The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-19
LIZ CLARE HAS GONE
In His Company Is a Roll Of Bills
Amounting to S827.95.
WRONGFULLY COLLECTED
He Should Have Turned the Money
Over to the NJ. p. Agent. But
He Didn't. So There the
Thing Stands.

E. d. LeClare, the transfer man, left
town very suddenly Sunday night to
avoid arrest for obtaining $s27.95 from
H. l. Frank on false pretenses and he
is a very badly wanted man Just now.
kilograms ordering his arrest were
sent all over the surrounding country
yesterday and as he had a very short
start 1t is thought that he will be cap
tured. Last Wednesday two carloads
of beer were received over the North
ern Pacific for H. L. Frank, and Lee
Clare delivered them AS is sometimes
done with transfer men he was given
the expense bills accompanying the
cars which called for payment OF $751;
80 IN freight, for presentation to MIR.
Frank. Instead of leaving the bill
with Mr.. Frank. LeClare presented 1t
for payment and was given a check
Mr.. Frank was sick in bed at the time
and the check was issued by the book
keeper. LeClare receipted the bill with
the name of w. H. Merriman, the Nor
thern Pacific freight agent, but took
the precaution to add the initial IT"
below the signature. which is adj that
saved him from prosecution on the
charge OF forgery.
Instead of turning the money over
to the railroad company the transfer
man showed 1t deep down in his pocket
and kept 1t there. Mr.. Merriman ask
ed him the next day II he had collected
Mr.. Franks freight bill and he replied
that he had not as Mr.; Frank was
sick. AS 1t was a. well-known fact
that Mr.. Frank was sick Mr.. Merriman
supposed that LeClare was telling the
truth and gave the matter no further
attention until yesterday. 1t Is his
custom. however. to make out his
freight reports every Monday and he
telephoned Mr.. Frank yesterday that
he would like to have a check to cover
the freight on the consignment of beer
in question. Mr.. Frank telephoned
back that the bill had been paid when
the beer was delivered. This unexpect-
ed reply carried with II the conviction
that something was wrong and Mr.
Merriman FASTENED up to Mr.. Frank
office, where he was shown the expense
bill which had been receipted by Lee
Clare. An investigation was then
started and 1t was found that LeClare
had skipped out on Sunday night. 1t
was found that he bought a ticket
over the Northern Pacific for Helena
Sunday evening. that he left on the
1890 o'clock train that night and that
he left the train at Logan which was
the last that has been seen of him.
A warrant for his arrest for obtaining
money under false pretenses was
sworn out by Mr.. Merriman and placed
in the hands of Sheriff Reynolds who
promptly sent out kilograms to the
officers of the surrounding towns CIV
ing description of LeClare and or
dering his arrest.
As 1t is the general practice among
the transfer men II was LeClare's Gus
tom to take freight out of all the
freight houses for delivery to his Gus
toners. Sometimes he would give a
RIr - -
when he took the goods out and have
the agent receipt the way bill. which
ne would turn over to the conslgnee
for the payment of his bill and his
charges. This was the general rule in
his transactions with the railway COM
pany, but he occasionally collected
from the consignees and then turned
the money over to the railroad COM
pany, and in dealing with large ship
pers he sometimes left the expense bill
with the goods and they settled direct
with Mr. Merriman. The railroad COM
pany, however. exacts a bank guaran-
tee from all the transfer companies
before it will allow them to take freight
and the State Savings bank was on
the bond of LeClare for $1,000. The
hank was, In turn, protected by "a b3nd
in the same amount furnished by three
responsible business men This bond
will not, however, cover the loss, as
LeClare mad an oVerdraft OF between
$500 and $500, so that the bank will
lose $500 or $500. LeClare was notified
by the bank on Saturday that he must
settle up at least a part of his overdraft
or secure the amount that was not COW
cred by his bond, and he stated that
/ e would come around yesterday morn
ing and straighten the matter out.
There no doubt that LeClare knew
that Agent Merriman balanced up his
freight accounts every Monday and, as
ne knew that his defalcation would be
discovered yesterday, he probably
thought that the easiest way out of
the difficulty would be to make himself
scarce.
His family Is still in the city and he
gave them no intimatton of his inten-
ton to leave. or where he intended TO
go, so far as can be learned. He had
been in the transfer business off and
on for six years and at one time bore
an excellent reputation and seemed to
be doing a thriving business. Recent
ly, however, his business seems to have