The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-01
BY ST. PAUL AcoUAINTANcEs.
SOME OF THEM HAVE CHECKS
THAT COST THEM REAL
MONEY
AND YET DO NOT PASS CURRENT.
NOW They Wonder Whether They
Were "COnned" by the Denver
Visitor, or what.

- LOUIS 11itLer, OF Denver, diu WnSlS
Is Louis Hilfer, OF Denver? Is he a
straight MAN. or is he crooked" or
bent" as the fly hobs have learned to
say?
Any one satisfactorily answering any
Of the above questions will confer
lasting obligation upon Night Clerk
Ingalls,, of the Merchants hotel, Fran
els B. Wheeler, of the Aetna Life In
surance company the Northern Ex-
change bank, the Scandal bank, and
bank in st. Louis. Mr.. Hilfer has kept
them on the anxious seat now for
week
About two weeks ago a short, lean,
dark-haired Individual arrived on
morning train and registered at the
Merchants as Louis Hilfer, Denver,
Col. The first day of his stay in the
city Hilfer dropped some remarks at
the clerks desk about his mines and his
prospects in Colorado. That set the
hotel interviewers on him, and he was
duly chronicIed in the daily papers as a
man from Cripple Creek, who had
made enough money to satisfy his long
ings, and now was anxious to settle
in the Northwest in business. People
who looked at TItlfer did not take him
for capitalist, on account of the
meagerness of his display. Yet THAI
proved nothing to the contrary, and
Hilfer was accepted at face value.
Future Developments will tell whether
the face value was even with, or be-
low par
Soon after his arrival Hilfer met Mr..
Wheeler Of the insurance company,
60 lcr fIkolf ho tod To fOly O1If
endowment policy for $4,000 with
paid-up premiunE 1t was a nice little
prize for Mr.. Wheeler, and, with his
usual chivalry, he treated Hilfer gen
erously, and entertained him well.
| The negotiations for the policy were
ultimately completed. Hilfer said he
had $4,000 in a bank in ST. Louis. He
went to the Northern Exchange bank
and made out a draft payable to Mr..
! Wheeler, in the sum of $640, in pay
ment for the policy, the draft being
on the ST. Louis bank He also made
arrangements to have his supposed
balance of $2,360 sent on to st. Paul.
IN the meantime. Hilfer was enjoy
ing himself in good shape. He did not
! display any great surplus Of money,
| yet he did what no man could do with
| out money. For one thing, it is known
| that he met a woman and spent con-.
| siderable portion of the time with her
that he was the advance agent of a
| theatrical company, which would
| spend the summer in the city. The idea
that a summer stock company did not
! require the services of an advance
| agent had not occurred to Mr. Hilfer
| Hilfer also weve romance around
| the woman he had met 'He~informed
| the people around the hotel that she
! was from Denver. That was nothing
| against the Wonanis character. The
| girls name was Eva. Her papa was
dead. When he died he left $4,000,
which he could not take with him, and
| Eva was to have this. if she would
| return to Denver and be a good girl
| But Hilfer said Eva was ashamed to
| go back, and such rarebft as $780, On
was not enough to overcome her scru-
| pies.
| After Hflfer had been at the hotel a
| week, he asked for his bill and paid
| it. The sum was $3.50. Later in the
1 day he rushed into the hotel Office
and asked for the loan of $25, saying
| that he had an engagement with
| friends and was a little short. Now a
mine owner usually puts up first mort
gage bonds as security for loans. Hill
| fer did not offer. So he did not secure
his s25. But that evening Hilfer
| dropped in at the hotel again and
| asked Frank Ingalls, to cash a check
| for $25. If you ask ingalls, why he
| cashed the check, he will say that
| well, he will probably say nothing
Hilfer got the -$25 and has not been
| seen since. That is why ingalls, wants
| to see Hilfer again.
In due process of time the Northern
Exchange bank received the draft back
| from ST. Louis. On the back of the
draft was written the words: "The
Louis Hilfer who signs this draft is
not the man who has a deposit here"
This added to the mystery for it was
evident that the bank in question did
have some depositor by that name, but
not the man from Denver That is
why the bank wants to see Hilfer, from
Denver
Last week the st. Paul Elks went
down to Mankato on a jollification
They returned last Wednesday morning
The first Elk off the train was MI
Wheeler. AS he passed through the
| union depot, he CHANGED to see Hilfer
making for a train.
Hello, Hilfer. Going away?" asked
Mr.. Wheeler
ooh, am just going over to Window.
They tell me that there is good open
ing for clothing establishment there"
replied Hilfer.
Mr. Wheeler passed on. So did Mr..
Hilfer. Mr.. Wheeler now says it was
| passing strange" And that is why
Mr.. Wheeler wants to see Mr.. Hilfer.
Mr. Hilfer, of volatile presence, also
went to the Scandal bank before he left
and presented another draft, payable
! to Mr.. Wheeler calling for the same
sum- $780, The Scandal bank also re-
ceived notification from ST. Louis that
! the draft could not be honored. as it
was not good. And that is the reason
the Scandal bank would like to see the
effervescent Hilfer.
The check presented to Clerk ingalls,
also turned out bad, and that is why
the Merchants hotel would like to see
but it is the same story.
A funny part Of it is that one Of the
banks has received a notification from
its Southern correspondent that there
Is a balance to the credit of one Louis
Hilfer in the SUM ofd$2, 800. The mix
became more strange when this news
was received for it is evidently not
| the balance due the supposed Hilfer
from Denver. STILL it may be you
| know. Every one connected with the
case is sorely troubled and perpIexed
Mr.. Hilfer has been gone so long that
| it is generally believed he has found
the location" he was looking for
| There was no morning train to Window.
| and that seemed to settle that yarn.
The questions asked at the outset were
still unanswered last evening.
Premier Thomas Greenway, Of the
Province Of Manitoba, and Assistant
Treasurer D. J. Ptolemy, arrived in the
city yesterday from the East, and regis
| tered at the Ryan.
Premier Greenway went East in fhe
| latter part of March with several Inn
portant missions noted upon his official
| tab. When he went East he declined
to state his errand to the Globe He
had not been In the East long how