Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-05-14
VALLEJO is CAUGHT
A. o. U. w. is Rid Of Alleged Graf
ter, Worked Brother Racket"
is CAPTURED BY ST. LOUIS OFFICERS
Said That He. Was About to Try His
Game on Grand Lodge Officials
There-Had Not Operated in OF
tumWa.

Though the members of the A. o. U
W.. in Ottumwa failed to have any
dealings with ]. A. Vallejo, who is re
| ported to have been going about the
country working the brother act or
the members of the order, they have
been pleased to learn that his career
| has been brought to an end by his ar
rest in st. Louis. Grand Master
Workman w. NJ Narvis, who is ir
Sioux City attending the convention oil
the order has received word of the cap
ture of Vallejo and concerning this the
Sioux City Journal says:
J. A. Vallejo, alias Baxter, alias Yer
non, alias Nallys, will not have an op
portunity to work the brother act
on members of the A. o. U. w. fol
| some time to come.
Will M. Narvis Of Des MONIES, grand
master workman of the A. o. U. w
of Iowa, who is in Sioux City for the
grand lodge meeting which will oper
here tomorrow. yesterday received
word from st. Louis that Brother
Vallejo had been arrested there and
stood a good chance of getting long
sentence in the penitentiary.
Inasmuch as it was Mr. Narvis that
put the supreme lodge officers on Val
lejo's track and because OF the further
fact that some of Vallejo's latest vic
tins were Iowa Workmen, the capture
of the CRATER is of special interest tc
the delegates at the grand lodge meet
ing here. Although Vallejo had bu
one arm and weighs only 100 pounds
he is possessed of full stock of "gab'
and is long on nerve.
| In Missouri the smooth one "show.
ed" the natives under the name of
Baxter; in Tennessee he called him.
self Vernon; in Indiana he worked T.
E.. Neal, of Indianapolis, the grand
master workman of the state, under
the name of Nallys, and in Iowa he
bilked George Heck. of Burlington, out
of s105 as ]. A. Vallejo.
His Smooth Game.
So numerous were Vallejo's opera.
lions they became widely known, and
members of the A. o. u w. will
breathe a sigh of relief when they
learn that he is now in the tolls of the
law
| Briefly stated, Vallejo's scheme was
| to drop quietly into town, represent
himself as a supreme lecturer, as such
address q lodge meeting and then pre-
1 vail upon some brother to indorse q
draft, upon which he would get the
cash and disappear.
| 1t was about three weeks ago thai
he landed in Burlington. He ap
preached Carl Lehman, member of the
grand finance committee for Iowa, anG
after discussing matters of special in
terest in the order and working the
fraternity racket as strong as he
could, he flashed draft for $1O5 on
the Meadville National bank, of Mead
vile, Pa, and asked Mr.. Lehman tC
indorse the same so he could get il
cashed. The draft bore the alleged
signature of w. Warren Wilson, chair
man of the supreme finance commit
tee, and Vallejo was supposed to have
got the same in payment for services
rendered the supreme lodge as lee
turer.
Bilks an Iowa Man.
Mr.. Lehman was not so easy. He of
fered plausible excuse for not indoors
ing the draft, and then telegraphet
Grand Master Workman Narvis, ask
ing if Mr.. Vallejo was all right. Tht
grand master knew that the supreme
lodge was not employing any such lee
turers. and he unheSitatingly wire(
back that Vallejo was fraud.
| But Vallejo was not allowing an.
grass to grow under his half soles
While Mr. Lehman was working the
wires between Burlington and De.
Moines Vallejo was visiting with Geo
Heck, foreman of the Office of the Bur
lington Gazette, and exchanging view
as to the grand work which was being
accomplished by the order. Inciden
tally Vallejo flashed the draft for sos
and Mr.. Heck was only too delighted
to indorse the same for brother.
Vallejo got the draft cashed and lief
4 Burlington in hurry.
Mr.. Narvis at once brought the mat
| ter to the attention of the supreme Off
GERS at meeting which was held il
Chicago and Pinkerton detectives Were
/ put on Vallejo's trail.
How He Was Caught.
But the grafter's capture did no
|
work on the part of the sleuths. Cir
CELLARS describing the man had beer
s.nt out by the supreme officers, ant
when Vallejo put in an appearance a
the Missouri grand lodge offices In st
Louis Grand Recorder Meyers recog
nized him and detained him while HI
sent clerk for officers.
The sheriff of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
got wind of Vallejo's arrest in st
Louis and came after him to take hin
in charge for work of similar char
acter which he had done in Tennessee
The news of Nallejo's arrest reached
Mr.. Jarvis yesterday in letter from
/ W. H. Miller grand master workman
! of the grand lodge of Missouri.
i ~