The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-08
FORGED MONEY ORDERS
H. M. SMITH TRACED MANY MILES
 AND CAUGHT HERE.
rommitted Crime In Sullivan, Ind. was Captured in Montgomery by Post Onlce Inspector While WOrk-
 ing as Electrician.

Traced through touf SNeeSS AoA ''-. months by postofice Inspector Uarrv M smith. who says his home is in Decatur, Ala, was yesterday ar rested in Montgomery for forging 6 government money order at Sullivan ind. on June n and will be taken te Indianapolis for trial. He is in ths Montgomery County jail awaiting his removal.
 The amount secured by Harry Smith was s15. It is estimated that the gov ernment has expended $500 in affecting his capture.
 In June Harry M. Smith was travel ling in Indiana selling medicines. Al Sullivan he asked at the postoffice for his mail and letters addressed to I'll N. Smith" were delivered to him. Opening one of these letters he found money order No. 256,043 for $15 issued from the Indianapolis postoffice in fa- vor of H. Nelson Smith, who 1t trans pired was a commercial salesman for an Indianapolis establishment.
 Harry Smith admits that he signed the name of H. Nelson Smith to the order and made 1t payable to w. E. Woods, a Sullivan business man from whom he secured. the money.
 As soon as the forgery was discov- cred by the postoffice authorities R.
 
 stationed at Cincinnati, was assigned the duty of capturing the forger. Mir. Hosford, whose long chase ended yes- terday, said that he started on the case with no evidence save the forged order and the signatures of H. Nelson Smith and Harry M. Smith, both of which he clipped from a hotel register.
 The inspector traced H. M. Smith through Indiana and into Kentucky He located him once at Lexington, Ky. but he got away. Then he traced him through Tennessee and into Alabama. He found that the young man had at Decatur. Ala, and MT. Hosford went there. He saw Mrs. Smith, but could get no accurate information about the whereabouts of her husband. The inspector bided his time. He set watch op the letters that were re- ceived and forwarded from Decatur un- til he located Harry Smith in Birming- ham. Then the inspector went to Bir- mingham. He soon learned that Har- ry Smith had moved his residence again. The letter department of the postoff1ce was again watched and the inspector soon found that Harry Smith was in Montgomery.
 Yesterday morning at II o'clock Iu- spector Hosford reached Montgomery from Birmingham. He went straight to the Federal building and reported to the marshals office that he was here and that he had come for Harry Smith who was in Montgomery. Within three hours Harry Smith was in cus- tody and had confessed that he was the man wanted by the inspector.
 Smith has been in Montgomery about a week. He Is a good electrician and h rft laft nf l. easily secured a position with the West Electric Co.,. whose place of business is on Commerce Street. His conduct since he has been here has been exemplary and the manager Of the electric company said that he was a good workman.
 When Smith walked into the Mar shars office under arrest yesterday af- ternoon, one of the attaches of the of- flee expressed his surprise by exclaim- ing: Why, that man sat in the same pew with me at church Sunday night"
 The arrest of Smith was affected by Special Officers Payne and Jackson of the Montgomery police department who had a warrant sworn to by In- spector Hosford. He was arrested on Lee Street. and went with the officers to police headquarters where he was taken in charge by Deputy Marshal A. B. Colquitt. Postoffice inspectors are not authorized to make arrests.
 At o'clock Smith was taken before United States Commissioner l.. H. Dawson for a preliminary hearing When the warrant was read to him he admitted that he was the man wanted and expressed his willingness to re- turn to Indiana with an officer. He waived examination and Commissioner Dawson fixed his bond at $1 OOO In to the County jail by Deputy Colquitt. pending an order of removal by Judge Thomas G. Jones of the United States Court. ~s
 Before Commissioner Dawson Smith made the following affidavit: q am the Harry M. Smith named in the com plaint. I wish to waive any prelimi- nary examination and to admit my identity. I am unable to make bond here and I will not resist being re- moved to the district in which the offense was committ-c."
 Smith appears to be about 90 years old. He says he Is a native of Gads- den. Ala, but has travelled consider ably. He treated newspaper men with scant courtesy, declaring that he had nothing to say about his trouble and that the newspapers had no right to question him about his personal and domestic affairs.
 Inspector Hosford expressed the opinion that Smith was not a profess sional crook, saying that perhaps this =.