The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-25
Arrested in Seattle. G. f.. Jameson
Conf feSses a Sl0.oUo Fraud.
With Confederate, whose Name lie
Refuses to Div ulxe. Jameson CfeS-
criy Duplicated Warrants Now
OutatandinE-Ernnk ID. black. of
This City, buys Ss.soo Of the
Worthless Paper-N. IL. I.atimcr's
Caution Brings to Light the swim
dle-Confessed Forgcr One OF
MontcAano's Most Prominent Men.

c. r. Jameson. alias George Smith.
formerly mayor of Montesano. is locked
up in the city Jail on the charge OF forging
Chehalis county warrants TO the amount of
slo.ooe. Jameson has confessed his crime.
revealing cieveriy laid conspiracy TO rob
the county. but he absolutely refuses 10
tell the name OF his confederate. Out of the
sio.0No worth of forged warrants Jameson
sold $4,Sp to ex-Mayor Frank ID. Black
and Frank W. Baker. of the Seattle Hard
ware Company.
Wednesday morning. November II. the
Post-Intelligencer published a story from
Montesano to the effect that forged
county warrant, drawn OF the general
fund. had been received for investigation.
The warrant was made payable TO d. c.
Lyon or order. issued April ]. issS. for the
sum Of $50, and numbered s,ssS. Accord
Ing 10 general appearances, the warrant
had been signed by G. Il. Saekett. who was
auditor at the time the warrant was al
legged to have been issued.
An investigation proved conclusively that
Mr.. Sacketts name had been forged and
that the body of the warrant had been
filled in by the same hand that did the
forgery. The treasurer's Endorsement Not
paid for lack of funds was found TO he
quite different from that of genuine war
rants. With the warrant submitted was
list of other warrants which the auditor
was requested 10 look up. Among the lot
was one warrant for over 500 and the POST
Intelligencer Montesano correspondent
learned that 1t had been in the possession,
since legally issued. OF another person than
indicated In the list.
The discovery that forged warrants were
in existence caused considerable excite
ment among the Chehalis county officials,
but until last evening there were no spe-
cial developments to throw any light on the
case.
Late last night the Post-inteiiigencer re-
ceived a dispatch from it's correspondent at
Montesano TO the effect that Detective
Cudihee. OF Seattle. had been IN town In
yestigatiDg the forgeries and that IL was
positively known that c. f. Jameson,
formerly mayor of Montesano was locked
up in tho city Jail at Seattle as the king
pin forger. and that he had confessed 1t
was also stated that the warrants had been
sold. originally. TO Frank n. Black and
Frank w. Baker, both prominent men Of
Seattle, and that eventually they were
turned over to Dexter Horton & Co. These
clues were followed out here with the fol-
lowing result:
A week ago last Tuesday c. r. Jameson
came to Seattle with s5.soo worth OF what
he alleged 10 be Chehaiis county warrants,
which he had negotiated TO sell TO ex-
Mayor Frank -. Black at S. cents on the
dollar. The warrants were placed in Mr.
Blacks hands and he took them TO Dex-
ter Horton & Co.'S bank. II was agreed
that Jameson was 10 call the next after
noon at 8 o'clock and receive his money
IL appears that N H. Latimer, manager
of the bank. while looking over the war
rants became suspicious that something
was wrong He Immediately sent one OF
the suspicious warrants 10 the auditor Of
Chehaiis county with the request that he
investigate as TO its ganuineness. A fun
list of the other warrants was also In
closed. In "a short time after the warrant
reached Montesauo word was received by
tn. bank that the warrant was q forgery
With this condition of affairs staring the
proposed purchaser in the face. tele-
phone message was sent 10 Ch.$f Of Police
Reed requesting him TO have a detective
al the bank when Mr Jameson called "a
receive bis money. Detective cudihee was
detailed TO attend TO the matter.
Jameson tnder Arrest
Mr.. Jameson was greatly surprised on
arriving ar the hank 81 the change IN the
wind. and made statements which re.
suited ia the calling of Chief Reed 70 lsa
Office. After the chief had talked with
Mr.. jameson for some time h. got an ad-
mission from MIN that something WAS
wrong Mr.. Jameson was ts.-n taken 20
police headquarters and questioned al
length. Finally he broke down and con
fessed that he had entered into a conspir-
acy TO deffaua t,sshaIis county ef large
sum of money through a wholesale forgery
OF county warrants.
How the Work Wa. Done.
The job was planned last June. bat the
name OF The man who was with Jameson
cannot be learned, and /; is positively
known. despite Chief Reefs refusal To
talk. that Jameson viii not divulge r.
This mysterious man had aecess 20 the
warrant resasser and In this way tine num-
bers and names Of people 10 whom war
rants had been issued were obtained From
the back of a book Of blank warrants a
large number II pages were removed
: ken tfge cnnspiFasoFs sent 80 Portland anI
had an exact counterpart nf .he Chehaiis
county seal made. THIS t.ut the e3nspsra-
tors In a fair way - do business. but they
stiil needed a rabbsF stamp like the ans
used by the auditor - marx war
rants. NOT paid fer the want 81
funds" AS last resSrG they wrote out a
form Ike ,isat used In the AUDITORS affgce
ard then forged the auditorts name AT
last they were ready for business and
then they commenced turutng eat var
rants. The f5rss lot was tisiaed into two
ghfts whEen we're seI& 80 Mayor Frank
u. Black ap Frank W, Baker. a. abosst
- eentS on the dollar. Baker zeif his
warrants 10 Black. @no ia fssfu sasa tftfm
10 John G0o3feiIas aei}-kRo~H fraa-
clag agent who has otsce is sfs WASH
inxsou block Gcodfeilas turned the ~ar-