Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-31
SAYS HUSBAND
IS A F0RGER
MAN CHARGED WITH RAISING
CHECK
D. w. Thompson Arrested on AIIegs.
tions Made by Venice Bank Off
ciaIs, Who Say Prisoner Tried
to Swlndle Them
Special to The Herald.

oDttidl W lUe 1leTdlu
OCEAN PARK, Dec. 3O.-Pacing
madly back and forth in the 10x12
boxlike structure that serves Venice
as a jail. d. W. Thompson, alleged adj
venturer and all-round bad man, is
tonight being detained at the instance
of David Evans, president of the Bank
of Venice, who charges Thompson,
among other things, with having at
tempted to defraud the bank out of
$4,000
The proceedings leading up to and
eliminating in the mans arrest are
on the highly melodramatic order, con-
tanning as they do the story of how
Thompson, himself penniless, married
a wealthy woman many years his
senior, how he has from time to time
forced her to disgorge her holdings,
and of how by a sensational gun play
on December 26 he made her sign a
check in his favor ostensibly for $6000
but which, when presented for pay
ment by himself, read $4,000. Mr..
. Evans of the Bank of Venice made the
following statement tonight concerning
the affair:
ION Tuesday forenoon during my abb
sence Thompson entered the bank and
presented to Cashier r. A. Dallugge
a check for $4,000, drawn on the Mer-
chants National bank of San Diego and
signed by Emma Thompson, who, he
said, was his wife. He requested the
amount in gold and was asked to re-
turn later, it being the cashiers idea
to first consult me in the matter. The
man being unknown to us, the check
so large and the request for so much
gold so out of the ordinary, / COM
municated with the vice president, T.
II. Dudley, and at his advice wired
the San Diego bank for Instructions
which came to the effect that the
Woman's paper was o *. Following
came a telegram from Luce, Sloan &
Luce, San Diego attorneys, asking that
we withhold payment until further
orders. Things stood in this wise
Thompson twice daily calling for the
money and being put off on various
preteXts until this morning, whet
Mrs. Thompson. hysterical and weep
ing, put in an appearance. Her story
such as we have thus far been able
to comprehend. Is to the effect that she
married Thompson about one year age
in Los Angeles, since which time she
has lived in fear of her life and has
been forced into giving him money IL
sums ranging up to $600O the latter
amount not including the check il
question, which he says she signed
while her husband stood with loaded
revolver pointed at his head, threat
ening to kill himself if she refused. The
amount was $4,000 then, not $4,000, as
at present"
Until yesterday afternoon Thompson
kept his wife under constant surveil-
lance in the Arcade roomlng house OF
Ocean front, near Windward avenue
from where she cleverly sent word tc
the San Diego attorneys which later
resulted in her husbands arrest.
Thompson is a thick-set, rather un-
dersized man of swarthy complexion
and when searched he had upon his
person a bag of diamonds, said to be-
long to his wife. $50 in currency and d
miscellaneous assortment of trinkets
as well as a pocketful of small bottles
containing a white solution said to bt
dope compound to which he is adj
dicted. Policemen Carmichael ano
Higgs We're put as guard over Thomp-
son, awaiting instructions from Los
Angeles.