Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1894-12-21
A HIGH rONED BEGGAR.
lie Cores ponds With Statesmen, But His
Letters Wouldn't Pass Him at
the Police Station.

Tie CORES ponds With Statesmen, But His
Letters Wouldn't Pass Him at
the Police Station.
Last Friday Sergt. Shea arrested a we'll.
dressed man on a charge Of vagrancy
ana took him to the police station. Ar.
irving there the prisoner pleaded vigor.
ously against being locked up and de-
clared that he was an attorney and look
ing for a location in Great Falls. He
pulled out a package of letters from his
pocket repeatedly and asked the marshal
TO look them over and see what recon-
mendations he carried, but that official
was obdurate and ordered him locked
up till morning. On being searched a
lot of memoranda and letters and tele-
grams were found on him; also a bottle
of whiskey, about empty. but no money.
The marshal explained to the reporter
he had been watching the man ever
since be came to town as a suspicious
character. lie had seen him put off the
train on the 10Th inst. while trying to
beat his way here from Helena. Yester-
day he called at the office of a %well-known
attorney in this city and asked him for
a dollar. Not getting the coin he
dropped to fifty cents and then to a
quarter, and the police who were watch
ing him then ran him in, He claimed to
have been doing legal work in Helena
for L. Ii. Carter and tho papers in his
pockets show that he had been system
atlcally working the biz men of the
country. His name is l.. Il. Cowie, and a
letter from d well known citizen Of Chi
cago certified that he had been private
secretary 10 Hon. Caleb Gushing, for
merry minister 10 Russia. A very kind
letter from }. S. Clarkson, secretary of
the Republican national committee, said
that he knew the young mans father
well and contained the information that
no had wired him $50 to relieve his
immediate necessities, and told him
to show the letter to another
gentlemen who he felt sure would give
him employment. Another letter was
from Senator Allison, evidently in an
ewer to an appeal for help. Luther
Latin Mills of Chicago had also evil
IDENTIFY given him a helping hand. Mayor
Thornton of Anaconda had also answered
his appeal by enclosing a sum of money
and telling him where to get work. Gov.
Foraker of Ohio was also another
Of Mr.. Cowie's correspondents. A gen
tleman in Helena had evidently taken
pi y on him, for among his papers was a
bill of goods from CAM q K IN for over
$50 worth of clothing delivered to him
and charged to another name. The bill
included a suit Of clothes, S25; an over
coat, SIS; and shirts, collars, cuffs, socks
and underclothing, and was dated Dec.
6. Six days later he had evil
IDENTIFY pawned the overcoat and
suit, as he had a Helena
pawn ticket for these articles dated the
10th inst, and calling for SIG. 1t was on
this date that the marshal met him on
the train a few miles from Helena try
ing to beat his way to Great Falls.
The whiskey bottle in his pocket prob
ably explains the cause of the young
mans downfall. He had a list of the
names Of the INT of prominent men
and their addresses in his pocket, and
the probability is that he has been prey
ing on such people on the strength of
the letters he carries for some time. He
will be brought before Judge Hawkins
this morning on a charge of vagrancy.