Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-12-30
FoRoER Browns EXPLOITS.
HOW HE SwINDLED THREE BANKS
AND WAS CAUGHT.

FoRoER Browns EXPLOITS.
HOW HE swINDLED THREE BANKS
! AND WAS CAUGHT.
w. A. Brown, 26 years OF age, of Oak
Park, suburb of Chicago, ILL.,, passed
forged check for S400, upon the State
bank Of Oak Park. at the national bank
of Middlebury on Friday afternoon, was
caught at Vergennes the next morning,
and is now in the county Jail here, in de-
fault of $500 bail, to await the action of
the grand jury.
The young man is of a respectable
family, his father being draughtsman
for the Chicago and Northwestern rail-
road and living at Oak Park. They once
lived in Burlington, Chttenden county.
where young Brown was born. He
came to Middlebury last Friday morning
on the early express from the south, aud
went to bed at the Addison House. AZ
ter breakfast he hired Mr.. Rider to take
him out to Curtis II. SIMPSONS in Corn
wall. He is a relative of Mrs. Sampson,
/
Sampson brought him out to Middle
bury. Brown was introduced at the
bank by Mr.. Curtis Ii. James, a neigh
Dor of the Simpsons. Mr.. Sampson en-
dorsed the check, which was ostensibly
drawn by an Oak Park man, and the
bank cashed it. As is usual when out
side checks of large amount are cashed,
the bank then telegraphed to the Oak
Park bank, and presently received re-
ply to the effect that the check was Il
forgery, and that if the man who had it
cashed was named Brown he ought to be
arrested. Col. Fletcher, president of the
bank, enlisted the services of Deputy
Sheriffs w. Ii. Cobb and T. NJ. Chapman,
who proceeded to investigate. They
found that Brown had gone north on the
5 O3 train and that he had telegraphed to
Rev. G. r. Hawley, pastor of the Ver-
gennes Methodist church, that he would
be up to see him. The officers, accom-
panied by Mr.. II. II. Fletcher, went to
Vergennes on the early express Satur-
day morning. On arriving there they
obtained the services of Deputy Sheriff
Middlebrook, and about o'clock Satur-
day morning they surrounded Mr.. Haw-
ley's house and aroused the inmates.
Brown was in bed. He was put under
arrest. The hearing was mad that morn
ing before Justice Roberts, States At
torney Fish appearing for the prosecu-
ton. Browns bail was fixed at $500.
He could not find sureties, and so was
brought to Middlebury on the mail train
and jailed.
Brown had on his person when caught
$50. OF this S400 was the result of the
raid on the Middlebury bank, which has
got its money back. 1t has since come
out that Brown visited cousin, one Ar
thur Brown, at North Adams: Mass,
last week, and that while there he passed
a forged check, which his cousin endors-
ed, at North Adams bank. The
amount of it was 5000. The cousin is
good for the amount, and expecting that
the bank would call on him to pay, he
sent up here on Monday Attorney Thay-
er, who took steps to secure what is left
of the money for his client. 1t is also
learned that Brown is wanted at Albany,
n. Y. for swinding bank there out
of $400 on a forged check.
Young Brown was fashionably dressed
and is a man of prepOssesslng appear
ance. His father is prominent Metho-
dist and was once parishioner of Rev.
Mr.. Hawley, whom the young man was
visiting when caught. An uncle of
Brown lives in Burlington and tells a
Free Press reporter that the youth has
served term in Pennsylvania peniten-
tiary, from which he was discharged on
ly about year ago.
No blame is attachable to the officials
of the local bank, who in this case did
what they and every other bank in the
country does each day Brown seemed
to be well vOuched for, and there was
not the slightest reason for suspecting
that he was other than an honest man.
But while bank people do not often sus-
pect people, checks may excite suspic-
ion, as was the case with this one. Then
an investigation is begun forthwith.