leave.
Fort Wright, the post at which 1 am
serving is on Fishers Island, in the Sound,
lust opposite New London, Conn. / deter
mined to start at once, but there was no
steamer that l could board to reach New
York Still I was bound to get away, for
I felt that there were many things 1 would
want to do In New York before the Deutsch-
land arrived At last l got two OF the
soldiers who had a small rowboat to take
me across It was rather a risky journey
for so frail a craft, but we got through
all right. 1 slept at the station In New
London for two hours, and reached the
Grand Central Station in New York shortly
after Z o'clock this morning.
LAS soon as I struck the platform l called
up Police Headquarters. 1 was somewhat
disappointed to learn that Inspector Rus
sell would not reach there before $50. but
I got breakfast in the mean time, and when
the inspector reached his office l was there
Inspector Russell informed me that he had
only an incomplete description Of Charlton
and no good photograph of the man.
He also informed me that the New York
police had no Jurisdiction in Hoboken,
where the Deutschland would dock. I tele-
phoned to Chief Hayes, of Hoboken, and
suggested that we should go down the har-
Dor to meet the ship, but he told me that
it would be useless, as he sSd no authority
on board a foreign ship, and must wait un-
til she docked
City Detective to Help.
Inspector Russell assigned Detective
George M Ross. of his staff, to assist me
in my inquiries. Among the names of per-
ons to whom Charlton had asked me to send
wedding announcements were two or three
men who had worked with him in the Ma
tional City Bank With Detective Ross /
went to the bank. There I got a minute
description of Charlton, his manner, his
accent. and any other point that 1 could
think OF that might be Of use in identifying
him.
Then 1 went over to Hoboken with De-
tective Ross and he introduced me to Chief
Hayes. He came down with us and called
the three detectives, Garrick, Weinthal and
Fallon, who had been assigned to the case.
We discussed the matter for moment,
when one of them remarked: There is a
vessel that has just come in from Italy and
we are standing around, irr case any one
answering the description should come off
her.
"I inquired about the description they
had, and found that it was as incomplete
as the one we all had before had seen the
people at the bank.
Let US go down and look her over I
suggested. We went through two baggage
compartments, and when we came to the
third I saw a young who in a gen.
eral way answered the description I had
got. had not had time to communicate
the description to the Hoboken detectives,
but Ross agreed with me. I went up to
the man and asked whether he was not
Porter Charlton. 1 had been warned at the
bank that he had lots Of nerve, and, al
though it was said that he feared consump-
ton, that he appeared to be in good health.
He denied that he was Charlton, and
said his name was Jack Coleman. When
asked his home he said: Omaha"
That made me more suspicious, and l told
the detectives / believed we had come on
the right man, and that he using the
name Of some man he knew. Then / asked
him to write the name Porter Charlton"
He did so, but purposely misspelled it and
wrote Carleton
I compared the writing with that in the
letter which I had received from him, and
found that there was a strong resemblance.
I had noticed him carefully and saw that
the customs inspector well enough there
was a trembling about his hands, and
remarked to the officers that even If he
was not the man we wanted there was
evidently something the matter with him.
went to the telephone and called up the
National City Bank, and asked them ques
TONS as I found the mans hair was fairer
than l had expected and his eyes bluer. I
got little satisfaction, and when 1 asked
that they send some one who knew Charl-
ton over to Hoboken got an unsatisfactory
reply.
Efforts to Identify Charlton.
When / came back l learned that Ross
had been asking the man questions, and he
had told of having landed In Europe with
only $50 In his pockets. I knew that my
sister had received large sum of money
just before her death. so that confirmed my