The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-11-03
CLEVERLY TAKEN IN
John A. Person Cashes a
Forged Check.
FOrgsr Claimed to be a Nor
Wegian laborer.
Opens an Account at a Bank
as a Preliminary.
Geo. Elliot and Knut O. Ped
erson May Be the Same.

John A. Person of Person & Peterson,
the North Front street saloon keepers,
was victimized out of $20.75 at seven
o'clock last evening by clever forger.
a young man entered the saloon with
the check, said that he was employed
by the Standard Lumber company, and
that he was sick and had been advised
by a doctor to lay off while receiving
treatment. He told such pitiful story
that Mr.. Person felt sorry for him, and
when he produced a check for SPOTS
purporting TO be drawn in his favor by
The Standard Lumber company, the OBJ
liging saloon keeper readily cashed its
after having him endorse it. The check
ran to Knut O. Peterson, and as the
young man talked Norwegian very flu
emily Mr.. Person was completely thrown
off his guard.
The check reads as follows: ''Man-
kato, Mimi, Oct. 81, 1905. No. 1865
The National Bank of Commerce pay to
KNIT o. Peterson or order S20.75.
twenty and 75-lO0 dollars. Standard
Lumber Co.. per Frank A. Taylor" The
number and the words STANDARD Lum
Der Co." had been inserted with cheap
rubber stamps, which gave an air Of
genuiness to the check.
Mr.. Person did not discover that the
check was forgery until this morning,
when he deposited it. He learned that
the Standard Lumber company does not
do business with the National Bank of
Commerce, and that Frank A. Taylor
has not been the local agent for the
company for more than year, that po-
sition being filled by Mr.. Dickinson.
Furthermore, he learned that the COM
pany has not had man named Knut
o. Peterson in its employ and had Civ
en- him no check.
Mr.. Person then procured warrant
for the arrest of Peterson, charging him
with forgery in the second degree. The
warrant was placed in the hands of
Sheriff Williams, who is making an eff
fort to locate the forger, but with very
poor prospects of success, it would
seem, for he probably sought other fields
last night.
Peterson is described as being five
feet, four inches tall, % to 25 years
old, weight l25 pounds, smooth face
light complexion, dressed in a pepper
and salt suit and wearing black cap.
In the saloon he wore no overcoat, but
elsewhere he had on a dark overcoat
He looked like young Scandinavian.
The police are of the opinion that the
check was made out by one man and
passed by another, as the endorsement
is in entirely different handwriting
from the face of the check. Peterson
endorsed it slowly and seemingly with
difficulty. 1t is thought that the forger
got the name of the manager of the
Standard Lumber company from the d.
rectory, yet the handwriting bears a
marked similarity to that of the for
mer local manager, suggesting that the
forger must have been acquainted with
his style of writing.
Peterson attempted to cash the check
at Kelly Bros saloon a few moments
before he appeared at Peterson & Peter
sons, but William Kelly, who was on
duty at the time, did not like the looks
of the check, and advised the young
man to get il cashed at the Wells Far
go Express office across the street, say
ing that he did not have enough money
to cash it.
Peterson, which is probably only an
assumed name, had another check for
S2G, which he attempted to pass at Os-
car Olson's and at Frank Lorentz' sa-
looms. What became of this check is
not known at present.
Yesterday forenoon a stranger an
swering Pederson's description entered
the National Bank of Commerce and de-
posted $50, giving the name of George
Elliot. He said that he was employed
as a waiter at the CITY Hotel. He was