The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-25
MRS. GILBtRT,HtR SON,
AND P|NGUt SENT ON.
Alleged Attempt TO Deceive Draft Or
fiCials 10 BE Investigated BY
Grand Jury.
YOUNG MAN NOW IN ARMY
Interesting Development i'm Case shows
Mrs. Gilbert Owned Hotel In Fee
Dozen Years During Which she
Thought Her Children Owned Great
er Part.

| Clarence H. Gilbert, age thirty-one,
| his mother, Mrs. Jennie 3. Gilbert
proprietreSs of the Gilbert hotel, prom
/ bIv the best-known OF Richmond :
smaller hostelries and Joseph Pingue
who leases and conducts the hotet
barber, shop, we're at late hour iast
night after a preliminary hearing
which developed a number Of angles
| Of unusual interest. sent on to the
I United States grand jury by United
States Commissioner Melvin Flegen-
homer.
The charge aga.nst the three In
Volved the allegation that they had
made false statements in papers MED
In claim for exemption made for
Clarence Gilbert.
The interests Of the government
were looked after by United States
District Attorney r. H Mann and the
defense was conducted by II. NJ. Smith,
jr.
Young Gilbert On stand,
/ The young man, who ia DOW at
Camp Lee. a member Of Company /, OF
the Three Hundred and Eighteenth
regiment. testified that he had made
the statement to the exemption board
with no thought of Misrepresentation
when he had declared that his mother
WAS dependent upoA him as he had
meant that She was dependent upon
him as manager OF the hotel to make il
make a living for her and his two
young sisters one nor quite sixteen
and the other twelve wears old He
declared that a hotel, if not properly
run, would speedily bring its manage.
i ment In debt
owing to the high cost Of food
hStIfHS 4aclagHE hot did
not make any money last year, and
that since he had been compelled TO
leave. it was found necessary TO close
the hotel dining groom as his mother
had not been able 10 find a manager
/ TO MI hts place The hotel is now be
/ ing conducted as a large rnoming
! house He declared that his mother
would gladly give the dining-room and
kitchen outfit rent Tree TO any re-
/ sponSible person who would conduct
! II In a manner satisfactory to the ho-
/ tells trade
i Pinned Explanatory Note 10 Papers.
! One of the interesting features OF
/ his testimony was the statement that
| he had pinned fast to- the exemption
/ papers filed a statement simplifying
such papers which, had they been ac-
eepted along with the documents in
question. would have explained the
situation more thoroughly. He declar-
/ ed that one of the papers attached
was a statement by I'm that if the
government would release his younger
/ brother, a member Of The Howltizers
and now in training he would gladly
take his place The exemption pa
pers have notation referring to pa
pers thereto attached bat it is' said
that when they were presented they
were detached because such extran
eous matter was not permissible.
/ He declared that his only object in
] claiming exemption was to carry on
his mothers business for her as. ow-
ing 10 her health and her inability to
secure anyone to take MS place at a
figure she could afford to PAY for the
conduct ~ small hotel, lie felt that
! his first duty was to her.
Did Not Know She Owned House
+. in Fee.
Mrs Gilbert then took the stand
She told Of signing papers to permit
,ter younger son 10 Join rhe Fo%ft z@'s
when the country was on tive eve Of
trouble with Mexico; She tcla Of the
difficulties attending the conduct Of
the hotel business at the present time
with labor scarce and food dear say
ing that her dining-room had never
been closed before since the establish
ment of the hotel a dozen wears ago
She told If having been left a widow
with seven children several OF them
of tender years, of her efforts which
finally resulted In the paying off The
4 mortgage on the place, and az how
she felt that the country ouRht to
leave her one Of her boys to conduct
her business when her own health
was such as IN make it Impossible for
her 70 conduct il herself.
4 Probably the most interesting flea
ture of her testimony was that all
though she has owned the Gilbert no
tel property In Zee ever since the death
II her husband. she had never had &C
easIon TO examine the will since the
casual examination made nv her when.
heart broken widow she had mere
" looked over il to ascertain the dead
mans wishes as to the funeral ar
I engagements and the place of his
burial
Never Read WIN Carefully.
She had been left Administrative
without bond and friends had gone
with her to the city hail ard the docu-
ment had been duly admitted to pro-
bate, From that hour until a few
/ DAYS ago when her counsel in her
! present trouble had aSKed TO see the
! document, of which she had no copy.
she had never seen the paper She
and her seven children. she declared
/ had always supposed that the prop
erty had been left according to the
usual laws Of descent but, when Mr..
/ Smith examined the will he found that
the entire property had been left TO
/ her in fee
! For this same reason she had only
! put herself down as entitled to one
f ali Of 10