Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-15
NOTED FORGER ARRESTED
Wanted in Nearly E very City in Amer
ica-Was Arrested Once in Burning.
ton-Married a Vermont Woman.

Boston. May Flew men who have
been tried and convicted of murder and
sentenced to be hanged and later have had
the death sentence Commuted to imprison-
mcnt, rave had the good fortune to escape
without serving some years OF confinement
in prison: but this luck fell TO Lerow {.
Shear.
Shear is now wanted in almost every
large city in this country on charges of
forgery and uttering worthless checks, and
the police claim that several women whom
he is alleged to have married illegally and
then rohbed and deserted. desire very much
to prosecute him on charges Of bigany and
larceny.
Shear is one of the SWEETEST swindlers
and all round beats the police have had
to deal with during the past quarter of
a century. He has been a constant and
elusive menace to the comfort of both
business men and the police.
After escaping the gallows for poisoning
two soldiers of the Civil war and beating
prison bars and lodging policemen for
years. Lerow Shear, alias Charles Z.
Clark. alias Frank Mallory, w. NJ. Davis.
c. NJ. Walters and Lorenzo c. Stewart,
was arrested Saturday in New city by
Seymour Butler, one of the assistant SUI
perintendents of the New York office of
the Pinkerton detective agency, which was
AFTER MIN LOT tne american bdIIhtIS dSSO-
citation. for uttering forged checks.
Shear is wanted badly In Boston, and
already an exemplifed copy of an indict-
ment warrant. charging him with forgery
and uttering a forged check upon a Boston
business man, has been forwarded TO New
York in the hope that Shear will he de-
livercd over to Boston officers.
Chief Watts and his men have worked
with the aid of Superintendent George +.
Leith of the Boston Pinkerlon detective
agency and made a determined effort to
catch HIM.
He has been followed all over the wo:ld
by the Pinkerton men and he fell to the
cleverness of Detective Butler in New
York, who saw him on a race track a fe"
days ago and followed him to his fashion
able hotel. He called in Captain Titus and
his men to his aid. Shear is about g. years
old. a gentleman in appearance at all times
and always dressed in the fashionable
style. He lives at the very best hotels.
On March 10 he was In Boston, and left
his traces behind him. He went to a bis
department store and purchased two chear
silk waists and CAV in payment a check
for 800 drawn upon the Federal Natioual
bank of P%ittsburg. Pa, purported to he
signed by Demmler Bros. and made pay
able to c. NJ. Walters.
He received considerable cash in eX-
change for the check after paying for the
waists. Then he disappeared. The matter
was exported to Chief Watts Of headquar-
ters and Superintendent Leith of the loca'
Pinkerton detective agency, and they I'M
mediately suspected Shear, They produced
a picture of Nth, and it wa Identified by
the victims as that of the man who hao
VictimiZed them.
Then the hunt for Shear was begun witt
renewed vigor. All detectives of the Pink
erton force of the world and the police
were asked to watch for him. He Is
charged also with a recent ofense OF a
similar nature in New York city involving
$50.
Leroy Claiming Shear is the name his
ers to suit his purpose.
Or September {. 1893. under the name OF
Lorenzo S. Stewart, he enlisted at Utica
y. v, to take the place Of a drafted maj
and Joined his regiment at Elmira, y. y
On Sept. ~, 1868. he Joined the 18TH New
York regiment. He deserted on Oct, 8, 1865
He went to Ogdensburg and enlisted II
Comparv f., 18th New York heavy arItll
cry, and was arretscd on Oct. 3, CHARGE
with deserving, and was sent to the III
mira guardhouse.
While there he poisoned two soldiers anC
both died. He was tried and convicted OF
the charge of the double murder and sen
fenced to he hanged. Friends intercede,
and President lincoln Commuted the sen
tenCo to ten wears Imprisonment, Befor,
he was transferred to the Albany p%oniten
tihry, whore he was to serve his ton-yeal
term. he escaped from the Chemuns
county iail. This was on Jan. ~, lNi.
Shear was not heard from again for
number of years. but on Aug. s, 1894, wa
arrested at burlington, VT, by a repre-
sentative of the lfnkerton National le
tective Agency for passing a worthless
check. He was brought back to New
York, pleaded guilty on the charge of for
gerry, and was sentenced on Aug ~, 1891
to FIVE years Imprisonment.
on Dec. 5. 1876, he married a vermont
woman possessed of considerable prop
erty. and after converting this property &c
lis own uses he deserted her. A few year,
later he married a woman in New YORK
city. went to Niagara Falls ON a wedding
tour. and left his wife. taking 1920, which
she had in her possession, beside consid'
cradle jewelry of great value.
In July, 1891, he passed worthless checks
in the city of Eimira, n. Y, was later ar
rested for grand larceny at Albany, n, v,
and sentenced to two years imprisonment
in the Albany ponitentiary under the name
of Charles p. Clark. alias Frank Mallory,
He was there identified by a representa-
tive of the Pinkerton National Detective
Agency. as Leroy Charming Shear. For
the Elmira Job he was sentenced oct q,
1893.