The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-12-15
A |''jIM THE PENMAN. =
WillidmI Rothis Wanted For Forg.
cry and SwindIing.
His Aged Mother Breaks Down When
She Hears The News.

Bronson's Howard great play, "Jim,
the Penman," was successfully and
realistically interpreted in small
measure to several citizens of Red
wood Falls, Morgan, Morton and
Sleepy Eye during the past three or
four weeks. The successful hero, or
jim, the Penman, wac no greater a
person than William T. Roth, who
while he had no wife's heart to break,
has driven his father. a minister of
the gospel, to an early grave, and has
SO completely broken down his poor
old mothers heart that her pillow is
nightly wet with tears.
Roth came to this city a gay and
spcrtise fellow, spending his money
freely and declaring that he had
plenty of the ready. Every body
seemed to believe him. On election
night he visited both political head
quarters and stood refreshments for
the evening. About the same time he
commenced negotiating, in conjunc-
tion with Mr.. w. NJ. Skinner, re-
spectacle and highly respected citi-
zen, who did not know Roth very
we'll, Of this place, for the furniture
store Of G. w. Nield & Co. It might
ue stated here that he represented
himself as being travelling agent for
the Grand Rapids Furniture Co. The
terms for the furniture store were
agreed upon and an invoice was about
to be taken. Thanksgiving came and
Roth must give his close friends a
champagne suppeD. Twenty nine bot
ties OF the sparkling, boiling and pop
ping LIQUID were drank ere the party
was placed in bed, but not before
Roth negotiated several small loans
from his temporary friends, Our
hero" was taken sick (?) then, and
! kept in his room for several days. The
next heard from him was that he was
en- route to Minneapolis to purchase
furniture and secure cuts for adyer-
tisiug. Twelve hours after he had
disappeared a local paper announced
the deal practically consummated and
half an hour after the local paper ap-
peared Mrs. G. W. Neild appeared in
the GAZETTE Office and declared the
article false and uuwarranted. She
declared that the deal had fallen
through and that Roth's whereabouts
was unknown.
Late last week drafts and checks
endorsed by several Redwoodites COM
menced coming back, protested. They
were drawn on the Grand Rapids Fur
niture Co., and Immediately upon
learning of the protest, steps were tax
en- to ascertain Roth's whereabouts.
But SO far the hunt has ayailed
naught.
| And now comes the drafts. Every
cne taken in is mum. One report is
that Goetze & Kempton, of Morgan,
were taken in for $50, but Mr.. Kemp
ton seen Monday, denied the rumor.
Clever John Peterson was victimized
to the extent of $40, and certain in
dividual down in Morton was played
to the extent of $50, and there are still
others that were played, one of them
being travelling, who has since called
on Roth's mother in Rochester, this
State. The lady broke into tears when
she heard the story.
'God help me-" she cried. Will has
killed his father and he will kill me.
His father died last September from
broken heart. 1t took all his money
to pay VIII, debts and keep him from
being arrested, and when Will refused
to come home once in two years it was
the last straw that killed my husband
his father"
And here Mrs. Roth told the travel
ing man that she had nothing but her
home and $40 in cash. The former,
she said was mortgaged for $500 and
the latter she offered to give the tray-
cling man in part payment of what her
recreant son had swindled him. This
melted the travelling mans heart, and
with tears in his eyes he refused the
sum, and promised that kind and low
ing mother that he would not prose-
cute the case. He left the house with
Mrs. Roth's face bathed in tears.
i Roth did not know of his fathers
death when he was here, and probably