The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-12-12
A SMOOTH sWINDLER.
A Clever Swlndler Captured In
Ringgold County.
SWlndIer Johnson Captured In this County
is Wanted In Jones County and Must
Answer to the Charge of Forgery
is an Old offender.

1t now appears that A. ]. Johnson,
the smooth swiEdler who was placed in
the county Jail last week by Sheriff
Miller, is a notorious character and is
badly wanted by the officers of the law
IN several places. 1t will be remember
ed that Johnson came to Ringgold
county several months ago and negoti-
ated for the purchase of Geo. Garten's
farm in Rice township. He was willing
to pay a good price and they we're not
long in agreeing on the sale of the land.
johnson and Garten came to Mt. Ayr
and the wouldbe purchaser put up a
big bluff about having large bank
account in his home bank at Oregon,
Mo. He drew sight draft for six hum
dred dollars through the Citizens bank
of this city, and in a few days word came
back that the draft would not be honored
and that johnson was trying to work
some kind of swlndle. About the time
that negotiations for the sale of the land
were completed johnson discovered
that he was little short of money and
on the strength of the deal and the &C.
quaintance formed with Mr.. Garten
borrowed eight dollars of him. He also
borrow ten dollars of Perry Maloy,
and then mysteriously disappeared.
1t afterwards turned out that John
| son had been working the same scheme
in other counties in the state and that
the plan was a favorite one with him
for obtaining money. He was finally
captured in Worth county, Mo-, where
he was working the same scheme. He
was gotten over on the Iowa side of the
state line and was arrested for obtaining
money under false pretenses from Gar
ten and Maloy and was brought to Mt.
Ayr and lodged in jail. He was given
a chance for preliminary trial, but
through his attorney, H. G. Beard,
waived preliminary hearing.
AN OLD OFFENDER.
johnson is an old offender and has
been in the penitentiary number of
times for like ofenses. 1t was known
that he had been working his swindling
scheme in Humboldt county. There he
negotiated for the purchase of tract
of land that came to fourteen thousand
dollars and succeeded in getting suit
of clothes, an over coat and watch on
the strength of the land deal. He has
also been operating in Jones county,
and Sheriff Hiram Arnold, of Anamosa,
wired Sheriff Miller Monday evening to
hold johnson and that he would be here
Tuesday for him as he was wanted in
Jones county to answer to the charge o.
forgery. Sheriff Arnold came Tuesday
; and Sheriff Miller turned the prisoner
over to the tender mercies of the Jones
county sheriff, who left with him fol
Anamosa the same evening.
1t was thought by Mr.. Fuller that the
county attorney of Jones county had q
better case against him than he had and
for this reason he was turned over to
the other authorities. He will und oubt-
eddy be sent to the penitentiary from
Jones county and this is the end that
is desired. 1t is now seventy days
before the February term of court con-
venes in Ringgold county and the ex'
pense Of boarding the prisoner and the
cost of the prosecution would amount
to several hundred dollars, and it was
deemed most advisable to allow Jones
county to have the prisoner.
Sheriff Miller had been doing some
corresponding to find out something of
the criminal career of Johnson. He
learned that he had lived in Indiana
and he wrote to the postmaster at Con.
cord, and in reply learned something O
Johnson's history. From the statement