The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-06

Charles f. Miller Sentenced for
Cheating Many Farmers.

Cheating Many Farmers.
Special to the indianapolis Journal
ORLEANS, Ind. Feb 5.--Charles F.
Miller. thirty-eight years old, has been on
trial in the Orange Circuit Court since Tues
day on the charge of forgery and false pre-
lenses. The case was given to the jury Fri
day night at 10 o'clock and the jury was
out only forty minutes. returning verdict
of guilty Judge Gibson, of Clark county,
presided and sentenced Miller to the peni-
tertiary for from one to seven years.
Miller came to this locality about six
years ago, d total stranger, and has sue
ceeded in keeping his former history to him
self. He made many friends, some of whom
stick to him through his recent troubles.
Last July man appeared in the neighbor-
hood of IAvonia, in Washington county,
claiming to be an agent for an Ohio stock
feeder, and wanted to buy some good cattle,
and offered fancy price, giving his name
as ID. d. Fisher" He claimed to have
placed $4,000 in the Bank of Orleans when
he arrived in this locality, thinking he could
find what he wanted about Orleans, but
found good cattle scarce in this vicinity. He
then drifted over into Washington county.
His smooth tongue together with
me fancy prices he offered had
the desired effect on the farmers.
and in two days he secured a carload of
choice steers, giving checks on the Bank of
Orleans which were accepted. Some of the
farmers took checks who had not been in
the habit of doing it before. The cattle were
promptly delivered to Fisher at Camp
bellsburg. where they were weighed and
loaded on the car. Max Abraham. a Camp
bellsburg merchant, cashed check for
Fisher" for expense money. Fisher"
landed in Louisville on the morning of July
l5 with his cattle and lost no time in dis
posing of them to firm at the stock
yards, at prices it was afterwards learned
much less than he gave,
The farmers had no suspicion that they
had been duped until their checks began to
come back to them with the information
that ID. ID. Fisher" had no deposit in the
Bank of Orleans, and was unknown to that
institution. The victims soon got together
and figured up their loss, which amounted
TO 81 600 or more E. b. Stephenson being
the heaviest loser, his check amounting to
sensation and the universal opinion was that
ID. D. Fisher hailed from this vicinity.
Suspicion at once rested on Miller. who had
been away from here at the time and about
long enough to have done the work 1t was
known that he had no money when he went
away. but he had money to burn" when
he came back and used it lavishly. This
fact caused suspicion, and Marshal Standi-
ford notified the Washington county people.
Stevenson came to Orleans at once and rec
ogniZed Miller as Fisher as soon as he
saw him, and had him arrested and taken
10 Salem that night, where he was placed
in jail. The following day scores of people
who saw Fisher in the IivOnia neighbor-
hood went To Salem and recognized Miller
as Fisher" Charges of forgery and false
pretense were filed against him. He took
a change of venue and was sent to this
county for trial. Talbot & Mozart defended
Miller and Prosecuting Attorney Hanan was
assisted by s. H. Mitchell. of Salem. The
defendant attempted to prove an alibi,
claiming to be in St Louis at the time. say
ing he got his money from an old friend,
a race horse man. who loaned it to him
to buy a noted long tail horse of this vicin-
ity. He had a couple of MISUNDERSTANDING
characters from St. Louis who testified to
seeing Miller in that city at the time. On
49, no. tgf Nv fXHyp1
ty-seven Washington county farmers that
"Fisher" is Miller.