The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-20
Alleged Forxer Arrested.


 Two white men, giving their names as James Mason and Bill Sawyer, were arrested this afternoon by the police authorities for passing what IS sup posed to be forged drafts on the Mer- chants Bank of Mobile, signed by the Bear Creek Lumber Company of Bear Creek, Ala, near Mobile. Shor:ly after banking hours this afternoon tho man giving his name as Bill Sawyer walked into the dry goods store of D. J. Will kerson & Co.,. on Washington Street and presented a draft on the Bear Creek Lumber Co.,, payable to himself for $25, telling the proprietor if he would cash the draft he would buy suit of clothes.
 Wilkinson looked at the draft and saw that 1t was from the Bear Creek Lumber Go. on the Merchants Bank of Mobile and was payable to Bill Saw yer As there were no suits of clothes in the store Wilkinson endorsed the draft and sent the man to the store of Leva & Lilenthal on Broad Street. Leva S, Lilenthal sold the suit for S12.5O and gave the rest of the amount in cash.
 In the mean time James Mason had presented draft from the Bear Creek Lumber Go. for $50 at the store Of John Mfter, a few doors above the Wilkin- son store In some manner Miter be- came suspicious of the mans actions and told him to wait for few minutes. He then went out and got Officer smith, who arrested the man and found on him the draft for $30. The arrest Of one of the men made the authorities suspicious of the other and when lit- tie later Officer Smith approached Saw yer he made a break and got away. Later while Smith was in the store of Leva & Lilenthal, Herman Eliasburg of the firm of Eliasburg & Bros, came for him and asked the officer to come to his store and see if the man who was trying to get a draft cashe1 on the Bear Creek Lumber Go. for $45 was the man he wanted Accompanied by young Leva Officer Smith went to the store of Eliasburg & Bros. but young Leva said the man was not the one who had the draft cashed at his fath- CTS store.
 Later Smith saw the same man near the Presbyterian Church on Broad Street walking with clerk from the store of Leva & Lilenthal. The clerk told Smith that he was the man and when Smith went to arrest him the man broke away and ran down Lauder dale Street Smith chased him and when he saw that he was distanced pulled his pistol and took a shot at the fugitive and thinks that he nit him in the back, but the man kept running and finally got away in the lumber ward at the foot of Church Street. Off, flcer Phillen, who was also looking for the man, arrested the one who gave his name as James Mason later near the Buckeye Cotton Seed oil Mill, where he was caught by R. H. Ken nedy. MT. Kennedy knew the man had escaped from Smith and as he was on horse back when he saw the stranger running down the railroad track he gave chase and caught the man, who was placed in a hack and brought to police headquarters and proved to be the man whom Leva and Lilenthal had cashed the draft for. There was found on him little over $14 The third man. whom Officer Smith claims he wound- ed, has not yet been caught. The po- lice state that the three men arrived fin Selma late Tuesday on the Mobile train, and they have been warchins them since, thinking that they were suspicious characters.
 The Bear Creek Lumber Go. was tell egraphed to find out if they knew the