Evening star., 1915-06-16
martin INDICTED
ON MANY COUNTS
Eleven Bills Returned by Grand
Jury Against Suspended
Fairgrounds Head.
ACTION IS THE CLIMAX
OF LENGTHY INQUIRY
Embezzlement, Forgery and Utter
ing, and Larceny After Trust,
Among Charges.

Edgar S. Martin, suspended super
visor of Fairgrounds of the District O.
Columbia. was indicted today by tn.
grand jury for alleged false certifica
tion of accounts, forgery and uttering
false pretenses. embezzlement and lar
ceny after trust. These five charge.
are embraced in eleven indictment:
against the suspended official reported
today to Chief Justice Covington IL
Criminal Division l.
Amount of Bail Increased.
| Mr.. Martin has been out on $4,000 ball
which he furnished in the Police Cour
when the warrant was issued for hi
arrest. Upon the return of the indict
ments this morning Justice Covingtol
raised the bail to $4,000, which he wal
expected to furnish late this afternoon
| The District Commissioners this aft
ernoon announced that they had dis
missed Mr.. Martin from the Office o
| supervisor of Fairgrounds and appoint
ed Daniel ]. Donovan, deputy auditor
| as temporary successor.
| Mr.. Martin has been under suspen-
| sion without pay ever since the Com.
| larities in his office. During this perioC
| the office has been in charge of Mr.
| Donovan. 1t is not considered prob.
| able that a permanent successor will be
named this month. 1t is understood to
| be the plan of the Office to utilize Mr.
Donovan's services in thoroughly
reorganizing the department and in,
| stalling up-to-date accounting methods
| before appointing a superintendent for
this branch of the District service.
Investigation Made.
| The criTinal charges against Martin
grew out of an investigation of his ac-
counts and the conduct of his office
made by Deputy Auditor Donovan a,
, the request of the District Commission =
| ers. Mr.. Donovan was placed in charge
of the Fairgrounds and Mr. Martin sus-
| pended by the Commissioners April 20
Mr.. Donovan went back twelve months
in the accounts of Mr.. Martin and In
that time discovered what he consid-
| cred many Irregularities, which ap-
| peared to be the certifcat tion that Ger
tain persons had performed work for
| the District government who were not
known as connected with such work
Referred to U g. Attorney.
| From a temporary report to Commits
| sioner Newman it was decided to refer
the matter to United States Attorney
1 Laskey for probe by his office. AS
| sistant United States Attorney Laws
was placed in charge of the matter by
Mr.. Laskey and went thoroughly into
| the accounts with Mr.. Donovan, and
| examined a number Of witnesses The
decision was then reached to present
| the matter to the grand jury
| The alleged false certifcations
amount to s361.5O, as set out in the
indictments. but United States Attor-
ney Laws explained today that only
one case of class was presented to
the grand jury. although his investiga.
ton disclosed other similar alleged tr-
| regularities.
| The first indictment is in six counts
and charges the viola ton Of section "a
OF the federal criminal code, forgery
and uttering under the District code. as
well as false pretenses. The charge in
| this Indictment is that Martin obtained
from Louis c. Wilson, disbursing once
of the District. by alleged false pay
| roll, payment of $50 to one Stephen S
Applin. The false making and utterinp
OF this item on the pay roll constituted
the other counts of the Indictment.
False Pretenses Alleged.
False pretenses is alleged in the sec.
ond indictment, 1t being claimed tha,
Martin secured the payment of s12.5t
to one Robert J. Bonde by certifvins
a false pay roll to the District disburs
ing officer.
The third Indictment is also for false
pretenses. and is in one count 1t al
| leges that Martin obtained the sigma.
ture of Louis c. Wilson. disbursine
| officer, to a check for the payment OF
s2250 to one Hugh L. Taylor by Ger.
tifying to an alleged false pay roll.
The fourth Indictment is~ similar. the
amount alleged to be obtained being
$3.50, which was certified by the pay
roll to be due Emmet Scott.
| The nth Indictment, which formed
the basis of the warrant sworn our hy
Deputy Auditor Donovan and unde,
| which Mr.. Martin gave bail. alleges
false pretenses and forgery.
| 1t is in three counts and-charRes the
false making and uttering of an item
on the pay roll for the payment Of s42
| to John Charles. One of the sccoupts
alleges the obtaining improperly the
payment Of $42 to Mr.. Charles from
Louis c. Wilson, disbursing oficer nf
the District.
Larceny After Trust Charged.
Larceny after trust, as well an ra,ss
pretenses, is alleged in the sixth in.
dictment, which is in two counts Tb.
first count charges the obtaining n,
the signature of Louis c. Wilson IN .
check for $3.50 in favor of A Maur,cI
Curtis, jr. by certifying falsely to IN.
pay roll.
In the second count 1t is alleped tho,
Martin had that check in his nos.e.
sion for the purpose of applying n tr
the use and benefit Of Mr.. Curtis I'm,
converted IT, II is claimed, to his ow,
use.
The seventh indictment is similar :,
the last and charges the same crime
1t alleges the payment of sos n
Clarence B. Frisby by Martin through
alleged false certification to a nav roll
The second count alleges that Mr.
Frisby intrusted 1880 to Martin Il
be applied to the use and bepefit o,
Frisby. which. IT Is claimed. Martir
converted to his own use.
Embezzlement Charge.
The charge of embezzlement anpea r,
, for the first time in the eighth indict
ment, which also alleges false pre-
lenses and larceny after trust. II Il
claimed in the second count of tht
indictment that Martin was agent O
an organization known as the Inter-His]
School Athletic Association and ha,
sI $40 belonging to the association il
! his possession. 1t is alleged he con
Continued On Fifteenth Pagel