The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-09-26
the UNDOING OF
]. Web LEWIS
The Ipswich Banker Who Tried
to Saddle a Crime on His
Brother-in Law.
STOLE THE PUBLIC MONEY
Then Engaged a Detective to Watch
Men Who Were Not Only Innocent,
but His Own Relatives-Detec-
tive Found Guilty Man.

story of the town Of Ipswich, two de-
tectives, and the undoing Of j. Wei
Lewis of Harvard.
Eighteen years ago. when the MIL
waukee was laying track west from
Aberdeen, one MI. Barker established a
lumber yard in the prairie. Within a
lew months a thousand people had
built homes around the lumber yard.
They called it Ipswich, and when Ed
munds county was born, Ipswich was
made county seat.
1t was in the palmy days of the early
30s, and the fame of Ipswich travelled
Eastward unto New York and Boston
and New Hampshire, N the new prai-
RE town became the home of New En-
glanders-disciples Of Horace Greeley.
Among the newcomer was a young
man, who signed his name on the hotel
register as u. Web Lewis"
There were nineteen lawyers in IpS-
Wich, and the town was filled with bus
mess men, confident Of wrestling for
tunes from the prairie. j. Web Lewis
decided he must have better equip
ment to enter the contest with older
heads, and after staying here a short
time, he went east.
Seven years later he came back,
bringing with him a degree. 1t was
then j. Web Lewis, of Harvard.
Made Deputy County Treasurer.
AS it happened, J. Web Lewis, Of
Harvard, Jared better than J. Web
Lewis. He was presently made deputy
county treasurer, then county treasur-
er, and recently deputy county auditor.
The county auditor was John Davis,
now representative, and one of the
three wealthiest men in the county.
About a year ago Lewis married Mr..
Davis sister.
}. WEEK Lewis recently ceased to be
deputy county auditor. The fact there
was a shortage Of $4,000 in the auditors
office provoked no special comment,
especially since Mr.. Davis was not dis
posed to discuss it.
The B: w. Brown Banking
Of New York, about that time, estab-
lished the First State Bank, of Ips-
wick. Mr.. J. Web Lewis was made
cashier and virtually master of the
bank.
By this time, Mr.. Lewis had ac-
quired large holdings of Edmunds coun-
ty lands He was one of the first to
procure options and the result was he
had the finest bunch Of farm lands,
bought at the lowest prices, of any man
who owned extensive holdings in this
county. 90"
Emulates a Sphinx.
J. Web Lewis started out to sell this
land. He would go to the hotel to
make some sales, and sit, perfectly 81
lent, all the evening. When approached
about his holdings, he would scarcely
answer inquiries. No one knew wheth-
err he was a fool or a genius, but they
didn't suppose a man who had such ex-
tensive holdings could be a fool. =
This summer tie accounts in the
county t~reasurer's Office became
tangled. No one in town was SO ex-
pert with books, or knew so much
about the details Of the county treas
urer's office as J. Web Lewis, SO hat
gentleman was called In to straighten
u the tangle.
On August 16, 1t was discovered that
$4,000 in gold was missing from the
county ~treasurer's vault. The town.
was aghast. The vault was not
had been opened. Whose hand was it
turned the combination
h man who brought the news Of
the edastardly robbery to the county
commissioners was J.. Web Lewis,
e Immediate steps should be taken to
get the man who did this job he de-
clared. Asked who. in his opinion,
might be guilty, he intimated It would
lie between the deputy sheriff, who is
county treasurer, Ward McCaRerty.
Lewis Gets a Shadow.
"a few days later a detective arrived
from st. Paul. He held a secret CON
sultation with j.. Web Lewis, at the
First State bank. BY this time sus-
picion was generally directed toward
Ward McCaferty and 1t was not J.
Web Lewis who sought to divert this
suspicion. 3
"Mccaferty has an elegant line Of
furniture In his house, for a man work
inO m hilE ca 10 r- - SOorautnI ST 1---s-ExzE