Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-20
.B|DWELL BROUGHT TO BOOK.
When Hard Up He Drew Checks
with Great Gall.
He Was Found Guilty Yesterday
Before Justice Austin.
Two Cases Where He Had Obtained
Small Sums on Bogus Checks.
How He Worked the
Scheme.

For a year or two past J. F. Bedwell,
a young man who has penchant for
drawing checks when he has no money
in bank, has been source of annoyance
to business men and the banks of this
city. He has stood trial in the superior
court once or twice, and has thus lar
escaped the penitentiary.
Yesterday he was tried before Justice
Austin for his latest ventures in the
way Of checks, on the charge of obtain
ing money under false pretenses. There
were two cases, one in which he secured
So from s. W. Luitweiler on a check
drawn on the University bank, and the
other in which be also secured 50 from
W. s. Allen, on check drawn on the
same bank. The checks were drawn
July 11th and July 18th, respectively,
and in each case Bedwell told about the
same story to the merchants from whom
he obtained the money. 1t was that he
was very much pressed for time-in
fact, had just time to reach q train to
Santa Ana-and, as it was too late to 60
to the bank, he would be obliged for the
cashing of check. The amount was
small, and Bedwell has such plausible
manner that he easily imposed upon
both Mr.. Luitweiler and Mr.. Allen.
They cashed the checks, and when they
were presented at bank and returned
with the words '.No funds'' stamped on
them, decided to prosecute the young
fellow.
Bedwell is very cunning, and sue
ceeded in staving off the cases until
yesterday. One attorney withdrew from
bis case, and yesterday he succeeded in
getting another one, Mr.. Binford, to
come to court simply to make motion
for another continuance. When the
case came on, however, Invent to trial.
The witnesses, in addition to Mr..
Luitweiler and Mr.. Allen, were officers
of the University bank, and the extern
sive system which has been pursued by
Bedwell can be no better described than
by the statement of one OF them, who
testified that during the past year over
one hundred such checks by Bedwell,
have been presented at the University
bank. The sums for which they have
been drawn are all small, not exceeding
So or. SO, and the fellow evidently
banked upon that fact for security
against prosecution, believing that
rather than be put to the annoyance of
prosecuting for such little amounts, his
victims would let it go. In many cases
he judged correctly, but ran against a
snag at last. s
He is specious fellow, and endeavors
to avoid responsibility for his criminal
acts, by putting on an air Of injured in
nocence, and gravely relating detailed
story of how he surely expected funds
to be in bank to meet the checks drawn.
He went on the stand yesterday, and
with reference to the Luitweiler check.
said that ne told Mr.. Luitweiler that
funds would be in bank to meet the check.
This Mr.. Luitweiler denied. A man
named Leonard, said Bedwell owed him
some $38, which he had promised to de-
posit to his credit in bank the next day.
He had no intention, whatever, of doing
anything wrong, he averred, and when
he found the check had been returned,
at once telephoned Mr.. Luitweiler that
he would be down and take up the
check. The clerk who received this
telephone message, denied that Bedwell
said anything about the check or money.
When asked where Leonard ia at pres
ent, he replied that he is not in the city,
but somewhere in San Diego county, he
did not exactly know where. After a
lot more of this sort of story, Bedwell
left the stand, and Justice Austin, when
the case was closed, found him guilty,
and fixed his sentence for this morning.
The Allen case was partially tried, but
Bedwell saying he had two witnesses
who were not present, it went over until
this morning. After the trial, Bedwell at
tempted ohave the bond stand which be
had already given, saying that he could
not give another one so late in the even
ing, and that his child was on its death
bed. Justice Austin declined to set him
at liberty. After endesvoring to secure
bondsmen, he was locked up in the city
iail.