River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-11-02

pany me, did begin to suspect some
thing wrong.
He carried only an ordinary valise,
and l had never seen him handle pa
pers or letters, and he couldn't posi-
bly, have been receiving any mail. /
began to wonder if l were travelling
with "cross-roader" of some sort,
and began questioning him closely.
While his answers were all right,
there was something evasive about
them, and consequently / kept quiz
zing.
He always had plenty of money and
kept getting more collecting, as he
claimed), but it didn't seem that he
was renting any Of it to his firm.
This made things look still more sus-
picious.
had noticed that he was continual
ly buying apples. candy, peanuts, pop
corn, and always had his pockets full
of cigars, and as neither he nor
smoked, he freely gave them to hotel
clerks, landlords, porters, etc. When
I questioned him about this, he smiled
to men from whom ne was collecting.
The more mysterious he became, the
more anxious was to learn something
about him, and as he always found it
just suited his convenience to travel
with me I let him do so.
He had accompanied me for fully a
week when, one day, happened to
go into cigar store, where found
him discussing a matter of change
with the proprietor. He had pur-
chased 25 cents worth of cigars, and
had handed the merchant SIC. bill.
The latter had placed the bill in his
money till and had laid out four one
dollar bills and rs cents in change,
and was searching for five dollar
bill to make up the balance, when sud-
denly the young man said:
"By the way, have a quarter in
change, so just give me back the $40
bill"
He then gathered up the four one
dollar bills and the silver pieces, and
put them in his pocket, together with
the $40 bill that the merchant had
the merchant, for the time being,
overlooked this Still, as he afterwards
explained to me, he kept thinking
there was something queer about that
change transaction, and although, at
ter counting his cash, he was still not
quite sure he called to the young man
as he was about to leave the store and
said:
young man, think when you and
were making change a few minutes
ago there was an error in your favor.
If you will step back here we will go
over the matter again.
It was just when they were in the
midst of the discussion that appeared
on the scene.
The moment the merchant pointed
out the different phases of the transac-
ton the young man cried, in a most
apologize way: "By Jovei you are
right, but I never should have known
it, as I really don tknow how much
money / had about me-"
Handing over SAFE he expressed real
satisfaction in having the matter
hands with the merchant and left the
store.
This opened my eyes to scheme
that was novel indeed. I asked the
merchant if he had any idea that the
young man had Intentionally taken the
money.
ooh, mol" he quickly answered; she
was perfectly innocent of any inten-
tional wrongdoing; he unconsciously
picked up my money with his; that's
ALL
This incident set me to thinking
about the numerous cigars, and the
great amount of candy and peanuts he
had been buying every day, and the
following morning took him to task
about his scheme.
At first he was emphatic in his de-
NAL, but when urged, and in fact de-
manded that he produce some OF his
accounts for collection, he showed the
white feather" and confessed. He
showed me his bank book, wherein his
deposits were over $4,000, all of which
he had made in four or five months,
besides what cash he had with him.
AS we were approaching the next
town I said to him: "Now, sir, when
we get to this town want you to go
directly to the depot and take the first
train leaving in either direction, and
if 1 catch you here after that I shall
have you placed under arrest. I have
a wife and baby at home to support,
and I don't propose to take any
chances of getting mixed up with a
man in your kind of business"
Needless to say, he followed my in
structions. Not many months after
ward l heard of his trial and convic-
ton in another part of the state for a
case Of swindling.