Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-07-13
FORGERY :.
Land Grln>.'ti"n> at W. Vi. Roberts IN
riurIdo and New McNico-- sht of
thu, Iusitiyt--i Arrest At seattle.

D:t"ctlNc NlrleS H'tll OF hclIS,
Fargo X Co arrived in San Francisco
a few days ago ly the steamer
Columbia from Seattle. ". I. Via
Portland. having in charge William
VI. Roberts. alias l.. G. Montgomery,
who j. wanted in Pueblo. Pueblo
county. Oil. for forgery.
HISTORY "F LAND SALE.
The crime with which Roberts is
charged was committed on March
Eth For some time prior t. tins
dat" it seems that he had Been a resi-
dent OF Roswell. Lincoln county
New Mexico. where he was engaged
III predicting law. and also did occa
siOl.;.iiy some real estate business.
But evidently clients were few and
business dull. and the attorney, it Is
presumed, was obliged to look about
for mora remuncra,.le WORK. Thomas
L0wthian, prominent capitalist and
large land owner Ct Colorado. resi-
dent in Denver, owned several hun
lrcI acres of land in Lincoln county.
and Roberts occasionally did some
business for him. Some time in De
cember. Milne of Milne X Bush. cat
tie dealers, visited Roberts and OK
pressed desire TO purchase this
land of Lowthian's. Roberts made
some negotiations with them, and i'll
due time went up to Denver to see the
owner and obtain if possible the
power of attorney from him and au
thority to proceed in the land sale.
But Lowthian refused his request,
and declined to sell the land. The
amount offered by Milne was $1,000.
Roberts returned, however. undis
mayed, and soon after presented Il
note purportinSt TO be from Lowthian
granting Roberts full power to act
fer him III his New Mexican land
matters.
THE SALE CLOSED-CAsH PAYMENT.
Seeing this, Milne closed the sale,
immediately paying down $3.50 and
giving Roberts a check for the bal
ance (SG,520), payable to Lowthiar,
on the First National Bank of Las
Vegas. \. NJ. Acting on his attor
neyship, Roberts presented TIL
note at the bank and received 500 in
cash, and note for $4,000 on the
First National Bank at Pueblo, Col
This he also presented, and after the
usual Identification, received the cash.
Previous to tais. after the first pay
ment, he had drawn up t he necessary
deed, etc, giving Milne Il Bush full
title to the land referred to-
HIDING IN DENVER.
From Pueblo Roberts went to Den
yer, where he stayed some time Ill
secret, and caused a notice to be in
serted in the Tribune of that city
that he had died at his home in New
Mexico. After completing his ar
rangements, he left for the Pacific
Coast. stopping at Salt Lake and
and other points. His wife aud fam
lily he left at home. He arrived i'll
this city March 18th and went north
Immediately. The first part of April,
twenty four days after the note for
$4,000 had been cashed, the bank PEG
pie discovered the fraud through q
telegram from Lowthian, and the de
tectives were set on the track.
TRACED TO SAN FRANCISCO.
The Bank at Denver notified Wells
Fargo Il Co.'S Bank i'll this city, Rob
erts having been traced westward
and Captain Aull was detailed to worl
up the case. He arrived in Seattle OF
the It'll of last month, and three days
after found his man, who had set up il
business in that place as real estate
agent under the name of l.. &. Mont
gomery. All of the money, with the
exception of $500. was found il
Montgomery's name deposited in one
of the banks. Aull telegraphed tc
Colorado of his success. and j. C.
Lyle, the Cashier of the Pueblo Bank
after obtaining the necessary requi
sition from Governor Grant of Col
orado, came through to this city and
hence to Seattle, in order to identify
the prisoner as the person to whom
he had paid the money.
ARRESTED IN SEATTLE.
The proper papers were obtained
from Governor Newell of Washing
ton Territory, and on the 10Th of May,
Roberts or Montgomery, was arrested.
He took the matter coolly, admitting
that he had drawn the money He
said to reporter that he would pre-
sent strong defense when the case
came up for trial, and would show
that his authority from Lowthian
was perfectly genuine. Mr.. Lyle
and the detectives will start to the
East in few days.
There is nothing that pleases we'll
hammered people SO much as to see
others who are illmannered and in
quisitive put to discontinue, and the
more so when they are thus treated
by persons who have no idea of snub-
bling them. Thus on a horse car one
afternoon, two men were talking
about common acquaintance. while
a third man, total stranger, sat OPP
posite ana listened with all his ears.
The two friends were very hard in
their judgment Of the subject of
their conversation, and told many
unsavory things about him, and at
last one of them put the keystone in
the arch of his misdeeds by relating
an incident which made all other
rascals seem sanity in comparison.
The stranger on the other side of the
Car, who had listened to the talk with
evidences of the liveliest satisfaction.
could not restrain his Impotence
longer, and insinuatingly inquired:
Nv hat did you say that gentleman's
name was" The person thus ad-
dressed had not mentioned any name,
as the inquisitive stranger well knew,
but he replied very affably and in
perfect good faith, Mr.. Smith, Mr..
John Smith of Boston," and resumed
his conversation. And the inquisitive
man, not much edited, fairly ached
to ask for Mr.. Smiths address, but
did not dare to, as he saw traces of a
smile on the lips of all the other pas
sengerS.