Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-12

of Edwin l.. Pride stated to.
oay That POnzi's liabilities were
upward Of $7.OOO.OOO. Ponzi claim
ed assets of *4,OOO.OOO. .t,+
nosIoN, August 12.-Charles Ponzi
To-Day surrendered to a United States
marshal. He has been charged with
using the mails to defraud.
Bank Commissioner Allet anneunc.
eo that the capital of the Hanover
trust Company probably had been
completely wiped out. The bank was
closed by the commissioner yesterday.
Charles Ponzi had been a director IN
to yesterday.
Attorney General Allen said that
Ponzfs liabilities will run into the
millions. 'Ae
district Attorney Gallagher said
tnat Ponzi had surrendered because he
!eIt himself unable to carry out prom
ises he had made for the redemptiofi
OF his notes tomorrow. ~
AT the time Ponzi gave himself 4 I
nearing was being held befoA
Judge Bennett of the municipal couA
sltung IN chambers on a police appli.
cation Tor the arrest of the financjer
The hearing was secret.
creditors petition, asking for the
appointment Of receiver for Ponxi.
was MED inthe federal court today
says He Took AnOther's Blame.
fonzf said in his statement that
ne took the blame for another person
IN Montreai He also insisted that
ne was still solvent and could nav
az notes now outstanding against
MN. In his formal statement. pre-.
pared IN conference with his attor-
neys, he said:
The statement I am about to make
Snouid s,i nave been made before, in
view Of the fact of the notoriety Of
the press. ! felt that the past. had
very little bearing on the present
situation. Several years ago 1 com
mitted sin. If / made a mistake
and paid for it / had every reason
70 believe that society owed me an
other chance. :"
Il am not the first one to have
committed a sin, and not the only
one. not even in the city of Boston.
When l see others who were under
the same situation years ago and
now now TO-DAY occupy prominent posi-
ions. l 90 not see why I should be
rule and become the object Of per-
secution on the part Of the authori.
ties. press and the public. -
Cites Case OF Charles w. Mor,e..a
Charles w. Morse, at one time q
pfond1nept banker, was also con
victed in United States courts and
sentenced to fifteen years in Atlanta,
Ga; ! know, because ! was there
serving very small part of his sen
tence. He has been now occupying for
years. position still greater than
before. He is a banker today. and
deals with the United States govern
ment and associates with the most
respectable men in the United States.
II do not mean in any way to inn
ply that he is not deserving respect of
the public. but merely ask, il he is
deserving why shouldn't be?
Montreal records show that a man
of my description was convicted OF
forgery in 1908 and sent for three
served about twenty months. This is
all that the public in general cares
to know. ,r
II feel that it is also very important
Tor the people at large to know, that
although / am the man who was con-
victed and sentenced for that crime,
am not the man who perpetrated
the crime. What is occurring today to
me happened then in Montreal. The
only difference being. the object OF
persecution was my employer. s
"A man apparently friendly to him
suggested that he leave Canada. the
object Of the man being to appro-
assets left by the fugitive banker.
In order to be sure he wouldn't come
back to demand an accounting he
compelled him to forge certain In.
struments which he was going to
hold as a club over his head. l was
present at the transaction. @
when it developed later that the
man could not gain possession of the
assets revenge or other motives
prompted him to demand the return
Of my employer under extradition
proceedings, on charge OF forgery
from Mexico to Montreal
II. felt indignant as any other man
would feel under the circumstances
and I decided that I would save my
employer, regardless of the costsor
consequences. When he was brought
to Montreal exonerated him by as-
day I do not know what has hapy
pened to him.
81 am not trying to pose as a hero,
but right in this city there are two
men who were working for the same
man and can bear witness that thiy
is true.
Calls Allusion Immaterial. y
"The allusion made by me in
previous interviews with reporters
that l went to Canada to carry on an
Investigation for the Italian goveFR-s
ment is very immaterial, although IT.
could explain why I assumed a name
and why in a certain way it con-
served also the purpose Of
said investigation.
MY next unfortunate incident did
not come OF my own volition. but
happened as a consequence of my droC'
mistake. Released from prison with
out. friend, and without a dollar
or credentials tried to earn a living
the best I could. Within ten days
Of my release I was asked to escort
ave italians into the United States,
did not smuggle them in. / crossed
the border on the train openly and
was placed Immediately under arrest.
Il didn't dodge the consequence
and plead guilty. I expected leniency
in view of the fact that the crime
was only a misdemeanor. In fact,
didn't resist a conviction and yet
was sentenced to two years in fed-
eral prison in Atlanta, Ca, and nay
sentence was a maximum ever i'm.
nosed for a similar onense.
.aThere isn't much more to be said.
The public knows the facts. Whether
The same are such as to make me un-
worthy of their confidence is matter
for the people to decide. As l said
before, l sinned and paid for II.
When the time came I made a clean
breast of it. Is this enough?"