The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-01

other young fellows, whom he made no
| attempt to arrest, as only the one was
suspected at that time, but he soon af-
| terward became convinced that the
| three constituted the members of
| gang who were working together. 1t
| is said the right name of the one who
| attempted to impose on Mr.. Slemons is
| Joseph Dexter, and that he is from Og
| den, Utah. He succeeded in getting the
| signature of the Smith & Bro. firm to
copy by applying for position as Of
| flee boy, it is supposed, as he wrote Mr..
| Smith a letter and later applied in per-
son, and it is thought he picked up
| slip of paper bearing the firms sigma
ture at this time.
The police had been aware for a week
| that the fellow was doing business, as
he cashed a check for s., to which Mr..
| Heslet's name was signed. a week ago
| at Bakers restaurant. but they had
not been able to locate him.
AS soon as the officers became salts
| fed there was gang of the forgers,
| they set themselves to watch for the
return of the others to the room in the
| Lafayette house. 1t transpired that
| there was but one other of the gang in
Butte and he evidently got a tip some
| thing was up, for he hired a colored
boy named William Wade and sent him
to the room after his grip. The Of
= "
told them he had been sent for the grip.
He was told to take it and they would
follow. The officers were Detective
Murphy and Sergeant McGrath. They
followed and caught the forger in Mer-
curry street, just east of Arizona. He
was all fixed up to get away, with Il
false mustache and when searched it
was found he had a gun and wore
police star. He gave the name of Fred
Delyle and it is said is an ex-soldier.
Shortly after the arrest of Delyle,
young Dexter. who. it appears, is more
of dupe of the older fellows than any
thing else, confessed to all he knew and
told the officers the third member of
the gang was in Anaconda, and Detect
i've Murphy took the boy and went to
Anaconda yesterday morning and got
him.
The story of the method by which the
gang worked is interesting. The one
caught in Anaconda. it appears, was
the penman, and while he remained in
Anaconda the other two came here and
proceeded to get the signatures of
prominent men by writing letters APP
plying for work. When they got a re-
ply the signature was sent to the man
in Anaconda, who proceeded to copy
them as signatures to forged checks,
which he would send back here to be
passed.
1t was found that aside from the
check cashed by Mr.. Slemons, Delyle
cashed three or four other checks Sat
urday, but the officers have not yet
ascertained the amounts or the names
of the victims, as young Dexter could
not inform them.
Detective Murphy returned to Butte
last evening with the man captured at
Anaconda. Vastly to the surprise Of
his friends here, he turned out to be
H. B. Smith, a brother of Major w.
Smith, and formerly a member of the
insurance firm of Major w. Smith &
Brother, whose signature was Endorsed
on the back of the check cashed by Mr..
Slemons Saturday evening. Major w.
Smith had been much mystified to
know how the forger got the firm sig
nature, which was so accurately writ
ten on the back, and supposed it had
been procured through young Dexter,
applying at the office for work The ar
rest of young Smith clears up the
mystery for, as member of the firm,
he had many times written the firm
signature.
The story of young Smiths down
fall is the old one of a fast woman and
weak-minded man. He received a
fine education and was taken in by his
brother and made member of the
firm in the insurance business. He was
rustler after insurance and was re-
garded as a very likely young fellow,
but Butte was too swift for him. He
got to running in bad company and
finally became the lover of a woman
known as Fanny Smith, a variety
actress at the Casino theater. Some of
his friends thought then they could see
his finish 1t took more money than he
could earn legitimately to meet the ex-
travangances, and several months ago
he took the first step in the direction
of where he has landed. He overdrew
his account and could not meet it when
he had to and was let out of the firm
Then he went away with the woman
and wound up with her in Colorado
where, when he could no longer pro-
duce, he was thrown overheard. He
was unable to get work and was in
| desperate circumstances when he met
Delyle and yielded to the temptation
that worthy put in his way. Smith
confessed to the officers the whole
story of his wrong doing. He said the
gang was composed of himself, Delyle,
young Dexter and another man named
Higgins. They made compact to
| travel about the country, do a town up
quick and get away, and were very
successful until they struck Montana.
They worked Denver, Salt Lake and
Ogden and then came here. Smith has
many friends here who regret to see
him in his present predicament.