The Washington times., 1920-02-29
C. B. MORSE.

OF tne torger ana hatloh-Wiue search
was made.
The description furnished Of
Morse" was that he was very stout.
| even to the point OF corpulency. The
police of many cities searched for
stout man.
There was slip in "Morse's" cal
culations in later Job" because he
ran afoul OF the law when he was
, passing another bogus check in
| Sanger. Cal. He was arrested on
January Fl. 1913. He was wearing
| the same Western outfit he wore III
Washington, ID. c.
When searched at the State prison
at Folsom. Cal. an important dis
covery was made. Morse" wore 4
false stomach. a seemingly rubber
| affair which he inflated when he ap.
| peared in one office and debated when
he entered another.
TheDname he operated under in Cali
fornia was "S. p. Croft"
BOSS sends for Photograph.
| When Mr. Boss read in the Wash
ington newspapers of the capture of
a shrewd forger in California, he
wired the police to hold him and also
| asked for his photograph.
| Photos showing Morse" both thick
\ and thin were sent TO the real estate
man here and the forger was identi-
fed.
| On January %, 1913, Morse" under
the name OF Croft, pleaded guilty, and
on January 80, he began serving a
six-year term in the State prison at
Folsom.
| During his term in prison. Morse
| devoted much of his time to religious
work. He was also leader in Lib
erty loan campaigns and in Red Cross
work among the great number OF
prisoners in the institutions.
He Is Brought Back Here.
Completing his term in California
on January 80. 1919, he was brought
to Washington, taken to Police Head
quarters and identified by Mr. Boss.
Inspector Giant inquired about his
padded chest. Morse declined to dis
cuss IL further than to say IL was not
rubber, but was OF a special compost.
ton he had obtained for the purpose.
Morse" had been indicted by a
grand jury here in April. 1913, after
his arrest in California.
Pleading poverty, he had counsel
assigned by the court here. Attorney
Hannis Taylor, jr., was assigned to
represent HIM =
| BeEfuS FrHmc Auut.
Prior to his trial last month, when
he was convicted, Morse" filed an
affidavit in which he stated that Mr..
and Mrs. c. A. Hamilton, of Belle
Piairs, MINI. and A.. J. Hanlon, II
Waterloo, Iowa. were material wit
nesses for the defense
From the day he retbrned to WASH
ington. Morse" had begun to frame
an. alibi. II he could prove he was in
the West on the dates when he was
supposed to have appeared at the
offices of Boss & Phelps and at the
Commercial National Bank, he knew
he would win his case.
Experience as a lawyer had been
used in other clashes with the law.
He began calling up his knowledge
of law and the courts to save min
from anoSher prison term.
He Receives Two Anidsvits,
In his affidavit, filed with the court
Morse" set forth that he could prove
conclusiveYy by the three witnessed
that he was hundreds of miles from
| Washington at the time the crim9
was committed.
Paul Cromelin. assistant district at.
torney, agreed to bring the witnesses
to Washington at the expense of the
Government.
| OnOer the Tults VI Aut w
Asylum and jail a prisoner is permit
ted to mail out one letter week.
This. however, is censored by the jail
officials.
Morse" began sending out his
weekly letters, first to Hamilton and
then to Hanlon.
The letters apparently were brief
and contained nothing more than COM
monplace statements, but jail officials
intercepted return letter which con-
tanned an affidavit signed by Hamil-
ton. A few days later a similar AMI
davit arrived signed by Hanlon.
The ami story of the "pneu-. (.
matte man." who was nbie TO
appear chick" or chin mt will.
will appear In The Times soon.
| u will disclose how Reid csrc
near Rsininn his liberty by the
use OF sympathetic. or invisible
ink. ne directed his ease from
his cell In the IsiI. through the
aid Of n War Department emptcye
s.xo frl<uA~ he onfsiAe