Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-05-14
A FORGER AND SWINDLER.
Ex-Mayor O. B. Wilson Wanted by Officers
of the Law for These Grave
Charges.

there been so surprising statement
as the one heading this article, and
never so much have we regretted to
chronicle the facts of the financial
crookedness of man as in this case.
0. 3. Wilson had been resident of
Great Bend since early in the eighty's,
and had inspired the confidence and
respect of the entire people. He began
business here by buying out the
Winner drug store, which he conducted
under the. firm name of Hyler &-Wil-
son. Selling out that business he
opened real estate office and COM
menced compiling a set OF abstract
ebOoks. That he obtained the unlimited
confidence of the loan companies for
which he did business is evidenced
from the large number of fictitious
loans he was enabled to place.
The crooked work extends as far
back as 1889, and his stealings are
estimated at from $4,000 to $50 900.
Of The Barton county farmers who
will lose money through him, the fol-
lowing have been discovered: Philip
LIE Roy jr., $1,000; Philip Sauer, $3.50;
Stephen Tonkin, $50; and John w.
Brown, $500. The First National
bank of this city was in for $11OO, but
they hold collateral security that will
probably let them out even. AS far as
we can learn, the way he operated in
above. cases was this: A man had a
loan on his place that was about to ma
ture: he would apply to Wilson to Sc
cure a new loan in order to meet the
old one, and would make regular appli
cation. Suppose the mans name to be
Jones. Wilson would make out an
abstract showing the title perfect in
Jones, leaving off the mortgage which
Jones had already given to the loan
company which he wanted to pay off.
This application and abstract would be
sent to different loan company from
the one already holding a mortgage on
that land, and as it showed the title all
right, the loan would be made in the
regular way, the latter loan company
thinking it had first mortgage. The
money would be sent to Wilson who
would act as agent for the borrower as
we'll as the lender, the borrower trust
ing to him to apply the money on the
payment of the first loan, which he did
not do, and as a consequence the two
mortgages will hold good.
Another method, and one that effects
the loan companies only, was as fol-
lows: Wilson would make application
for loan on some good, unencumber-
ed piece of land; would sign some fic-
ticiOus name TO the application, say
John Doe" He would have the land
appraised by fictitious appraisers; make
an abstract. complete. showing the
title vested IN John Doe'' the assum-
ed party making the application. He
would then make out mortgage on
the property, sign it with his
ficticious John Doe,'' acknowledge
it before himself as a
notary public, and then forge the name
of F. G. Strothman to the Register of
Deeds certificate on the back of the
mortgage. To get the Registers seal
which was necessary on this certificate
he evidently took his own notarial seal
and padded it so that it would leave the
Impression of a seal plainly outlined but
on which the lettering could not be
distinguished. All he had to do then
was to send the mortgage and abstract
in to the loan company and receive the
money. He kept up the interest on the
loans he fraudiently obtained in this
manner, and on the first loans in the
. tion through default.
LIN forging the name of Register
StrOthman, he followed the general
style of Franks signature, but when
the false is placed side by side with the
real the forgery can be detected at a
glance. 'Ci'AeJ sossps
The amounts obtained. from the loan
companies, so far as reported. are: IN
terstate Finance Co. So 900, and c. W.
,yeH H. Boyer s Co. 5000. The Topeka
Loan 81 Investment Co. is not through
making an investigation, neither is the
&C. w. HI. Boyer Co. aohJl A-vmk 80
Mr.. j. c. Lafferty had an office with
Mr.. Wilson, and was multched to the
tune of $500, loaned on collateral tina,
=, Wilson had released long ago.
Wilson's actions just before he lief,
Great Bend for the west were peculiar
n He was one day taken suddenly with a
s'pain in his head,'' and when doctor
q was called he tWilson) claimed there
was large nail sticking in his head
This was thought to have been an
. attack of temporary insanity. He
Is recovered, however, and the next day
started to Kansas City on business
trip While che Was there he again
s.'got the. nail in his head, !" and hi:
i friends telegraphed the fact here. He
was taken care of there and brought
home in day or so. His friends
thought best that he take q trip to the