The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-31
A. CHECK swINDLER CAUGHT.
He Worked a Slick Game at the Aid
rich House

rich House.
A young man, who gave his name as
Benjamin r. Gay, and claimed to be an
| horticultural experot, was before Mag
! istrate Hogan in Center street court, in
New York yesterday, charged with be-
ing a fugitive from Justice from this
city, where no altered a worthless check
| three days ago He was held for requi-
sition papers. Alexander j. Sinclair,
clerk at the Aldrch house In this city,
was In court and identified the prison.
er as the man who, under the name Of
| r. r. McGregor, was guest in the no.
| tel and paid for his room rent and board
| with a worthless check for $50, receiving
nearly $44 In change.
| Gay came to the Aldrich house ten
days ago, registered as r. r. McGregor
of Hartford, secured special rates for
! three weeks He represented that he
was a Salesman TO rthe New England
Nursery company Of Hartford. Last
Saturday, when the regular hotel mail
was received, among the lot were sew
eral letters for McGregor, several Of
, them being marked Important One
of the letters was postmarked Hartford
and McGregor opened 1t In the presence
of Clerk Sinclair. He drew from the en-
velope a check, remarking as he did so
that the firm had sent him check. lie
asked for his bill at the hotel and upon
receiving 1t he offered in payment the
check, which Sinclair had just seen him
take from the envelope. His bill at
the hotel was about IS. and the amount
of the check was $52 The check pur-
ported to be signed by the Hartford
firm, by which he said he was employed.
The check appearing to be good, Sin
clair took it and gave back $44 change.
Not long after this it occurred to the
clerk that possibly the check was not
all right, and to assure himself he call
ed UP The Hartford firm by telephone.
He was unable to get the Hartford firm
just then Sinclair thought about the
matter and the more he thought the
more suspicious he became Finally
just after the dinner hour he ascertain
ed that McGregor had not been to difl-
ner, but that just before dinner, and .af-
ter receiving the money on the check
he left the hotel carrying q small bum
die and saying that he was going to
laundry He did not return, and after
he had been gone an hour Or two SIN
clair again telephoned to Hartford and
this time was able to get connection
with the Hartford firm. He ascertained
that the firm knew no one Of the name
of McGregor and that no check had
been drawn to any person Of that name.
If Sinclair had been able to get the
Hartford firm by telephone on the first
trial the chech passer might have been
caught before he left the city, but af-
ter receiving this information Sinclair
notified Captain Cowles and the detec-
tives found that McGregor had left
town Detective Dunlap was detailed
on the case and learned from a stranger
whose acquaintance McGregor had
made at the hotel that the latter had a
female friend In Bernardsville, N. j. /
Dunlap concluded that McGregor had
gone that way and he and Clerk Sin
clair went to the New Jersey town Sum-
day night. They located the woman
there, and keeping under cover they
found that she had sent message to
man named BENJAMIN f. Gay in New
York at Smith & McNelrs hotel on |
Greenwich street. They found out that
the man was about to start for New |
Orleans and Dunlap at once telegraphed |
to the New York police to arrest Gay. |
Dunlap and Sinclair then FASTENED to !
New York and on arriving there yester- |
lay morning they found that Dunlap's |
request had been complied with and /
he way Gay had been arrested. Sim /
clair identified him as McGregor. He !
s held in New York for requiistion pa
)arS .-.....5