The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-12-31
THE MAN WHO LOCATED PORT
LANDERS ON TIMBERLESS
LANDS ARRESTED
They Caught Him at Butte for
Forging a Check, but They
Want Him Worse in
Portland-Has Been
Busy in Many
Swindling Op-
erations,

Oscar G. Stone, the man who 10
Gated thirty six Portlanders or
timberless lands in the Five River:
country, after showing them fine
timber on the slopes of Prairie
Mountain is in Jail in Butte, Mon.
tana, and is in fair way to ex
plate in prison his fraud upon the
Portland people aud others. Il
appears that six weeks or more age
I DR.. c. w. Cornelius, who was one
of the meu who made the skyrock-
ct trip into Alsea, swore out war
rant for Stones arrest, and that
ever since the detectives Of the
Northwest have been searching
for him, but he managed to elude
detection for some time. 1t was
not indeed, until Stone passed a
fraudulent 5check for = $3.50 On a
Butte hotel keeper, and was ar
rested for that offense that his
identity became known. The
facts Of the arrest, together with
some of the notorious timber 10
GATORS past history is told in
the following from Thursdays
Oregonian:-
"Butte, Mont-Oscar G. Stone,
wanted in this city on the alleged
charge of passing worthless checks
was captured by Deputy Sheriff
Kearns at Idaho Falls yesterday.
The officer reached Butte today
with the prisoner, who was willing
to return to Montana without a
requisition. 1t is alleged Stone
drew two worthless checks, one
for $12o and another for $78 IS.
Stone posed as a lawyer in this
city. He is wanted at Tacoma
and Portland.
Oscar c.. Stone, who signed
himself as the president of the
"Oregon & Washington Script
Land Company" with Offices in the
Worcester building, and who is
charged with victimizing number
of prominent citizens of Portland
to the extent of $1,000, was arrested
at Butte, Montana, yesterday and
has beeu held to answer to charge
of forgery. It is alleged that he
passed forged check on a hotel
keeper of Butte, and the sum OF
$3.50 is needed to settle his diff
culties.
''The first news of Stones ar
rest was received by Chief of Po-
lice McLauchlan, who had been
seeking him for the past |
six weeks, yesterday afternoon.
It came in the form of telegram
from Chief of Dectives J J Murphy
We have Oscar c. Stone here
for forgery the dispatch read. "A
hotel man here whom he has beat
1s trying to get his money back.
Have wired the Chief of Police of
Tacoma to know if he wanted him.
Do you?"
"We want him, and want him
bad,' was the tenor of the response
of the Portland chief Of police.
1'The charge upon which Stene
is wanted in Portland is for OBJ
tanning money under false preten.
ses from DR. G w Cornelius ex-I
county coroner. At the instance
of DR. Cornelius a warrant was is
sued for the arrest of Stone about
six weeks ago, and was placed in
the hands Of Detective Henry
Ford for service. Meantime Stone
had flown, but Ford traced him as
far as Seattle. There he learned
that Stone had cashed a check at
the Scandinavian bank, drawn
upon the Trust Company of Port
land, and purporting to be signed
by Lincoln J Davis of Tacoma,
who was recently elected to the
Washington legislature. Due to
the prominence of Davis, Stone
had no trouble in cashing the
check,
After leaving Seattle, Stone care
fully concealed all his movements,
and if Ford had not taken the pre-
caution to send out photographs of
him to the police authorities of
every city in the Northwest, his
identity would not have been dis
covered at Butte. He will probably
remain in Jail in the Montana town
,lnless he can secure enough money
10 pay the amount he raised by pas
sing the forged check. But if he
should pay the sum, he will be
brought back to Portland to answer
more serious charges. Chief Nc
said last night that he
did not think that the Monta ma
officers would surrender him if the
check given to the hotel man was
not made good. That might look
like compromising a felony but
Butte has different ways from Port
land.
Stone cut pretty wide swaih in
Portland, and about $1,000 worth