The age-herald., 1898-07-10
COL. ERLE ROSS
 OF TUSCALOOSA Arrested Last Night by Chief Mcdonald
 and Officer Baker IN METROPOLITAN HOTEL On a Warrant Sworn Out by Express Agent Brock of Belle Ellen. CHARGED WITH GRAND LARCENY Alleged to Have Stolen Book of Blank Money 0rders-Clams He Is lnnocent-Was
 on Staff of Former Governor Hill of New York.
CHARGED WITH GRAND LARCENY

Colonel Earl Ross of Tuscaloosa, repre- senxing himself as the general agent of theE Western Assurance company, of Charieston, w. Va, is in the city prison, on charge of grand larceny preferred by J. c Brock, agent of the Southern Express company at Belle Ellen, a small mining town on the Birmingham Mineral railroad, in Bibb county. It Is alleged that Ross took a book of blank money orders from the Belle Ellen office and succeeded in hav- Ing several of them cashed. On the other hand. Ross claims to have paid the money to the agents at Belle Ellen, and says that the orders were signed by W. A. Scott, the assistant agent at that station, who was authorized to sign them.
 On Gov. RilI's Staff
 It seems that July 1 Colonel Ross, who was stopping at the Metropolitan ho- tel approached Leweyn Johns superin- tendent of the Belle Ellen mines, and asked to be allowed to solicit insurance among the employees of the company. MT. Johns says that he introduced himself as Colonel Ross, and stated that he was on the staff of former Governor David B. Hill of New fork lie was told that it would be necs- Sary to first obtain permission from the president of the company, but that he fnight go to the mines and look over the field. This he decided to do and accom- panied MT. Johns to Belle Ellen, spending the first night at the home of Mir. John. The remaining two nights of his stay were spent with J. c. Brock, the agent of the Southern Express company, who occupied room adjoining the express office in the depot.
 On Monday. July 1, Ross returned to Dir mngham. w. A. Scott, assistant agent at Belle Ellen, came to the city on the same train.
 Claims a ISo ok Was Missing
 Yesterday when Agent Brock checked up his office he claims to have discovered a book of money orders containing twenty blanks missing. He immedia tely tee- graphed to MT. Johns, who was at Besse- mer on business, asking him to try and find Ross MT. Johns was at loss to know what was wanted and communicated with Brock by wire, who replied that Ross hadestolen s1 ,O00. MT Johns came to the city Immediately. and in company with Special Officer Pinkerton, of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, endeavored to To- cate the man. Agent Brock arrived in the city on the Birmingham Mineral at 7:30 o'clock with a warrant charging grand larceny, which placed in the hands of the police department.
 Ross was known to several officers on the force and Chief McDonald and Officer Baker started out to look for him. About 8 o'clock he was pointed out by Oficer Baker sitting at table in the Metro poiitan hotel, preparing to ordering supper, and was immediately placed under arrest and taken to police headquarters
 Several Orders Cashed
 As soon as Agent Brock, of Belle Ellen reported the loss of the blanks it was found that the office in this city had cash- ed several orders which appeared to nave
 Pstrf fl1nf. been drawn at Belle Ellen ana on 1urther investigation it was discovered that two or three of them had been paid through local banks where they were deposited by mer- chants in the regular course of huslness
 On Monday the 4th inst, J. C. HQusman, proprietor of the Mecca saloon cashed one of the orders for $40. Another was cashed by s. Wise & Co.,, and one or them was paid at the express office.
 Before being locked up Ross was taken into inc private office of Chief Mcdonald and made a strong protest against being plaeed in prison claiming that he was lil- yoeent of any wrong doing, and that the orders he had cashed were property stamped and signed. His pockets were searched and the stubs of i've orders were found in his pocketbook, but the remain ing blanks that are alleged to have been stolen could not be found.
 Ross Statement
 Ross was locked up in cell in the city prison where he was seen snort tune after by an Age-Herald reporter and said: IL II paid the agents at Belle Ellen the Amount that the five orders call TOT ana each one of them was signed by Scott, the assistant agent. have done nothing to cause me to be thrown into prison and tisgraced l am general agent of the Western Assurance company of Charleston, NV. Va. and as such solicit business through this section. After l saw MT. Johns the other day went to Greeley and enquired of William Reid of Reid x Trip ping Bros. as to MT. Johns and was told that he was all right. MT. Reid then wrote me a personal letter of introduction to MT. Johns which I delivered to him on my arrival at Belle Ellen. As to the money orders I will say that l paid the amount to Brock and Scott and saw them mt if in box in a trunk. What became Of 1t after that do not know. We were all drinking at the time and Brock and Scott were very drunk. I wanted to get rid of my money so I would not spend it When I got back to Birmingham, and decided best to buy money orders with it. think there were two for $i5, one for ss5 and two for $40. I am not sure about this, however.
 The orders were filled out by me and were signed by Scott. When Scott got to Bir- 1ningham he was still drinking and went into a certain place where he was relieved