St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-08
DR.. JEKYLL AND Mr.. HYDE.
". 4. Lyons and j. W. Penross One and
the Same.
A VERY SMOOTH YOUNG MAN.
How he Acquired Farm Lands to Trade
for City Property---His M0nu-
mental Nerve.

w. II. Lyons, attorney, real estate
agent and notary public, who has been
acting as secretary for the Sterling
Live Stock Insurance company since
April, has been conspicuous by his alb
sence during the past two weeks. 1t is
not surmised that he mas jumped into
the river or made way with himself.
On the other hand, it is thought
that he has gone off to enjoy
about $4,000 he has succeeded in obtain
ing by methods that were crooked. but
ingenious. Young Mr.. Lyons came to
Minneapolis from Quincy, H., several
years ago. He was, to all appearances,
married and has lived at 81 Seventeenth
steeet north, while his Office has been
in Temple court until last spring,
when the Sterling Insurance COM
pany moved its Office to the
lumber exchange. His plan of opera
ton. by which he enriched himself at
the expense OF others. was simple. but
neTYy. He first started a correspond
ence with the registers of deeds of diff
ferent counties as to the value and
ownership of certain lands IN their
vicinity. In this way he found out the
names and addresses of a num-
Der of nonresident owners OF
lands and the descriptions of their prop
eTty. dis next step was TO forge trans
feTs OF such lands to one j. W. Penrose. |
whose agent and attorney he claimed to
be. After the transfers were recorded
he was ready for work. and went into
the market with land to trade for
Minneapolis lots. He succeeded in
finding quite a number who were
willing to exchange city property for
farm lands. The balance of his little
scheme was easily carried out. He made
out deeds of transfer signed by J. w.
Penrose. executed by himself as attOr-
nev i'm the presence of straw witnesses.
Ii desired. he was able to furnish
abstracts from the counties in which
the lands were located. showing that
they belonged to j. w. PenroSe. of
LINN. Mass. The PenrOse signature.
by the way. was an artistic piece of
work. 1t was bold and buSiness-like.
and its John Hancock flourish seemed
10 be a guarantee that everything was
all straight. After obtaining the prop
erty. he either sold or mOrtgaged
it. He has been quietly operating in
this way for year and there is no tell
Ing how long he might have continued
had he not Overplayed himself. He got
u u.
his game was stopped. In the course of |
his transactions he forged the
name OF d. c. Shepherd, of st. Paul.
conveying lands in KandiyOhi county to
j. W. PenrOse. 1t happened that the
register of deeds of that county was
we'll acquainted with Mr.. Shepherds
signature. and. SuSpecting a forgery,
wrote asking if he had signed such a
deed. Mr.. Shepherd Immediately tele-
graphed back that he had not, and
learning a day later that the
alleged transfer had been made
through W. II. Lyons. of Minneapolis,
as attorney, came to Minneapolis to look
up Mr.. Lyons. Mr.. Lyons was very much
surprised to learn that Mr.. Shepherds
name had been forged, of course. and |
said he was afraid it was some scheme
to do up his client. Mr.. PenroSe. !
Fortunately, Mr.. PenrOSe was on
his way to Minneapolis. and
had Just telegraphed from Chicago
that he would arrive that evening. The
following morning Mr.. PenrOSe and
himself would 20 to st. Paul and meet
Mr. Shepherd at his office at 10 o'clock
and sift the matter TO the bottom. This
talk sounded plausible enough. and Mr..
Shepherd agreed TO the appointment.
He had a vague suspicion that
SllOOIH MI. LA OllS lulSuI Dt CIOOhtu.
but he looked at the Office
door emblazOned with the sign:
Attorney" Real Estate Agent"
Notary Public Live Stock Insur-
ance." etc. and his confidence was re-
stored. OF course. the next day Mr..
LYONS Penrose) was missing, and he
has not been seen since. 4 real estate
man who held a note for $50, to which
Mrs. Lyons name was signed, called at
the residence Thursday, but found that
the house was empty, so the pair must
have gotten out of town at a lively rate.
One of Lyons transactions, when ne
discovered that his game was up, illus
trates the monumental proportions of
his nerve. He had gotten hold of some
lots in TWenty-ffth street addition and
mOrtgaged them for $1,000. He forged
a satisfaction OF the mortgage and filed
it. Then he went to the Minnesota
Title insurance company and had the
abstract insured. Next he applied TO a
money lOaneT and borrowed $1,000 on
the certificate of insurance.
Considerable of Lyons paper is float
ing about. Just how much no one seems
to know. The names of his wife and
brother, supposed to live at Quincy,
were used in these transactions. Those
who have some knowledge OF Lyons
manipulatiOnS think he must have left
the city about $4,000 ahead.