Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-08-17
SENSATION AT CLARENCE.
Forgery and EIopement-other In
teresting Developments.

Clarence, Aug. 17-Clarence woke
with something to talk about yesterday
morning. 1t had all taken place during
the dark hours-forgery, order caShed,
.elopement, detected, arrested, given a
hearing, in jail-all before daylight.
Thomas McNamee, who has held the
position Of pumper at the water works
for about three years. purchased a suit
OF clothes last Friday of "A. Lehman &
Son. and promised to pay for 1t when he
got his pay at the council meeting on
Tuesday night. The council met and
gave McNamee an order for s3005 before
thwey adjourned. This order Tommy
had cashed by City Treasurer George
w. Smith. Henry Lehman, being very
anxious to get the firms money as was
promised, hunted up Tommy and was
given a forged order for $40. The suit
was SIG and Tommy got back $3.50 in
cash, Mr.. Lehman supposing the order
was for $1,000, the amount Tommy
claimed to be due him. Satisfaction at
receiving the order and the conversation
took attention from the order. As this
forged order was not dated and looked
suspicious, Mr.. Lehman went before the
council, which was still in session, to
have it corrected. glance proved the
worthlessness of the order and the
forgery of the names OF Mayor Pro TEN
F.. b. Riggs and Clerk w. S. Beatty.
A movement was quickly started to
catch the forger. After searching
around town Marshal A. S. Rossman.
concluded to take the 1919 train west
with the hope of catching him at Stan
wood. j. G. Carnahan accompanied the
marshal. They We're not in StanWood
long before they found McNamee in
company with Mis- Anna Layton of this
place. He was in the act of buying
tickets for some points east of here
when arrested. The two had walked
from Clarence to Stanwood. arriving
there about the time the train did that
brought the warrant. He acted very
much surprised when taken and asked
what 1t was for. When told he made the
very bright answer that he could not see
how that could be unless Clerk Beatty
had made mistake and given him two
orders.
He was brought back on the same
train that the pair expected to go east,
the girl remaining in Stanwodo.
"A hearing was Immediately given him
before Justice Roche. He plead guilty
and was placed under $500 bonds. The
money was returned to Henry Lehman.
together with the pay for the suit, and
the bond not being forthcoming the pris-
loner was Immediately taken by Marshal
Rossman and Constable oliver to Upton
and landed in jail.
The forgery was a very poor one, In.
fact no imitation of signatures was at
tempted. the forger not being capable.
McNamee had stolen two bland orders
out of the back Of the town order book
and put the seal on them. He filled out
the order with pencil for so cents less
than the amount given him ON the orig
inal order and from the looks Of the
forgery 1t appeared that he did not know
just how to put the so cents on the or
der. Mr.. Gilman would have noticed.
the bungling way in which the order
was made out before he cashed 1t had he
not been SO well pleased to get the mon
ey. ut was not until after the transact
ton that he examined the order.
McNamee is married man and con-
stemplated leaving his wife and two chill
dren here to shift for themselves.
He came here several years ago as a
tramp and very little IL anything Is
known Of his previous life by the gem
ieral public. He has. however, been In
dustrious and filled the position at the
water works very satisfactorily.