The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-29
.BETRAYS A TRUST
Harvest Hand Is Employed to
Convey Cash.
DISAPPEARS WITH MONEY
Was Tracked to Arlington
Where Trace Is Lost.

Pratt, Kan, Aug. 8-Considerable of
commotion was created here in Pratt last
Friday afternoon yhen it was discovered
that C. W. Fletcher had hiked with 81, coo
belonging to the Hall, Robinson Elevator
company of Iuka, for which firm CIar-
ence Clark is agent at that place
1t has been the custom of the agent to
keep considerable amount of money on
hand to cash the farmers checks from
whom he buys wheat says the Repubn-
can. When the farmer sells his wheat he
is given a check on the Peoples Bank of
this place There being no bank in Iuka
it compels the farmer to come to Pratt
to get his money or send it down by some
one who may be coming TO the city. 1t
often transpires that the farmer needs
some ready cash, and in order that he
may be accommodated the agent takes up
the check and gives him the money. Thus
in a short time Mr.. Clark would pay out
a considerable amount of money and
would have the checks on hand. When
bunch of these checks would accumu-
late on his hands he would send them TO
the bank here and have them cashed His
habit has been to give them to the star
route mail carrier, a. VI. Logan, and he
woull transact the business and return the
money. Last week Mr.. Logan wanted TO
take a lay-off to transact some private
business and he selected c. w. Fletcher.
a young man who had been working
around Naron during harvest and since
that time has followed the trade of paint
ing For two days Fletcher transacted
the business all right, but on the third
day he became tired of being honest and
the temptation to take the money was so
strong he yielded and today is a fugitive
from justice.
When he started for Pratt Friday morn
ing he was handed Mr.. Clark's bank book
and the checks by Mr.. J. NJ. Naron, with
whom it had been left. When Fletcher
arrived in Pratt he transacted all business
entrusted to him in a straight forward
way and when he had cashed the checks
put the money in a large envelope and
took it to Gregory's restaurant and left
1t with Mr. Gregory for safe keeping
until he was ready to start back. After
getting his dinner he went to the phone
and called up Iuka and told them he
would be a little late in getting back as
he would wait until the Santa Fe freight
came in for some passengers who wanted
to go north; then he went and told the
postmaster and liveryman the same tale.
From the livery stable he went to the
Rock Island hotel and told a lady who
had engaged passage with MIN that he
he 1ofa hY1f
her when he got ready to go. He then
went to the Rock Island yards and got
on the local intending to leave on that
but through freight was to go out first
and he iuse shifted to that and went as
far as Turon. After the postmaster had
waited a sufficient length of time for him
to get around he started out to look him
up. Not being able to locate him he went
othe livery stable and found his team
there. After comparing notes with the
livery man. the bank and others he came
to the conclusion that something was
wrong and the bank telephoned Mr.. Clark
at Iuka. Things picked up from that
time. The wires were kept hot Deputy
Sheriff Sloan and James Naron took the
evening train east and succeeded in track
ing MN as lar as Arlington where al
trace of him was lost He had gotten
off the train at Turon. logged himself up
in a new suit of clothes and hired man
to drive him to Arlington where it is said
he purchased a ticket for Topeka. From
this point nothing could be learned of him
and the sheriff returned home, while Mr..
Naron kept up the hunt till Saturday
night. returning to Pratt Sunday morn
ing withopt discovering anything