Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-07
A MARRIED MANS DEED.
CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING HIS
MOTHER-IN-LAW.
Some of John Webb's Methods Of Finan-
ciering-A Warrant Issued for His
Arrest The Complaint.

A warrant was issued by Justice Stan.
ton on Saturday for the arrest of John
Webb, clothing house clerk, who il
charged by his mother-in-law, Mrs
Fannie R. Stowe, with having obtained
by means of false pretenses from one
Mrs. Maria A. Martin, now deceased
the sum OF $1O25 on the 9th OF August,
1891. The warrant was forwarded to
Sacramento where Webb has been fol-
about two months, and has probably
been served by this time.
John Webb, q little spare man, with q
red moustache and light brown hair,
whose face is pock-marked, came here
several years ago from Kansas and
worked in moet of the ready-made cloth
ing stores OF the city. He made the ac-
quaintance here of Mrs. Fannie B.
Stowe, who likewise hailed from Kan.
sas, and some three years ago married
her daughter.
He had considerable influence over
his mother-in-law and she entrusted
him with various sums of money at
divers time to invest for her advantage
ously. This he loaned out, through the
medium of real estate agents, alleging
that it was his own and the papers Sc.
curing the money we're ordered in every
case to be made out to him.
In this way he loaned Mrs. Maria A.
Martin the sum of $500 on some real
estate in August, $780, and took from
her note payable to him personally in
one year, at the Office of Pomeroy &
Gates, secured by a mortgage, the in
terest being at the rate of 13 per cent.
When the note fell due on August 6,
1891, Webb went to see 1. N. Wiskot
chill to collect the amount still remain
ing due on it, which was $l02o.
He represented to Wiskotchill, who
was then Mrs. Martins agent, that he
had been unable to bring the note and
the mortgage because they we're locked
up in box at the Citizens bank, and
his folks, who we're temporarily in town,
had taken away with them the key, But
that, Webb assured the agent, was not
of any great Importance. If Wiskot-
chill would pay him the $1O25 balance,
he, Webb, would Immediately cause the
satisfaction of the mortgage to be re-
corded, and as soon as his people re-
turned from their journey, the note and
mortgage would be handed back to him
or to his principal.
Relying on Webb'S statement, Mrs.
Martins agent paid him the money and
Webb caused the entry to be recorded
that the mortgage was satisfied. Mrs.
Martin died in the month of October
following, without having received her
papers back, and neither did Wiskot-
chill ever gain possession of them.
When Mrs. Stowe had entrusted her
money to her son-in-law she distinctly
told him that investments should be
made in her name, and when she dis
covered later that the Martin mortgage
not thus executed she caused him to
assign it to her, and taking possession
of the documents locked them up in a
closet at her residence, 119 South Bun
ker Hill avenue. She never authorized
Webb to collect the amount of the note
or to satisfy the mortgage, and it was
without her knowledge or consent that
he did it.
Webb and his wife did not agree very
we'll, and some two months ago he re-
moved from here and took up his resi-
dence in Sacramento, telling her that
he would send for her later on. After
his departure Mrs. Stowe found out that
he had collected the $1O5O and had
failed to account to her for the money.
She then cent private detective, A.
B. Lawson, after him, to attempt the
recovery of the $1025, but it was not
forthcoming, and her attorneys then
prepared afidavits setting forth how
Webb had obtained $l025 from Mrs.
Maria A. Martin, now deceased, with
intent to defraud her.