The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-10
CLEVER AS A FORCER
YOUNG FRED HAAS SERIES OF
SWINDLEs BROUGHT TO
ABRUPT END
HAD PENCHANT FOR WATCHES
Nineteen-Year-OId Youth Worked
Several Daring COups, but Is FL
naIIy Observation-Disclosures
His Guilt.


rested Fred S. Haas, nineteen years old,
living at HIP Fauquier street, yesterday
morning, on the charge. in fact several
charges, of obtaining a large, yet clever
valuable property, by daring, yet clever
forgeries.
Last Wednesday,, it Will bereme INBRED
Haas was praised for his daring rescue
of a boy named Willie Miller from
drowning at Gladstone; today he is
locked up at the central station on
serious charges.
Haas is only nineteen years cid, but
the way in watch he did his swindl:ng
would do credit to old time professionals
Until a short time ago Haas worked as
clerk at the Northern Pacific shops and
was regarded as an exemplary workman.
Yesterday Haas confessed to having
secured four watches by means of forged
orders on jewelers. with whom they had
ceen left for repairs, and 100 cartridges
secured by means of 81 forged order On
Noyotny, the gunsmith, in which he
used Mr.. H. E. Thompson's name.
The plan on which Haas worked was a
very clever one. He would enter IA
jewelry store and while negotiating for
a purchase, would read the names of the
owners attached to the watches being
repaired. AS a rule every jeweler hangs
his customers watches on a frame IN
open view. The next day Haas would go
to telephone and represent himself as
the owner of a certain watch which he
knew the jeweler had repaired. After
finding out exactly when the watch
would be ready he would arrange to send
a messenger for the timepiece. Shortly
afterward the jeweler would be APP
preached by boy, bearing note, pur-
porting to be signed by the owner of the
watch.
The first offense was last December
when Haas secured a watch valued at
$35, left by Miss Weiser at Abe Cohen's
jewelry store, SO East Seventh street
Again on Feb. and he called at AL
brecht's jewelry store, 204 East Seventh
street, each day securing a watch LEFT
for repairs. The watches were valued
at about $50. The first day Haas got a
watch by sending a note with a mes
senger boy. The next day he appeared
personally at the store and secured the
second watch from Albrecht's son.
SECURED A. L. MACE'S WATCH.
Haas also went to the jewelry store Of
0. Fl. Arosin, on East Seventh street,
and secured the watch and charm which
A. L. Mace had left there. Haas went
to the phone and after telephoning Mr.
Arosin that a boy would call for the
watch, made himself look as young as
possible and went to the store and got
the watch
The charm was presented to Mr. Mace
by the Century Road club and was
valued very highly by him. Yesterday
the charm was found on Haas. and he
also said that he had pawned the watch,
which was worth $3.50, in a pawnshop in
Minneapolis for $40. Haas said that he
had had very bad luck with this money.
as the first thing he did was to lose it.
He attempted to secure a watch be-
1rNYNr
Pfister's jewelry store on East Seventh
street, but he was foiled in this at
tempt. The next day he made an un-
successful attempt. to get d watch at
Beekstruck's store
Having failed twice, Haas set about
to work another scheme and changed
his tactics He sent messenger to
the gun store of Frank Novotney, 80
East Fifth street. with a note signed
H, E. Thompson, ordering that the mes
senger be given 100 12-gauge cartridges.
The order was filed A few days after,
however, he sent a note to Burkhardt's
store, on Robert street, ordering about
$50 worth of ammunition. Haas became
somewhat alarmed at the long absence
Of the messenger and did not wait at the
intended place for the lad. His sus-
-picions were not unfounded either, as
the police were shadowing the messen-
had waited he would have been gathered
in.
When questioned by the police yester
day, Haas did not deny having perpetrat
ed these crimes He did deny having any,
thing to do with the forged checks pass
ed at st. Anthony Park some time ago.
TO PROSECUTE PAWNBROKER.
Chief O'Connor intends to make things
warm for one Of the pawnbrokers in this
city, who bought three of the watches
from Haas and did not report the pur-
chases. The pawnbroker in question re-
fuses to admit that he ever bought the
watches, but the police have evidence
that he did and will prosecute him to
the full extent of the law
For several days Detectives O'Brien
and Hennessy have been on the trail of
Haas, and it was only after laying In
wait near his fathers house all night
Thursday that they finally succeeded in
getting him yesterday morning. His
father is a moulder by trade.
Some time ago Pawnshop Inspector La
vale secured evidence which gave him
clue to the identity of the cuprit
o. H Arosin yesterday identified Haas
as the one who called for Mr.. Mace
watch. 1t is not likely, however that he
will be brought to court this morning,
as the police want to recover as much Of
the stolen property as possible first
Haas is in other trouble, too. He IS
bound to appear before the federal grand
jury in September. Some months ago, ac-
cording to the federal authorities Haas,
representing himself as Joseph L. Kelly,
secured registered letter from the post
office containing $15. Haas was held I'M
der bonds to the grand jury The boy
appealed to Judge Lochren and secured
an order of release on his own recog-
nizapoo