The San Francisco call., 1905-01-29
NOTED FORCER
IS RECAPTURED
Swindler Whiteman Caught
by Detectives at Moth
er's Home in New York
ESCAPED IN SEPTEMBER
Remarkable History of Felon
Known as One OF the Clev-
crest Rascals in Country
ESCAPED IN SEPTEMBER

BUFFALO, Jan. 23.-Alonzo J. White
man, who made a sensational escape
from detectives by jumping through
the window Of a moving train at Dun
kirk on September 81, was recaptured
at the home OF his mother at Dansvine
to-day. He was taken after an exciting
chase and submitted to arrest only
when covered by revolvers. Whiteman
ss charged with forgery and grand lar
ceny.
whiteman is the principal of the
Knox Whiteman band of draft raisers.
forgers and bank swindlers.
The. particular crime with which
Whitman Is charged was committed
last July in Buffalo, when a messenger
called at the Fidelity Trust Company
with letter, typewriter on what pur-
ported to be- the business paper of an
East Aurora, N Y, firm, and signed
r. H Hubbard, who appeared to be a.
member Of the firm. Inclosed with the
letter was a draft for $4,000 to Hub
bar9s order by tho cashier of the Ma
uonal Hudson River Bank, Hudson, n.
n, on the Leather Manufacturers Bank
of New York City, with which the
writer expressed the wish to open an
account He claimed he was an in
valid, seldom left East Aurora and re-
Questes1 that bank and check book
he sent him by the bearer Of the letter.
The Fidelity Trust Company of Buffalo,
after allowing what ii considered
SusScient time to elapse for the draft
to pass through the exchanges and not
being advised that II was irregular,
permitted Hubbard to check against
. tho account to the extent OF $3.50 by
the issuing bank The Trust Company
was subsequently advised that the
draft for $4,000 accepted by them from
Hubbard was originally issued for 50.
from which amount 1t was raised
Whitenlan was the prime mover In
all the bank Swindles committed by
this band, by which 1t obtained more
than $4,000 The drafts were pur-
chased from country banks for small
amounts and raised to large ones
Altogether Whiteman has been ar
rested on charges of felony twenty
three times, indicted seventeen times,
tried four times and sentenced to an
aggregate uf sixteen years iD1prison-
ment; has laid in jail three years
awaiting trials or appeals. He has
served only one years actual sentence
He originally came from Dansyille, N
Y, where his father was at one time
a prominent banker and lumberman-
In his younger days he attended the
Hamilton College, near Utica, N Y,
from which he graduated with high
honors and took up the legal profess
sion- Leaving Dansville, he migrated
10 Minnesota, became Mayor of Duluth,
a. member OF the State Senate of Min
Eesota, president OF two banks in
Duluth, the owner of two daily news
papers published in that city and at
enc time the backer of Courtney, the
oarsman- He spent an Inheritance Of
three quarters of a million and sacri-
feed his position OF honor and dis
tinction to become a forger. swindier
and all-round rascal He Is one of the
m0St remarkable criminals in this
country, and because Of his suaye man
ners and intimate knowledge of the
cfiminal law has many times defeat
ed the ends of justice
The srecapture of Whiternan and the
breaking up of this band Of draft rails
ers, forgers and bank swindlers re-
fleets great credit on the protective
committee of the American Bankers
association, for which this work was
undertaken by the Pinkertons.