Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-12-04
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ed for Stealing Bonds.
FreepOrt Man Has Been in Bay
State Prison II Months.
News Received by Counsel Wing,
Wednesday, In Auburn.

Shaw, formerly of Freeport, who was
in June, 1912, sentenced to from three
to five years in the Massachusetts
states prison for the theft of $4,000
from the A. w. Shaw Boot and Shoe
Co., was, on Wednesday morning,
granted an unconditional pardon, ac
cording to a message received, this
noon, from Judge George c. Wing of
Auburn, his counsel.
The grounds upon which the par
don was asked were:
Shaw had made restitution of all
the money misappropriated by him.
Shaw had been sufficiently punish
ed for his wrong doing.
The law has been thoroughly salts
fed.
Judge Wing has been at work upon
the case of Shaw for some months
and had prepared it with the great
care for which he is noted. When he
appeared before Governor Foss and
Council in Boston he was ready to
set forth the case clearly and in an
understandable manner. That he had
the evidence is shown by the fact that
the pardon was granted without con-
ditions.
The case of Shaw is one of the
most interesting which has develop
ed in Maine in many years and for
weeks during February and March,
1912, held the attention of all New
England because of the many sensa-
tional features which developed.
Mr.. Shaw founded the shoe COM
pany, which he was later convicted
of defrauding, in 1886. A factory was
established at Freeport and prosper
ed. The business grew from year to
year and from time to time the fac
tory was enlarged. Mr. Shaw had
absolute charge of the books and was
held in the highest confidence by en-
ployes, business associates and the
citizens of Freeport. At the time of
the defalcation became known the
weekly payroll of the concern was
$4,000, while the plant had floor space
of $4,000 square feet and capacity
of 1900 pairs of shoes per day.
Wrote His Partner.
The first intimation anyone had that
there was trouble with the concern
was when, on Feb. II, 1912, the an
nouncement was made that receivers
had been appointed for the company
j and that Mr.. Shaw in a letter to his
partner, T w. Amick, had stated that
he was defaulter.
In this letter, which was made pub
lie at the time. Shaw stated that he
had been playing the stockmarket. He
said that year before he had clean
ed up 100000 in stocks, but that not
satisfied to stop there he went after
millions and lost. To cover losses and
in the hope of retrieving himself he
had used the money of the firm. He
then stated that he was going on
board ship and end his life by jump
ing into the ocean.
Fer a day or two the suicide theory
was accepted. At the expiration OF
that period there came a suspicion that
/ Shaw was not dead. 1t was felt he had
not even boarded a steamer. Informa-
ton was brought to light which indi-
Gated there was a woman in the case
On Feb. 10, seven days after the sui
eide letter was made public, the wo-
man in the case was brought to light
She was Mrs. George M Stewart OF
Boston. She admitted meeting Shaw
Feb. l. Late that day, she was arrest
ed under very dramatic circum-
stances. Boston officers visited heI
apartments armed with a warrant fol
her arrest. The woman defied them
She refused to open the doors. Inspec-
tors Sheehan and Gaddis then forced
the door open and took the woman into
custody.
This Mrs Stewart was a former
Maine woman. She spent her childhood
in Norway and lived for a time al
Yarmouth, while she had brother liv-
ing, at the time, in Lewiston.
Caught in Los Angeles.
on the day following the arrest OF
Mrs. Stewart in Boston the Los Ange-
les, Cal, police arrested Arthur S
Willis on suspicion that he was Shaw
He was later identified as the wanted
man and officers from Boston went to
the Pacific coast to bring him back
East
Shaw declared that he had stolen
nothing. The missing bonds, he said
were taken from his pocket while he
slept on a train.
The Suffolk county, Mass, grand
jury, on March 4, 1912, returned two
indictments against Shaw charging
him With the larceny of s33, 756 from the
shoe companies in which he was inter
ested. Mrs. Stewart was also indict-
ed for receiving stolen goods.
Shaw's trial opened, May 90, 1912
and the jury returned a verdict OF
guilty, June II. The same verdict was
returned against the woman, who was
tried at the same time. On June 20
Shaw was sentenced to from three tC
! fire years in the state prison, as told
in the foregoing.
Gov. Haines Signed Pardon Petition.
An Associated Press dispatch re-
ccived by the Lewiston Journal, or
Wednesday afternoon, stated that
Gov. Haines of Maine was among tho
| signers of the petition to Governor