The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-22
DETECTIVES AFTER A YOUNG. MAN
WHO HAS vICTIMIzED SEW
ERAL FIRMS.
HAS THE BUSINESS DOWN PAT.
MONOGRAMED NOTE FROM chs.
TONER REQUESTS ENCLOSED
CHECK BE CASHED.
NOTE AND CHECK ARE FoRGER1Es
Has Been Worked succassfn1
minneapolis, and the Young
Man Is Doing St. Paul.

The detectives are lust at nresan+
engaged in looking for an exceedinoIy
smooth young man who In the past five
days has pulled off quite bit Of money
from conf1ding storekeepers. The
smooth young man has not been seen
Dy any of the victims Of his scheme
and the only description obtained Of
the fellow Is that secured from BOYS
whom he engaged and tips with a
quarter after the trick is turned.
There are four firms who have re-
ported their touches to the police In
st. Paul and twice that number have
been heard from in Minneapolis. In
each case the amount. is the same, SIS,
and it has been handed cheerfully
over each time with no thought of
the thing being a job. Not until the
bank with which the firm victimized
does business, returns the check as
no good does the storekeeper fall
and then a loud wall goes up to the
police.
Tuesday afternoon a colored youth
rushed into the grocery store of N.
Miller & Co., at Summit avenue and
Rlce Street, and handed one of the
hrm note. The missive was enclosed
In the latest shade and style envelope
and the note was accompanied by
certified check on the Merchants Ma
tional bank for $25. The dainty note
went on to say that the writer would
be exceedingly obliged If the check
was cashed and the money sent by the
bearer. A gentleman stopping at the
house had left the check in payment
for suit of clothes which were to ba
delivered G. 0. D. and the expressman
had refused to cash the check. The
strong part Of the thing was that
the note bore the name Of Mrs. A.
Crawford, of 20 Iglehart street. one of
the best customers Of the grocery firm
The note paper had a large "C'' at the
top of the sheet and the writing was
faultless and Of the kind called En-
glish governess style Mr.. Miller at
once went to the cash drawer and
taking out s25 handed it to the youth
who left the store and started in the
direction Of the Crawford residence.
He failed to arrive there, however. as
he was halted a short distance from
the place by a young man who took
the money, gave the boy a quarter
and walked off.
When Miller & Co. visited the bank
the next morning the cashier told
them the paper was no good and also
stated that the certiffcation stafnp on
the face of the check was not at all
like the one used by the bank
The matter was placed in the hands
Of the detectives, and after a search
the colored youth, who did the heavy
work for the smooth young man, was
found. The boy said he knew nothing
about the matter except that man
asked him to carry a note and bring
back what the grocery keeper handed
him. He did so and was paid for his
errand. The detectives, however, OBJ
tanned a description of the man, and.
although 1t is not a very good one,
the detectives are making a search for
the fellow.
The same afternoon F. H Schwabe,
who keeps a grocery at 220 West Sixth
street was done out Of $25 by the same
trick The note which was brought by
small boy whose identity has not
been learned, purported to come from
Mrs. Vera Brown, Of 206 Nelson ave-
nue., and asked that check for $25
which was enclosed be cashed Mr.
Brown Is good customer Of the store
and as the note looked all right and
the paper had a large monogramed
u on the Top the boy was handed the
money. The next day the certified
check was pronounced a forgery and
Schwabe reported to the police.
What Is puzzling the detectives Is
how the young man who is responsible
for the work can select the names of
customers from the various stores who
are entitled to make a draw of this
amount on the strength of a letter and
check. Yesterday Detective Hoy, of
Minneapolis, was in st. Paul and it
leaked out that his visit was to see If
he could be given any assistance In
the capture of the young man who
has been doing a good business in the
same line in Minneapolis.
Mr. Miller of the firm Of Miller &
Co., who fell for $25, when seen
last evening said the affair had been a
good lesson to him and in the future
he would play a ''hunch'' whenever he
got one. AS soon as he read the letter
asking for the check to be cashed he
said he had a "hunch'' that it was
wrong. He looked about the store in
tending to send his errand boy with the
money, but as the youth was not in
sight and as he was very busy he hand
ed over the amount. After learning
that the check was a forgery he nad
kicked himself for not being more care
full, and had reported the swindle in
order to prevent others from getting