Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-01-17
THE DEWITT FORGERY
Arrest Of the Young Providence
Township Farmer Causes SEN
sation in Hardin County.
The Evidence Against Him is Con.
sidered Irrefutable Details Of
the Tragedy.
Clever Work Done by the Hubbard
Bankers Alleged Forger is
Wealthy.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican
Eldora. Jan. 1.-THE dispatch in the
T.-R last evning announcing that a
warrant had been issued for the ar
rest Of David Dewitt, Of Providence
township caused a sensation in the
vicinity where the young man is known
This is the result Of a careful inves-
tigation following a bold and successful
forgery at Hubbard lase June, full
account Of when appeared tirss in the
T.-R at the time. 1t Mil be remem-
bered that at that time a young man
whose face and personality Banker j
4. Miner OF the State Bank of Hubbard
recognized, or thought ne did, but
whose name he could notcall presented
a check for 1916 for payment The check
was drawn on the Hardin County
bank. Of this city, in favor of A. r.
Martin, and apparently signed by S. 5.
Hadley, a we'll known farmer and stock
raiser of Providence township. Mr.
Miner meyer doubted buzz that the
young man Who called him joe and ap-
psared To know him Well was the man
he represented himself TO be. SO When
the young man endorsed the name OF A.
r. Martin on tbs back he handed out
the cash and the young man Went
away. In III regular channel of bus
mess the check was sent to its CORES
ponaent in this city, The First National
Bank. where ii was credited and
stamped ard at the clearance Ut 8
o'clock it, with ether paper was pre-
sented To the Hardin County bank.
whose cashier, Ellis u. Robb declared
the name Of S. 5. Hadiey was forgery,
and refused TO accept il. Mr.. Hadley
was phoned 10 at New Providence and
disciaimed any Knowledge OF such a
check. Mr.. Milner. 81 Hubbard, was
phoned to and he and President j. HI
Bales. Of the First National Bank here,
Immediately drove to Providence town
ship and interviewed the man Mr.. Mil
ner supposed was the forgel, but his
name was \. c. Martin. and neither he
nor any of the half dozen Martin boys;
proved to be the man wanted. and no
such man IS a. f. Martin was known
there.
The two bankers returned to their
respective homes llopelessiy beaten and
without the shadow Of a clew To one of
the poldest ard most successful bur
glaries ever committed in the county.
But they are men of determination and
action and they went TO work. They
| first ascertafned Who from Providence
| had been in Hubbard the day the. check
| Vas cashed. Thy found that David S
! DEWITT was thu man who most nearly
| answered the description of the mar
wanted This vas their first clue anc
once a suspicion was had the rest Was
easier They then secured a number oi
l;ch+cks drawn ps- young IoelNitt on tbs
Citizens Bank of Union The hand
writing on these checks when placed
Side by side with the forged check
showed a striking similarity Another
striking feature which shows that the
same hand which drew the check on
the Union Bank also drew the forgery
is shown in the spelling of the Word
HUNDRED " In the forgery and in
every one of the checks on Union Bank
the word is written Eh-u-n-d-r-e-d. =
land in making the ciphers II indicate
no cents it IS invariably written with
two cipherS above and two below the
line. Without the usual figure / below
the line.
The above facts among other led Mr..
Miner to pay the young man Il visit
at his home last week and here he
charged him With the crime and posi-
lively identified him as the man who
cashed the check. The young man was
very much taken back and remarked
THAT he guessed he would fix it up, OF
words 10 that effect. Just at that
point the father came into the room
ard overheard some of the remarks
about the forged check and made IN
curry about II when MI. Miner told
he started tar out the door he heard the
| father tell the boy Itlat IL Ilts MAS a