New-York tribune., 1920-02-24
Moffitt Back,
Denies Fraud;
Wants to Repay
Fugitive in S3,OOO,OOO
Realty Crash Says He
Left City Penniless; Asks
Chance to Start Anew
He Made Money in West
Arrested While With Girl He
Calls sSBest Little Soldier
in World' for Devotion

William H. Moffitt, sixty years old
"the millionaire realty man." who dis
appeared from New York in August
1917, leaving behind him a protesting
chorus of clients who said they had
been defrauded, returned yesterday un-
der escort of Police Lieutenant O'Con-
nell, who brought him back on bench
warrant from San Jose, Calf. Mof-
fit is under indictment here for al
legged grand larceny.
O'Connel says he found the man liv-
ing at the Montgomery Hotel. San Jose
under the name of William J. Martin
with one Pearl Capern, New York
girl. who was registered as his wife,
Moffitt. the policeman says, admitted
that he had left his legal wife in New
York and, according to O'Connell. said
when arrested:
81 am in bad. There is no getting
around that. The woman who has been
living with me as my wife is the best
little soldier in the world, and Pm sorry
for her sake. She has fought through
everything with me-
On his arrival here yesefday the
prisoner expressed the hope of being
able shortly to satisfy all complaints
against him and begin life anew" He
said that despite the fortune he is.re-
ported to have made from real estate
deals in the East, he left in 1917 with
nothing but 500 which he borrowed
from his stenographer, Robert Leik.
Since then, he said, he has worked in
Seattle, Santa Barbara and San Jose,
chiefly IN the real estate business, and
has prOspered.
II left New York" he said yesterday.
because of the pressure from creditors
and the foreclosures of mortrages and
tax liens. For more than a year previous
had tried to placatc this pressure Of
my claims by collecting money from
the auction sale of properties in Long
Island to satisfy my creditors, pay
taxes, principal and interest on mort
cages.
The pressure was so strong | was
forced to fail, and was advised by nv
friends to go to some live territory
where business was prospering and
start life anew.
II borrowed 500 from my stenog-
rapher and with this went to Seattle.
l renamed there year, and then went
10 santa Barbara, Calf. and spent six
months selling real estate there.
81 changed my name to avoid de-
ficlency Judgments in foreclosures and
the pressure of debts. Later returned
to Seattle, remained there for six
months, and then went to San Jose.
where | was engaged in the real estate
business at the time | was taken into
custody.
when | get out Of this ! intend to
straighten out everything I owe and in
a short time expect things will be
going all right again. When the time
prove 1s am an honest man" ''''''
Since the real estate operators dis
appearance search has been made for
him throughout the country. Losses
caused by his operations have beer
estimated at as high as S3,0O0,00O.
After he had been lodged in Police
Headquarters last night, f, L. Buckley,
10 Popular Street. Brooklyn, who says
nc is q retired business man and
friend of Moffitt, visited the risoner
in company with a representative of
House. Grossman & Vorhaus, lawyers.
who are to defend him.