The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-22

nent in Religious Circles-Forged Even
His Fathers Name-A Partial List of
the Victims.
Bangor. February 21.-A. II. Towle,
who left Bangor on Wednesday, February
IL, and neglected to come back, was one
of the most accomplished confience men
who ever worked this town. He was
rated among the most pious young men
in the city, and also as very Industrious
and enterprising. He had at one time
and another a good many irons i n the
fire, but his chief enterprise consisted in
forging other peoples names to notes and
checks, and in this way he has raised, in
the past seven years over $4,000.
How did he go SO long undetscted?
Well, it appears that he renewed some Of
the notes from time to time, or took them
up with funds raised
BY OTHER FORGERIES,
whileyothers went to protest and, to avoid
trouble, when the facts became known,
were settled by his father. a respectable
farmer of Veazie, near Bangor. Robert
SprouI of Bar Harbor was one of the men
whose signature Towle used on notes;
other names were fictitious. Towle's
prominence in religious circles, he being
member of the church in Veazie and of
the Bangor Y. NJ. G. A., made 1t easy
for him to negotiate any amount of bogus
paper, and he worked the town for all it
was worth.
He forged his fathers name to some
notes, and these the old gentleman made
good TO save his son from disgrace. From
various people he borrowed small sums,
recently, giving forged notes as ecurity.
Lately, as many of these notes were
about to mature, and as he had no cash
with which to meet them,
HE BECAME FRIGHTENED
and set about a series of fresh forgeries
in order to get money with which to
jump the town. He had plenty of blank
checks Of out-of-town banks, including
| the Franklin National of Eastport, and
one in Houlton, and he filled out few
of these to al aggregate amount of about
$500. and oa Wednesday evening" Febru-
ary 10, having cashed the checks that
day, he left town. He told his wife that
he was going to Waterville, SO she says,
to exhibit phonograph, but remarked
that in case he did not return within a
reasonable time she might find him by
! Herald. His wife lives with his parents
in Veazie. His relatives profess to be
| ignorant of his whereabouts.
/ The entire business has been kept secret
until now, in the hope that
TOWLE MIGHT BE CAPTRUED,
but now it has leaked out. The firm of
Leavitt & Robinson, who gave Towle a
ton of coal and $45 in money for $50
Oh eek that was no earthly good. oom.
planned to the county attorney, but that
official made no move in the matter.
Towle has been jack of all-trades, and
it was thought that he was making a
good living. He conducted for some time
an advertising sheet called the Bangor
Herald, exhibited monographs, sold
| tpyewriters, patent bone-crushers and In
cubators; originated the Bangor Discount
Association, weak-kneed schme to pro-
cure for members various goods at less
than usual prices and was agent for The
Single Mems Endowment Association, !"
a scheme of which nobody seems to know
very much.
Just before he left town he held up the
Standard Clothin g company
FOR A SUIT OF CLOTHES
and an overcoat, giving check that was
no good and getting, besides the clothes,
S23. rs change. Ever since his departure
worthless checks have been coming in
from all directions indorssd, "No such
person KNOWN ''No Funds, -
s'FoI gerry" etc. The exact extent Of
Towle's operations is not known, but 1t
is thought that he SEQ ured over $4,000 in
all Here is the list of victims up to
date. now first published:
Merchants National Bank, $500. 90
Etasern Trust and Banking Co., 110O. 90
Coll teral Loan Co., 45. 90
Kenduskeag National Bank, 100 90
Veazie National Bank, 10000
Blake, BaTrows g. Brown, 650
Leavitt g. Robinson, 5000
Standard Clothing Co., 5000
Cashier. Eastern Trust &c Banking