The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-08-29
HIS RECORD
IS GROWING
WATKINS "WANTED" in SEVER.
A. OTHER PLACES.
ARREST CAME ABOUT
Recognized Here by Army Officer
Who Notified Victim OF Fellow.
Real Character.

From Wednesdays Daily Gazette.
Had Phillip Doremus Watkins not
attempted to ydeny his identity to q
man who had previously met him and
knew him he probably would not now
be In the Yellowstone county Jail
awaiting proceedings against him for
uttering fraudulent checks. The man
directly responsible for his arrest ia
Lieutenant W. P. Moffett of the
Thirteenth cavalry.
Lieutenant Moffett happened to- he
passing through the city, en- route
from Fort Assinniboine to Fort Meade.
and while waiting for his train to take
him south stopped at the Grand,
where Watkins and his wife were
also guests. In. passing through the
office of the hotel the lieutenant met
Watkins. Or as he then called him
self, "Swaine," and having met him
previously in a social way approach
ed him and extended his hand, at the
SAAAS N0AAAA6 ullu II NY lame,
"Swaine" assumed an air of surprise
and informed the lieutenant that he
must be mistaken, as he had never
had the pleasure of meeting or know
ing him. The officer did not attempt
to press the matter and left shortly
afterward for his destination.
1t seems that while en- the train the
lieutenant did some thinking. for he
wrote a note to Mr.. Bennighoff, land
lord of the Grand, in which he stated
that the man "Swaine" was undoubt-
eddy a "check tiend," supplementing
this by adding that he had been re-
liably informed that the police of
Portland, Ore, were looking for the
man and that he had been making a
practice of passing bogus checks
throughout the northwest. The note
was mailed from Sheridan and mark
ed confidential" Lieutenant Moffett
saying that in case the check Mr..
Bennighoff had cashed for the man..
a transaction the lieutenant seem
ingly had witnessed, turned out to
be good no harm had been done. 1t
also contained the information that
"Swaine' had left the train at Sheri-
dan.
This happened August % and it
Mr.. Bennighoff to become sus.
p%icious. He wired Immediately to
the Amesbury, Mass, bank, on which
the check was drawn, and asked if it
was all right. The reply was detain-
ed in transmission and was not re-
ceived by Mr.. Bennington until about
) O'clock in the evening. Upon it's
he placed the matter in the ;
hands of the county attorney and the
next morning left with Sheriff Hub
bard in search of Watkins. :
WANTED" Elsewhere.
The suspicion. expressed by some !
that Watkins had been playing the {
check game in other places before :
here appears to have been !
we'll founded, according to a letter ;
received this morning by M. A. /
Arnold, cashier of the First National /
bank. from G. E. Adkins, cashier of /
he Amesbury National bank of Ames- !
bury, Mass. |
After quoting the telegram sent in !
'eply to one of inquiry to his bank, !
Mr.. Adkins writes as follows: ]
I'VE have nc account with John T.. /
and know of no one by that !
lame, and we have reason to be- :
ieve that this man is one Phillip D.. /
Watkins, who has been drawing !
'hecks on is promiscuously through {
he west causing us a great deal of +
annoyance and considerable loss to 4
'thers. The last heard from him
vas in Seattle, Wash, where he got (
100. He is wanted in San Francis. 4
O and Los Angeles, also in Chicago &
nd Ogden. :
"He is a young man, "a or 25 years 1
Id, 5 feet II inches tall and will &
Weigh about 100 pounds. &
HE created quite a sensation not z
ong 6 by marrying a young lady g
rom Omaha after an acquaintance OF 3
4 hours. His name has appeared 9
o~nspicuously in the western papers 6
n connection with this affair. =
IF you have a case against him 9
efficient to hold him, the National s
tank of Commerce, Seattle, or the 8
Francisco National bank will 8
axe it up and prosecute. S
while we have been to no financial =
oss by him. he has caused us con- 8
annoyance and we shall be s
lad to know that lie is apprehend- =
8