St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-15
AVERY SMOOTHSTORY
Powell, the Iowa Stock Swim
dler, Is Arrested at a
Farm House.
He Claims His Transactions
With the Farmers Were
in Good Faith.
The Grand Jury at Waverly
Find Billings Guilty
Of Murder.
Farmers Alliance Commit
teemen in Council at
DeS MoineS.
SneciaI TO the Globe

Special to the Globe.
MASON CITY, To-, Feb. IA. F.
Powell, the supposed stock Swindler,
was arrested late last night at a farm
residence twelve miles east of here.
Since his sudden and unexpected dis
appearance on Saturday last the officers
have been in search, but up to Monday
night nothing had been heard from
him. A telephone message from Nora
Springs stated that such a man had
been seen near here during the day,
and officers from this city went and made
the arrest. To the officers he had but
little to say. He freely surrendered all
the agreements and receipts he had in
his possession and which covered all
the purchases he had made here. He
was arraigned for hearing at 5 p. m.,
but upon his urgent request the hearing
was postponed for twenty-fOur hours.
Your representative interviewed him
this evening, but received but little
satisfaction. He talks freely, but as if
he were telling as little of the truth as
possible. He said: THE contracts l
made with the farmers for the purchase
of their cattle
WE'RE MADE IN GOOD FAITH,
and they could bear no other interpreta-
ton. The receipts [ took from them
were mostly written on plain paper fur
nished by the farmers themselves with
no chance for them signing promissory
note as reported. The day l arrived
here / went to the bank and told them
that / expected draft from Powell q
Co., Ionica, ILL.,, for $4,000, but in case
that did not reach him in time he eX-
pected to check upon the bill Of lading.
l was disappointed in getting
my money. and the bank refusing to ad-
vance on the agreements i was let down.
| left the city on the day the cattle were
to be delivered because / thought the
parties would give me uneaSiness. In
relation to family matters at Faribault,
/ would say that all reports have been
true, and that is partially what has
caused the delay in my money matters.
My parents reside at Perry, To-, and my
brother / expect tomorrow, and he will
clear matters up. Thanks for your
kindness. cannot say more now" 1t
is generally believed here that if his
statement, as made above in regard to
the contracts and agreements, be true,
he has an accOmplice in the supposed
swindling and it was their purpose to
beat the bank.
HIS OWATONNA RECORD.
Special to the Globe.
OwAToNNA, Feb. 1.-THE GLOBE
correspondent at Mason City sends the
particulars of a swindle perpetrated on
many farmers in that vicinity by one A.
+. Powell, claiming to be from Chicago.
Powell is the man recently from Mar
shall. in this state, against whom an
action is now pending in the United
States court at st. Paul for a similar
transaction perpetrated at Sioux City,
To-, several months ago He has been So
jOurning here several weeks, and until
a short time ago, when he jumped his
board bill at the Arnold house, amount
ing to over S25, and walking down the
railroad track to the next station, took
the first train going south. While here
he attempted to practice the same swim
die he so successfully played on the
Iowa farmers, by purchasing cattle from
a farmer in this vicinity and giving a
check on one of the banks here. When
the farmer brought the stock to
town his suspicious were aroused, and
before delivering the cattle, it being
after banking hours and Powell being
ready to ship the cattle at once, he
hunted up one of the officers
of the bank, and on learning
that Powell did not have a cent in the
bank, and never had, at once drove his
cattle home again.