The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-26
MANY FORGED CHECKS
JOHN MILLER, WHO WORKED HIS
GAME IN THIS CITY, UNDER ARREST.
Caught I'm Terre Haute-somc of His
Victims in indianapolis and
Amounts Obtained.

The German giving the name of John Mil
Ter, who passed a number Of forged checks
in this city recently. was arrested in Terre
Haute yesterday by detectives Dwyer and
.McRae. He confessed that he is the man
who forged the three checks described in
yesterdays Journal. Ghe name of c. E.
Reynolds was forged to two of these. one
of which was accepted at the store of W. j.
Eisele, AZ West Washington street, and the
other. for s14. at j. r. Shearman's bicycle
store, No. Al North Pennsylvania. The third
one was for $3.50. and was accepted by w.
o. Saffell. of Nos. Z and 9 Madison avenue.
This one was alleged to be signed by T. VI.
Hervey. The checks were shown to be rank
~forgefies when presented at the bank, for
they did not even bear resemblance TO the
signatures Of the men whose names appeared
on them. Miller further added in his con-
~~fession that he had passed so many checks
in Ind~isnapoIis that he could not give the
total value of them. ; His wife and four chill
dren are now at 29i Kentucky avenue. The
Sanity came TO Indianapolis about two
months ago. He claims to be a decorator
and paper hanger. is about thirty years of
age and has a German accent. He asserts
that his mother. Mrs. Mary Pretz. of 1913
Fifty-first street, Chicago, is worth about
$40. 900. .
Miller was arrested just as he was begin
ming a campaign in Terre Haute. He passed
one check for $50 on John G. Dobbs, a furni-
ture dealer. and was trying to get rid of an
other check when he was taken in custody.
He had already succeeded in cashing three
checks, two OF them purporting to be on
THE First National Bank of Indianapolis"
Two of the Terre Haute checks were for $24
and SIG respectively. and bore the name of
II. NJ. Hervey, an Indianapolis ticket broker.
A Terre Haute ticket broker, to whom they
were offered, said they were apparently gen.
uine. Miller had a watch and a ring in his
in THIS city. He has written to his wife here,
asking her to hunt up the forged checks.
He sent a telegram to his mother, asking her
to come to his rescue. He thinks that by
making good the amounts he secured by the
forgeries, he will escape trials in the courts.
Millers wife was seen by a Journal re-
porter last night at her home, 291 Kentucky
avenue. she is a cOmely little woman, two
or three years her husbands junior. She
told a straightforward story that was con-
vincing in its Simplicity and candor. She
was evidently expecting to hear bad news
concerning her husband. Monday morning
make another effort to get employment.
Since then she has heard nothing from
him. If he wrote to her from Terre Haute,
she had not received his letter last night.
She could scarcely believe the reports of
the forgeries and said that If her husband
had been guilty of such a crime he must
AdhC COAltiAllllCu IL DIT d lliflc NUG1 lie was
not altogether in his right mind. Lately
he has been much depressed, because of
his inability to earn enough money to pro-.
vide for his family. When Miller failed to
return home, his neighbors connected him
with the forgeries here and spoke of their
fears to Mrs. Miller.
A short time ago, she says, her husband
decided TO move to Indianapolis from Chi
cago, thinking he might be able to obtain
employment at his trade. For the last. six
months he has had nothing to do and was
utterly pennileSS when he moved his family
here. Mrs. Miller says she sold her furni-
ture to get money to pay the railroad fare.
They rented the house on Kentucky avenue,
paying a few dollars down. Her husband
bought a little furniture-two beds, a few
she had 10 pawn her dress in order to make
a payment on the furniture as it was about
10 be taken from them. Mrs. Miller saws
her husband has been low spirited and
respondent as a result of their poverty.
They have four children. a boy of four
and three girls, the eldest seven years old.
Last week the little boy was i'll and they
were too poor TO employ a physician or buy
him proper food. II didn't even have money
TO buy him a pint of milk" his mother
the little cottage, and the scantiness with
which they are furnished. attest the eX-
IRENE poverty in which Miiler's wife and
children have been living. For several days,
until she received another payment on the
furniture she sold in Chicago, Mrs. Miller
says there was barely enough food in the
house TO keep them alive.
Mrs Miller says her husband has never
been in trouble before. She was greatly
worried at the reports concerning him. She
does not believe that her husbands mother
Will De able TO do anything for her son as
she has nothing except an estate left by
her late husband. which is now tied up in
the probate court at Chicago.