The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-11-16

| Robert A. Travis has gone and no
body knows where. He raised con-
siderable money by fraud before be
left and there is no clue whereby his
capture can be effected. He is wan
ted by the bank and several men
throughout the county would like to
lay hands ON him or the money be
has raised on their forged names.
About three miles up White Day
creek from Smithtown dwelt Robert
Arthur Travis and wife and interest
ing family of children. He was by
occupation a farmer and was repu-
ted to be thrifty and laying up good
stipend wherewith to Danish the ne
cessity of hard labor on rainy days
and in old age. Oliver Travis, his
father, is one of the best men in the
community, and his good reputation
for honesty and fair dealing was in
herited by the son. Indeed, Arthur,
as he was on all occasions called,
was a well respected man and his
populations were very surprising to
the entire neighborhood.
In April of this year seems to have
been the time when Arthur became
dissatisfied with the staid old man
ner of money making and he con-
ceived the idea of raising the wind
by the forgery of his fathers and
some of the best known men Of Gin
toms names, which he did. First he
drew up a note with his own name
first, then in the same handwriting
signed his fathers name and, little
disguised, put down the name of
Madison Carter. This note was for
$3.50 and the money was readily Sc
cured ON the note at bank in this
town. Time went on and the same
bank in few days discounted note
for the same Travis for an addition
al $3.50, this time having the two
former names and that of John Ian
ham. More time went by and I. F.
Watson's name appeared after r.
A. and Oliver Travis names, to a
note for $3.50, and the bank gave
Arthur the money on this one also.
He had now heeced our home bank
pretty well and got some forged
notes discounted at Fairmont and by
several private notes throughout the
county, the entire amount of fraudu
lent securings amounting to some
thing like $4,000.
Arthur still stuck to the farm and
plowed and sowed and reaped till
the first week of the present term of
court, and now we'll tell you why he
fled. Along in the summer a gentle
man of this town, holding high off,
cial position and whose home was
formerly in the boundless Clinton
received a letter requesting him to
look at the notes in the bank here.
He did so, detected the forgeries and
told the bank officers of them, and
they held the same opinion as our
former Clintonian. This gentleman
put the bank men on their guard,
told them, convinced them of the
frauds, and pointed out the duty
clear to them they owed themselves
and the commonwealth.
This warning was not needed.
When the Grand Jury sat on com
plant they found three true bills of
indictment against Arthur Travis
for forgery, and as that worthy pecu-
lator was one of the first to possess
himself of this information he lost
no time in leaving the country. He
left his family in ignorance of where
he went, but not destitute or even
wanting of many nice comforts of
life, but he has not sent word to any
one of his whereabouts.
All who expressed themselves
about the case seem to think that
Travis had boarded up his ill gotten
gains and had the entire amount
when he left for parts unknown. We
understand no effort will be made to
trace the thief. His father, we learn,
owns the farm on which Arthur lived
and all he has is the $4,000 to meke
a start on. 1t is thought that Ira
Wis will send for his family and if
they go to him they will be followed
and the sleek Clinton farmer brought
back to do time at Moundsville. The
banks and private parties who dis
counted Travis illegal notes are the
losers and they may sometime get
chance to clap Arthur behind the
bars. If he had only taken 500 the
offence, in the eyes of the law, would
be as great as it now stands, and
cases are but few when a West Vir-
ginia thief when caught gets off scot
free.