The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-04
OFFICER WAS THERE
MIR. WILSON, WHILE WAITING ron
BLANK CHECK FORMS, IS
GATHERED I'm
LOAN OFFICE Is swINDLED
Arrested Man Is Relieved to Have
Worked Clever scheme by Dr.
verting j. p. NIcMahon's
Mail.

A young man whose name Is believed
to be Wilson, is under arrest charged
with having unlaWfully obtained from the
81. Paul postof1ice, ana opened mail mat
ter addressed to another person. The
complaint against Wilson Is made by AS
sistant District Attorney Fred Dickson
on information from Inspector Kimball,
OF the postal service, and Supt Hadlich
or the delivery department of the post
Office, and it appears that the prisoner
planned and executed an elaborate
scheme of fraud for the purpose of Sc
curing a loan of $35
1t is alleged that Wilson first called at
the Bradley street substation of the post
office and left an order on one of the
printed forms provided for that purpose
directing that the mail addressed to T
L. McMahon 1877 Poplar street should
thereafter be delivered at 1907 Carroll
street. Then day or two later, it is
SAID, the young man appeared at the
central postof1ce and, representing him
sen as j. T. McMahon, said that he had
left an order for a change of address in
the delivery of his mail, but had since
removed to Minneapolis and would like
TO nave his letters sent to 1927 Washing
ton avenue in that city While he was
still there a letter addressed to J p. Nc
Mahon was handed over to Mr.. Hadlich
with the report that there was no such
number on Carroll street as 1907, and
this letter Mr. Hadlich placed in the
hands of the young man who is now
under arrest
McMahOn Had Not Moved
From the carrier who had been deHv-
er1ng mail at 1877 Poplar street, it was
later learned that the true ]. p Mcmahon
had not removed from that place and was
complaining that he had not received a
letter which he was expecting from Mon
tana. A conference between the post
office officials and this McMahon soon
convinced both them and him that some
person was diverting his mail and he
then reported that he had a few days be-
fore received from salary Loan
agency postal card to inform him that
the agency had decided upon investiga-
ton to grant the loan for which he had
applied. AS he had not applied for loan
he could not understand the purport of
the card, and had thrown it away.
1t is charged that the prisoner repre-
senting himself as J. P. Mcmahon and
using the letter in question as a means
of Identification, had applied to d. IL,
Toiman, loan agent in the New York
Life building for loan Of $S5 and after
due course of inquiry on the part of
the agency, had upon the reputation Of
the true j. P Mcmahon, been given a
check for that amount This check which
was on the Capitol bank of this city was
negotiated at the store of the Plymouth
clothing house in the purchase of cloth
ing to the amount of SIS, the remainder
being returned to the purchaser in cash.
The negotiation Of the check of course,
involved the forgery of the name of Nc
Mahon.
The arrest of the prisoner came about
in a rather unexpected manner and the
circumstances which led up to it arc at
tributed to a desire on his part to carry
his negotiations in bank checks still
farther. On Saturday afternoon a tele-
phone message was received at the loan
Office of Mr.. Tolman, the person talking
representing himself as the Minnesota
Tailoring company. He asked that Toll
man & Co., as a matter Of accommoda-
ton, furnish the Minnesota Tailoring
company with some blank checks on the
Capitol bank, explaining that this was
pay day at the shop and the supply of
blank checks had run out. AS the bank
had closed no more checks could be Sc
cured there. The man at the telephone
said he would send a boy for the checks.
"A few minutes later the young woman at
Tolman's office called up the Minnesota
Tailoring company and found tnat the
occupants Of that Office knew nothing Of
the former telephone message or the re-
quest for checks and when the boy came
that he was to meet the man who had
sent him there at the corner of Fifth
and Wabasha street.
TeIephoned for the Police.
Then the young woman, Miss Anna
| Gallagher, telephoned to the Central
police station for an officer to meet hei
| at the corner designated and followed the
boy to that point The young man now
under arrest met the boy at the corner
and was taken into custody by the police
officer. The prisoner has been identified
| by Miss Gallagher as the man who Sc.
cured the loan under the name of Nc.
Mahon and by Mr.. Hadlich as the one tt
| whom he gave the letter mentioned
| above
Under the name of Wilson. which he
| gave to Mr.. Hadlich yesterday, the pris.
| oner was arranged before Judge Lochrer
| and pleaded not guilty. His case was
SET for hearing at 10 o'clock this morn.