Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-01
Arrested in Raleigh, N. c., Where
He Is Accused Of Posing as the
Governor Of Tennessee, and Is
! Being Held for Extradltion.
Was Author Of Sensational Dicto-
graph Plot Against Mayor of
AtIanta-Has international Po-
lice Record as Impersonator.

A. S. Colyar, who sprung the "a
nous photograph sensation upon AZ
torney Thomas b. Fielder and Ma~e~
Woodward while the Phagan murd I
mystery was at it's height is un9se
arrest in Raleigh, N. c., where he j.
reported to have posed as Govern y
Ben Hooper, of Tennessee.
Chief of Police c. M. Walters.
Raleigh, wired Chief Beavers, ask a
If Colyar was wanted in ATTAIN
Chief Beavers replied that he was nos.
but that the Birmingham police We
looking for him on the charge of o.
tanning money under false pretenses.
He is said to have obtained about $3.50
from the Hotel Morris on the story
that he had money in an Atlanta
bank, He probably viii be held for
extradition.
Posed as carlisIe's Son.
lmpersonGtion of well-known pub
lie characters is one of Colyar's IA
vorite diversions. Two of his exploits
stand out above all the others. One
was the impersonation of the son Of
the late John G. Carlisle.
He is said to have forged a check
upon his father, then the controlling
spirit of the old Nashville American.
He went West after this and finally
drifted toward Mexico. A newspaper
reporter boarded the train and asked
for the son of Carlisle. Colyar's qui TX
mind saw the opportunity. He intro-
duced himself as the son. was fe:ed
and dined In Mexico City. and later
informed the American Minister that
he was short of funds, obtaining a
$4,000 loan, with which he departed
from the city.
On his return OF America he WIS
sent to an insane asylum, which he IS
charged with firing to make his es-
cape. A number of persons were
burned to death.
At Gainesville. Ca. he posed as a
religious exhorter He was in New
York at the time of the famous Multi
neux trial, and is said to have OBJ
tanned $4,000 from General Mullineux
in fake confession deal with a pick
pocket His latest adventure in i'm
personating Governor Hooper is quite
in line with his escapades during the
last ten years.
He turned up in Atlanta very soon
after the staying OF Mary Phagan.
He devoted much of his time to diff
ferent angles of the case. and his ac-
quaintances were sure that II wes
about time for another of his sen
sational coups.
They were not disappointed. Or
day he came out with the startIisg
charge that by the means of a dicto-
graph he had trapped olonel Thomas
B. Fielder while he was offering q
bride of 81 1000 for certain Phagan
trial documents. The excitement Gre
dtCu Wy Suis was ct SO
height when Colyar exploded another
bomb by similar charges against
Mayor Woodward.
His charges collapsed. and Libel
proceedings were threatened against
him, but he was successful in escap-
ing indictment by the Grand Jury.
From that time he lived in Atlanta,
occasionally making side trips out of
town, until he went to North Carolina.
This is not the first time Colyar
has essayed tho role of the Governor
Of Tennessee. In August, 1909, when
M. r.. Patterson was Tennessee's
Governor, Coiyar palmed himself Off
on steamer agent at Buffalo, N. Y,
as Governor Patterson and secured
the use of the private stateroom OF
the president of the steamer company
| for passage across Lake Erie to De-
troit. A Tennessean on board, who
knew both Colyar and Governor Pat
terson, discovered the deception and
exposed the fake. ~