Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-01
Former Bank President Given Lib
erty After Years in Jail by Judge
Who Declares His History Ri
walls That Of Monte Cristo.
Sent to Changing in Georgia as
L. c. Harding, Court Now Holds
He's absolutely Not the Man"
Tells Story to Sunday American.

A. ID. Oliver, the lavish spending
president of the Climax, Ca, bank at
the time of its sudden failure in 1909,
and a prominent figure in South
Georgia social life, where he cut a
wide swath until his spectacular
downfall and imprisonment on charges
IL bigamy and false pretenses, is free
again after convincing a Mississippi
Judge. that he is the victim Of one OF
the strangest cases of mistaken iden-
tity in real life or fiction.
''Wallingford," ''frenzied financier,"
love diplomat" and the less eupho-
NOUS designations of "swindler''
thief and bank wrecker" are the
names that have been given Oliver
during his remarkable career.
Only two days out of the Missis-
sippi prison farm, oliver turned up in
Atlanta Saturday on his way to Lee
County, where he declared he was
The Sunday American oliver related
his absorbing version of events that
have caused him to spend nearly five
years in the chain gang and in prison.
Rivals Monte Cristo.
His story rivals anything in Monte
Cristo, and is unsurpassed by the i'm
possible tales of Arabian Nights"
Chancellor p 2. Jones is reported TO
have commented in granting the writ
last week In the habeas corpus pro-
ceedings brought by divers lawyer
in Kinds County, Mississippi.
That he has a black sheep twin
brother whom he so closely resem-
bles that he virtually has had to
serve time for all of his brothers
crimes and escapades in the South is
DIVERS weird story, in brief. Mean
while the brother, under the name of
l.. G. Harding. Is enjoying himself in
Honduras.
AS a GROWING misfortune, his pref
~ young wife, a society belle and the
daughter of prominent resident. be-
lieved the charges brought against
him and married another man. which
she thought she was free to do be-
cause of the charge that Oliver, as
Harding" already had another wife
when she married him. Oliver charges
that the man who replaced him DELHI
erately plotted this part of his mis-
fortune.
All Laughed at Him.
divers downffil was connlets The
society man, financier, real estate bro
ker and capitalist, whose operations
had been conducted on a daring scale
that astounded everyone, was reduced
to the ball and chain of a Lee County
convict camp.
But 1t was on the bigamy charge
that he was sentenced. Though
sheaf Of indictments were sought on
charges of Irregularities in his meth
DDS Of finance, none was returned by
the Grand Jury. He fought the big
amy charge with bis utmost resource
but 1t was useless
1T was my brother who married the
other woman" he protested TO thu
judge and jury. and later to his IAN
ers' and to prison commissioners. but
they all laughed at his fanciful tale.
One or two witnesses had looked al
Oliver and then testified that he and
L. C. Harding were the same per
son.
Sensational Life.
Through his long battle for liberty.
many have been impressed by his
strange story, but IT'S very improba-
bility defeated him. Lawyer after
lawyer was engaged-S2 In all. Oc-
casionally they got for him a serious
hearing. but the more often the plea
Of mixed identities met with an in
crednlous smile and a shrug of the
shoulders.
Yet Chancellor Jones last Wednes-
day said :"Oliver is absolutely not
L. G. Harding" and set Oliver free.
At the same time he characterized the
circumstances, true though they were,
~.