Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-19

the swell stranger had not only done up
Andrews and his crowd, but two or three
other crowds well, all of whom he en-
tertained lavishly at the Belmont at diff
ferent hours of the day and night.
That's devilish strange" muttered the
new chief of police. How the devil could
have missed that fellow, anyway
1t devilish strange. But the strang-
! est part of it was that on the very night
when the stranger left two men sat in the
back room of a saloon in an obscure part
of town and conversed in whispers One of
these men resembled the chief of police-the
other the slick stranger. At the conclusion
of the conversation the stranger passed
wad of bills to the chief and the chief but
toned them in his inside pocket. And then
each went his several ways rejoicing.
Two days went by. When Mr.. James F.
Wallace, Lorraine's successful business
man ana real estate agent, came near kick
ing out of his office a shabby, frayed, little
man he came near making a mistake. This
man proved to be near relative of Wal
lace's wife. She was away at the time.
Wallace was secretly glad of 1t. All that
the man wanted of Mr.. Wallace was to
get 50 check cashed Wallace shifted sus-
piciously, but the amount was small, and
he cashed 1t. The little man discovered
that Wallace's wife was to be away for
some three weeks. He expressed regret at
this, but cOnfided to Wallace that while he
was in poor circumstances just at present
he was interested in a Chicago estate which
was now in process of settlement, and he
fully expected to get several thousand dol
lars in a week or two. He was in Lorraine
because he had succeeded in getting
small position there. He did not bother
Wallace again for few days, until he
came back with check for $40, signed
with the name of a small grocery house
The other check had been all right, and
Wallace cashed this check. This, too, went
through all right. The next time the man
came in he was radiant He had a letter
from his Chicago lawyers, in which they
hot no
would have difficulty in getting large
checks cashed in a town where he was I'M
known, and they, therefore, had sent him
by express five one thousand dollar bills
on account of his share in the estate of his
deceased relative He had the express
package, and the five one-thousand-dollar
bills. He now wanted to take this money
to his home town and deposit 1t in his local
bank, but preferred not to carry the cash.
He therefore requested Mr.. Wallace to give
him check to his order. Wallace, who
liked moneyed men, acQufesced with alac-
rity. He put the five bills in his safe,
wrote the check, handed 1t over, and then
invited the relative of Mrs. Wallace out to
lunch. The little man stipulated that he
must be released in time for his train.
which went at 3 o'clock. The lunch was
finished, and the little man left. Instead of
taking train he went to bank. where,
by the courtesy of another business man of
the place, he was identified the payee
named in the check. He thereupon received
from the bank five one-thousand- dollar
bills. Then he, too, disappeared
The same evening Mrs James F. Wallace
returned to town, and James F. told her
about her relative. She had a relative of
that name, but he had been dead for five
years. The next morning Mr.. James F.
Wallace sent the five one-thousand dollar
bills to the bank for deposit to his account.
The bank returned them with it's thanks.
Each bill was cleverly executed counter
felt. Mr.. James F. Wallace had been
taken inland not he alone but a dozen
other men besides.
And on the evening that the relative of
Mrs. Wallace disappeared he and another
man who reSembled a man whose name
was Peter F. Clancy talked earnestly to-
gether in dark alley. Some money passed
between them.
Again the police force were up in arms.
Again the newspapers howled. Again there
was a lingering wall of anguish from the
victims.
This thing" exclaimed the Morning