Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-12-03
CLEVER BOY.
lie Turns Up in the West as "A Crook of the
First Magnitude.

an OlEUIne LelcEfdpu Opfd-
tor, is the j. S. Moore who wa arrested
at Kansas City Sunday, charged with
e-mbezzlcment Of the funds Of a Denver
commission company, for which he was
confidential chief clerk. The story
which comes from Denver is as follows:
u. 5. Moore and G.. Il. Clarke, en-.
plOyes Of the Colorado Commission com
pany, the former confidential clerk and
the latter clerk and telegraph operator,
wrere found Sunday 10 be e~InbeZzlers of
that company's funds TO the amount Of
$4,000. Clarke has been arrested and
Moore has not been seen since Friday
night. 1t is supposed he left
the city. During n trip last
August they collected about $1,000.
A series of false entries covered
mp their theft. Within the last thirty
days Mr.. Carlton, one Of the firm, has
been in New York and the pair tooh adj
vantage Of his absence. They repeated
their former act to the extent Of embez-
zling about $4,000, making a total IA
round numbers Of $1,000 which The
firm is out. One Of their schemes was
the sending Of fictitious quotations
usually about I per cent less than the
actual and then later sending out the
correct figures, thereby making a neat
margin for themselves. Clarke's bank
account was attached. but Moore car
ried the most Of the money with him.
Moore's real name is Jerry S. Blodgett.
He is also wanted for crooked work IN
Minneapolis and Kansas City
Jerry ran down 10 Kansas City ana
being well known there was 0 loca-
ted and picked up by the police. He de
clared when arrested that he had done
nothing wrong, but hat he had "A right
to use the funds Of the company, claim
ing that he had a partnership interest
therein. As to the wire scheme which
worked a single day the reports contain
no statmeut of admission or denial
from him.
There are plenty of Wisconsin peo-
pie who know Jerry Blodgett. He has
had a variegated career and was CON
Ceded TO be the crack telegraph opera
tor of the city when he worked in Mil
waulec, which was several years ago.
The boys tell great tales of his pro
hciency with the instruments. He was
a rapid sender and could work with his
feet as rapidly as ordinary
operators could with their hands. Oc-
.casionally ne would mount his table
and send long dispatches in that way.
As a receiver he was equally expert and
there was no Al along the line sending
press dispatches who could get Il coil
about him and through il Jerry would
be as cool as q cucumber. MS though
he had nothing to do lie is still young
IN years, between 30 and 80. !
He was one Of the first operations in
the city 10 use the type writer in tax
ing messages and he invented an at
tachmcut to his instrument TO hold a
continuous roll Of paper so rs to save
the trouble of putting in sheets. And
.Ierry was one of the boys outside, get
ting ,,le reputation OF being very expert
handling the pastchoards He was
not satisfied to stay too long In one
place ANA so he went all owe the coum,
try picking mp work wherever ne went,
ana expert tolegrapher can always
do, According to the stories told or
him ne became more and mDre OF a card
player, winning large sums Of money
mt poker and again buckiug up against
The faro bank until his money was ol
gone.
one of the stories told of him is by an
acuuaintance who met him ut Atlanta Il
few years ago. Jerry had Just come mp
from Florida where he had spent the
as telegraph operator in a large
hotel. and where his opportunities were
unlimited to exercise his skill at cards,
He had with him some $1,000 to So
GOO In bank notes as the proceeds OF
his winters work.
Jerry was wild from his youth, though
It was not generally laid up against NM
account of his genial disposition. lie
married 10 a beautiful young girl
while he lived in Milwaukee and they
Of Fifth street south of Grand
avenue. But domestic troubles came
and their happiness was over. jerry
accused his wife of being unfaithful TO
him. but those who knew both did not
blievcs the stories. On the contrary
they believed the wife to be ali right and
the lapses from the straight line to he
somewhqee else. But they were dI-
yoreed and Jerry became more of a
rambler than ever.
His career in Milwaukee was simply
one of wildness and dissipation, no OF
crime. II that has been his life else
where it is not known. though the dis
match from Denver says he is wanted
In Minneapolis for alleged crookedness,
And now to go back farther into ms
mast. Jerry Blodsett was born IN Hart
ford. wis. where ne spent his hoyhood
DAYS ana learned enough Of telegraphy
when he grew mp to get n station upon
the road.
MEssAGEW WAS TOO LATE.