The Portland daily press., 1897-12-10

One Store Where Attempt Was sue
cessful,
Last night the police arrestedMa man
named George W. Cole who lives at TT
Oxford street, and whom they charge
with forgery. He is positively identified
by Mr.. Dyer Of the firm of Cox and fDyer
whose place of business is on Middle
street as being the man who bought some
goods at their store on Tuesday last and
paid for them with forged oheok. Cole
afirms that he is not the man who passed
this check and claims that Mr.. Dyer is
mistaken. Other firms in the city who
were asked yesterday to cash checks bear
ing the same forged signature and were
brought face to face with Cole last night
at the police station were not posi-
tive about the identification. The case is
a most mysterious one and will undoubt-
Municipal court this morning.
On Tuesday last man stepped into Cox
& Dyer's shoe store on Middle street,
and after looking at the stock, made a
purchase amounting in value to dollar
and ninety-tw0 cents. He then offered
in payment check on the Casco Nat
ional bank for $28. The man gave his
name as Geo. H. Nelson. and said he was
employed at S. W. Thaxter & Co. IS,
whose name was signed to the check. The
signature was an excellent imitation of
the firms signature, and was probably
traced. The man endorsed the check and
received the .$26.6o in change and left.
When Mr.. Thaxter was told of the affair
he pronounced the firm signature forg-
cry The check was what is called stock
check of the Casco National Bank
and was numbered 8 and dated
December 7th. The man who presented
the check was evidently between so and
55 years old, about 5 feet II inches tall
and wore full beard and had fur
cap pulled down partly over his face
The police are looking for him.
This matter was reported to the police
but no trace of the forger was found until
late yesterday afternoon when a man en-
tered the shoe store of James E. o. Brien
at 227 Congress street and looked at some
|
purchasing. Mr.. O'Brien waited upon
him, but when the man rendered check
for S2l ON the Casco National bank, num-
bersd four and bearing the alleged sigma
ture of Sidney w. Thaxter, doubts were
raised in the store keepers mind about
the validity of the check and he refused
to take it. The man then left the store
and Mr.. O'Brien fnotified Officers Nc
Grath and Fess Of the matter and they In
turn reported it to the police station
where Deputy Marshal Hartnett was in
charge.
Orders were sent out at once by the
deputy for officers to visit all stores
which were then open and see if they had
seen any sperson who had been attempt
ing to pass check of this kind. The
officers found that the man had been at
tempting to work Off his worthless check
on several stores all along the eastern part
of the oity, but had not been successful.
Every where he presented the same check
for s21, properly endorsed and with Sid
ney W. Phaxter & Co. IS signature clever
ly forged, but now here did he raise the
wind. The store keepers seemed to be
suspicious of the man and his check and
so far as the officers could learn last night
NO one was fooled by the worthless piece
of paper.
The stores entered by this man, whose
description given in the different places
talltes in many respects with that given
by Mr.. Dyer of the person who operated
the Cox and Dyer store on Middle street
Tuesday, were as follows: Lamont's gro
Gerry store, 9S Congress street, Fowler's
drug store 107 Congress street, John
Cousins grocery store corner of Howard
and Congress streets, and Erskines gro
cory store at the corner of Warren and
Congress streets.
1t was about half past five O'Clock when
the man with the worthless check for S21
tried to work this last store where a
young man was in charge. He failed here
as he had at all of the other places and
went out on to Congress street. This
is. the last place the man visited as far
as the police could learn. Probably he
became discouraged at his repeated fail
ures and had given the job up for the
night.
1t is singular fact that at about the
time the would be passer of this check
left Erskine's grocery store, Mr.. Dyer OF
the firm of Cox and Dyer, was walking
up Congress street with a gentleman who
is employed by the firm, on his way home,
and at the head of Ponce street he met an
oldisn man coming down the hill to-
wards City hall, whom he claims to
have at once recognized as the person
who had passed the check for S2S on him
on Tuesday Here it may be stated
that Mr.. Dyer was only a short dis
tance below Erskine's grocery store when
he met this man.
Mr.. Dyer stopped, and standing in
front of the manEaocused him of being
the passer of the worthless check. The
man brushed Mr.. Dyer to one side, told
him he must have made a mistake and
continued on his way down the street.
Mr.. Dyer and the gentleman who was