The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-19
Ex-TOpeka Society Young Man
Confessed FOrger.
Arrested in Baltimore After De-
frauding a Hotel.
DOWNWARD CAREER.
Many Acts From Which He
Escaped Consequences.
Says He Is Anxious to ssHaVe 1t
All Over.''

David A Harvey, who was formerly
Topeka society young man, is once
more in trouble. He has been arrested
at Baltimore, Maryland, under the mama
of George Chamberlain.
The State journal has received the
| following special with reference to the
arrest:
Baltimore. Md. March 19-This morn-
ing David A. Harvey, alias Georga
Chamberlain was arraigned before JUS
tice Huggins. at the central station on
the charge of obtaining from Mr.. James
H. O'COnner the Hotel Rennert $50 by
means of fraudulent check on the At
lantic Trust company, and purporting
to have been signed by Mr.. Martin
Wagner
Chamberlain was committed for court
in default.
He arrived in Baltimore last Friday
On Saturday evening he registered at
the Hotel Rennert and shortly after ar
irving there he presented a check on
the Atlantic Trust company for 800
which he asked to have cashed. One OF
the clerks at the hotel advanced him
$50 on the check stating that he could
get the remainder of the money later
in the evening.
This arrangement proved entirely sat
isfactory to Chamberlain who left the
hotel stating that he would soon re-
turn.
In the meantime Mr. Martin Wagner
| by whom the check was supposed to
have been signed entered the office OF
the hotel. When shown the check, he
said it was a forgery.
To acting Captain Hall Chamberlain
said: My father was a prominent
business man in Topeka, Kan. About
two years ago he died leaving me $780,
| 900. have spent all of this in being a.
hall-1elloW we'll met. l am going to
plead guilty to this charge as am anx-
ious to have it all over"
David Harvey belonged to what is
usually termed 1.-The fast crowd" in To-
peka. His father was employed by a
wholesale firm but died about four years
ago. During his boyhood David Harvey
attended Clay school. Soon after his
father died the young man began a wild
career of dissipation. He was what is
known as a sport" and what money he
had was soon squandered. His father
did not bequeath him large sum-
Then began the system of money get
ting which placed him in jeopardy many
times.
He drew checks for small sums on
Topeka banks. signing his own name
and had them cashed by Topeka busi-
ness men. The banks would refuse to
honor the checks and Harvey's relatives
would make the checks good and save
him from disgrace.
Then Harvey would go away on trips
and draw checks for small sums in 9TH
| er towns The amounts were so small
that the people who were duped seldom
made any effort to prosecute
| Less than year ago Topeka hotel
man who was defraUded by Harvey
caused his arrest and he spent nearly a
month in the Shawnee county jail Some
of his friends helped him out of the
| scrape and he worked in a grocery store
for short time. Then he left Topeka
| and was soon in trouble in Lawrence
but evaded arrest. He went to Kansas
City and continued his old tricks and
when last heard of in Topeka he was in
trouble in Chicago.
| He involved George R. Peck in his
deals in Chicago and was arrested
Through the efforts of John Lenfesty
and some of his other old acquaintances
in Topeka he again escaped and went
| to st. Louis.
1t is remarkable that Harvey has 50
often succeeded in lodging the conse-
| quences of his acts.