The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-08-26
CHECK FoRGER's GAY CAREER
ENDS ABRUPTLY.
BILLINGS HIS JONAH
Mr.. "swaine" Brought Back From
Newcastle to Stand Tria,-cr1m.
inaI With !. Romance.
Mondays Daily Gazette.

From Mondays Daily Gazette.
After leading a butterfly existence
for several months and leaving a
trail of forged checks that probably
extends over the greater distance
which ~intervenes between this city
and the Pacific coast Phillip Doremus
Watkins, alias George w. Swaine,'
alias Charles E. Brown and posi-
bly, other aliases, finds himself con
fined in the county Jail on the charge
of forgery, a stranger and friendless.
He was brought back this morning
from Newcastle, Wyo., whittier he
was trailed by Sheriff Hubbard and
Landlord Bennighoff Of the Grand ho-
tel and where he was arrested last
Saturday night.
The man of many names ,accompan-
led by his wife, arrived at the Grand
last Tuesday, August 10, and regis
tered from Los Angeles, Cal. He
said they were on their wedding tour
and claimed that his wife was not
well and in consequence was com
PEELED to keep to ner room. George
w. Swaine" was the name he .found it
convent to adopt. here. He represent
ed himself to be a man of wealth and
his appearances were calculated to
bear him out. A'day or two after his
arrival he requested MI. Bennighoff
to- cash a check for him drawn on the
Amesburry, Mass, National bank for
$50 and made payable to the order of
himself. Glad to be able to accom-
modate n of his guests, Mr.. Ben
nighoff advanced the money with
out hesitation.
Last Friday Mr.. Bennington receiv-
ed word that the check was no good,
no such person as the endorser of
the check being known to the bank
as one of its depositors. Realizing
that he had been taken in, Mr.. Ben
nighoff laid the matter before County
Attorney Hathhorn and a complaint
filed with Justice Fraser charg
ing "Swaine" with forgery. A war
rant was issued for his arrest and, Sat
urday morning Mr.. Remington and
Sheriff Hubbard left for Sheridan,
Wyo., having learned that the man
for whom they were looking had been
there. When they arrived at
Sheridan it was ascretained that
"Swaine" and his wife had been
there, but had gone on and were at
Newcastle.
Mrs. "Swaine" was found at the
hotel, 'indisposed," but her husband
could not be found. The services CT
the sheriff of that county and the
town marshal were invoked and af-
ter a short search "Swaine" was
found in an office, where he was en-
joying himself eating water melons
with an old friend whom he had met
there. He weakened almost instant
ly and asked to be permitted to go
and see his wife. This request was
denied and he asked If he would be
allowed to send a note to her. He
was permitted to do so and then was
place in Jail to wait until the next
westbound train should arrive.
To Mr.. Hubbard fell the disagree
able task Of informing the cma of
her husbands arrest and also to de-
liver his note to her. At first she
highly indignant and declared
the whole matter to be d lie, but after
having read her husbands note and
Mr. Hubbard had explained matters
to her she calmed down, although de-
claring she would cling to him to the
over, she took a more sensible view
of the affair and said she saw no
reason why she should make a fool
of herself and that she would not
come IN, instead she, would telegraph
to her home at Omaha and ask for
transportation and leave her husband
to shift for himself. 'If he is all
right" she said, 'rll go back to him,
but if not I'm better off without him
and the sooner l find it out the better
it will be for me. But for all that,
l love him."
When searched at the Jail by the
officers who had arrested him,
"Swaine" was found to be we'll equip
ped to do a wholesale forgery bust
ness. He had a book partially filled
with blank checks Of the Massachu-
sets bank and three checks filed.
One OF these was. for $3.50 and was
made payable to P. D. Watkins and
signed S. w. Brown, the second one
was for $50, payable to Charles F..
Brown and purporting to have been
signed by Henry T. Brown, while the
third. for $40, was endorsed by John
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