The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-03-17
A HOTEL BEAT.
Who Never Misses a Meal or
Pays a Cent, Works Clinton
i'm Good Shape.

tern-Jawed Individual appeared at the
Planters House IN Clinton and asked
accommodation for himself and his
wife. He registered as Jas. I. ri er
and wife. To Mr.. and Mrs. Whit
worth, manager of the hotel, he re-
lated pathetic story. He said be
resided on a farm six miles of FIRE.
donna, Wilson county, Kansas. Re-
Gently his wife accompanied HIN to
Indiana. On their return, after leav-
ing St. Louis over the Missouri Pa
citic road, the train was SO crowded
he was compelled to stand up. After
he did secure a seat he soon fell
asleep, and when he awoke near Cali
ifornia, Mo-, he ascertained his
pocket-book had been picked of rail-
road tickets and money. He was left
penniless. He stopped at Sedalia
when he accidentally met a friend
who gave him sufficient money to pay
their fare to Clinton.
After Mr.. Piper had been in Gin
ton a day or two, Mr.. Whitworth re-
marked incidentally that he owned
seven hundred acres of land in Gar
field county. Kansas, which he desired
to sell or trade. While Piper may
have been uncouth in appearance and
ungainly in walk, he here caught on
to a valuable pointer which he
worked for all there was in it. He
said Mr.. j. ID. Allen, cashier of the
Fredonia Kansas bank, was his
step-brother. Allen owned hotel
property in Fredonia which he would
be pleased to exchange for Whit
worth's Garfield county lands, and
transfer it into sheep ranch. Mr..
Whitworth lost no time, but wrote to
Mr.. Allen, suggesting such an ex-
change. Mr.. Allen responded prompt
ly, saying he would soon 60 to Rolla,
Phelps county, Mo-, close land deal
he was on, come by Clinton and pay
Piper and wife's board bill and take
them to Fredonia with him.
ALI this time Piper and wife sat at
the hotel table three times each day
and had fire In their bedroom at
night.
1t may here be proper to say that
Piper received quite a number of let
tiers from towns in Kansas and else
where endorsing him as man of bus
iness, and all OF which he took occa-
sion TO read to Mr.. Whitworth, be-
fore putting them in his pockets.
His game was very simple. He
wrote those letters to himself, mailed
hence ali bore np pRiaer e eat Of Clinton,
clerks and were returned to Clinton
frem the opposite end of the division.
Having no money to advance for
board and lodging, Piper put in Mr..
Whitworth's hands as security, until
MIR. Aliens arrival, a note of Thomas
Fleenor, of near Fredonia, Kansas,
for the sum of $535.50. Two weeks
ago Mr.. Whitworth needed money,
and after talk with Piper sent it to
Chas. L. Morton, cashier of the First
National Bank at Fredonia, for col
lection. This transaction made Piper
especially nervous, for he knew it
would result in developing his true
character as a hotel fraud and dead
beat. After a lapse of reasonable
time, and receiving no remittance,
Mr.. Whitworth wrote for return of
the note. Piper saw his game was
up unless saved by some desperate
remedy. He counted the time when
the letter bearing the note should get
to Clinton, and ON that day received
Mr.. Whitworth's mail containing the
Fleenor note.
Piper knew his jig was up in Gin
ton. He left the hotel Thursday aft
ernoon and took a walk about town.
After supper Mrs. Piper went to a
neighbor's on Orchard avenue, leav-
ing word at the hotel she would not
return before morning. About 10
o'clock Piper joined his wife at the
and they went out togeth-
re, and in a few moments after both
passed ShulPs restaurant, walking
east. No trace can be gathered of
their further movements. and it Is
not known on which train they left
town.
Monday morning Mr.. Whitworth re-
ceived the following letter from Mr..
j. ID. Allen, whom Piper claimed as
a step-brother, and on whose promin-
ence as business man he was per-
mitted to build up large size board
bill.
WILSON COUNTY BANK, !
FREDoNIA, KAN, March z, 1891,
Jas A. Whitworth, Clinton, Mo
DEAR SIR:-Yours of the 9th has Just
been handed TO me by Mr.. c. l.. Morton.
You have been victimized. / have re-
sided in this counfy % wears hut neyer of