Omaha daily bee., 1901-03-10
RAILROAD AFTER CHECK MAN
Burlington Authorities Hops to Get Hold
Of H, L. Cummings,
GETS MONEY FROM HOTEL NIGHT CLERKS
Makes show of Brass Tags for Bag
gagc, hut There Proves TO BE
No Goods to Back
Them Up.
III. L. Cummings, New York"

III. l.. Cummings, New York"
This was the name inscribed upon
register of the Grand hotel Friday night
about 9 o'clock by stranger who pro-
fessed to be a travelling man. The sigma
ture coupled with the strangers plausi-
bility cost the accommodating night clerk
an even s20 but. as the latter has not been
long In the business he considers the cx-
perience cheap at the price.
After registering the stranger whose
appearance indicated nothing to arouse sus-
picon in the mind of the night clerk threw
a couple Of baggage checks on the counter.
These are for my two sample trunks
and want the largest sample room you
have in the house"
Night Slerk Snyder assured him they
had just the sample room he wanted and.
calling the porter, turned over the baggage
checks to him. He then assigned the
stranger to a room on the second floor and
offered him the key to II. II. L. Cummings,
however, was not prepared to retire so
early and remarked he would get the key
later. He went into the barroom. bought
cigar and returned to the counter and,
taking a match from the case, lit 1t.
Between the puns of smoke from the
fragrant Havana he asked the clerk where
the telegraph office was. THE fact of the
matter is" he said, ION starting out on
this trip | was obliged to leave my wife,
who was sick, in New York and must send
her a telegram tonight without fail" He
was told the telegraph office was but few
doors up the street
Pulling his pocketbook out he handed
the clerk a check for s35 on a bank in Lo.
gansport. Ind, which he said was from
the house he represented.
81 would be much obliged II you would
give me about $40 on this. ! suppose my
two sample trunks are ample security for
such amount
Now. it happened that the hotel had
been touched only few weeks ago by tho
enterprising Mr.. Bennett, alias Mr..
Sprague, and the clerk was doubtful about
the propriety OF cashing any strangers
check The manager happened to be out,
but the clerk knew where he could reach
him by telephone and he referred the mat
ter to him. The answer came back to ad-
vance Mr.. Cummings S. or Sc on the check.
The clerk had nothing less than a $50
| bill in the drawer and, thinking that a
man with two large sample trunks ought
to be good for that amount, handed him the
| $50.
Carefully folding the bill In his pocket
| book, Mr. Cummings slowly sauntered
| toward the bar. where he purchased a
| drink. Clerk Snyder, thinking the matter
| over, came to the conclusion that perhaps
| he had done wrong In giving the stranger
J the entire 500. He sent the porter after
Mr. Cummings with request to see him.
Certainly" said the plausible stranger.
| II shall be delighted to SEQ MIR. Snyder.
Tell him will be there just as soon
finish this glass of beer The porter car.
cied back the message, but that was the
last seen OF "Mr. Cummings" AS soon as
the porters back was turned he left the
| bar by the street entrance.
| When the porter went to the depot for
the trunks he learned they existed only
in the imagination OF the fertile Mr. Cum
mings. From the railroad people he
learned, however, that the checks formed
part OF number that had been stolen a
| few days before at Abba, la.
Works Same Game In Omaha.
| Yesterday morning the police were noti-
fed and A. J. Annis. chief clerk of The
hotel. went to Omaha to confer with the
| police authorities there. Investigation or
the other side OF the river disclosed the
fact that Mr.. Cummings had victimlzed two
hotels there In "A similar way.
Shortly after o'clock Friday evening
| accompanied by woman, ne appeared n
the Paxton hotel, where he registered al
j. w. Williams and wife. and asked for {
room with a bath and an additional room
for samples. Here he left two baggage
checks calling for sample trunks from
Abba, Ia, to Omaha. With the same plaus
ibility that he evidenced in Council Bluff
he succeeded in securing 500 on a checl
for $40 on the same bank in Logansport
Ind
After being assigned a room he and hi
wife sauntered out for a breath of fresl
air. But they never came back
Shortly before s o'clock he registered a
the Millard hotel as II. l., Cummings, tn
same name he Used on this side OF tn
river, and here he lost no time in gettin
check for s35 on the same bank In Lo
gansport cashed in full. Adopting tn
same tactics as at the Paxton hotel, h
sauntered out to get breath OF fresh air
The search for fresh air took him in tn
direction of Council Bluffs car, whic
he promptly boarded.
The Burlington railroad authorities hav
taken the matter up and they expect I
have Mr. ]. w. Williams, alias MIR, II. 1
Cummings, soon in the tolls. He is be
lieved to be working his way south.
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