Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-11-28

Y, to Chicago, account of c. B. &
O. Ry.' All the difficulties, however
had not yet been surmounted by the
Iowa gentleman. He had made no
provision in financial way, for his
journey of love and affection to
Fredonia, and would be Obliged to call
upon the forbearance of the main
office for the accommodation of $75 or
$50 to defray the expense of the trip.
Mr.. Wood could either call upon the
borrowers brother William, at OF.
tumwa, by draft for $50 drawn, nr
wait until the Osceola gentleman re-
turned home.
agent From osceoIa."
1.-THE latter course was satisfactory
to the cashier at the main office and
again Mr.. Armstrong babe an af-
feotionate adieu to the boys. The
Osceola agent either missed the train
or some other unforeseen circumstance
occurred to prevent his going, for an
hour or SO afterward he turned up at
the office of the general passenger and
ticket agent Of the Michigan Central
road Mr.. Wentworth was out but
Charley Foster, the private secretary.
held down an official chair. Charley
was over5oyed to meet the agent from
Osceoa' of whom in connection with
his brother William, he had often
heard. Mr.. Armstrong. however, had
only dropped In on matter Of bust
ness.
"He had run out Of commission
blanks upon which he drew his COM
missions for coupon tickets sold over
Mr.. Wentworth's road and desired to
carry home fresh supply In course
of social conversation Mr.. Foster
gained the information that a we'd
ding was soon to occur at Ottumwa,
in which the visitors brother, VIII
liam, and young lady In the east,
we'll known to Charley, would be the
principals. In fact the agent from
Osceola' had been deputised by his
brother, William to solicit the
courtesies of the Michigan Central &
Great Western roads from Mr.. Went
worth for the wedding party, includ-
ing the prospective mother-in-law.
Gets More Passes.
"Mr. Foster, in view of the services
rendered the road by the applicant,
made out the passes, and the gentle
man from Iowa took his departure,
with pressing invitation from
Charley or any of his friends to call
around at Osceola, when they get III
| to that section of the country This
exceedingly fresh rural gentleman had
| hardly been lost sight of on Tuesday
when Mr.. Wood was somewh 1T
startled, not to say disguised, at the
presentation of bill from the
management of the fremont house, IN
which he was called upon to turn over
the matter of $21 for board and money
advanced to the company's agent
from Osceola' and as the agent had
been introduced by Nr. Wood as the
agent and he had uncermoniously
skipped out, the management of the
house looked to the company for at
least the money advanced.
Agent Fraud.
dispatches We're forwarded to OF
tumwa and Osceola where 1T was
learned that neither T. w. Armstrong
nor w. B. Armstrong, the company
agents at these points had VISITED
Chicago for a number of years, AMI
hence the conclusion was arrived at
on all sides that the agent from
Osceola was an unmitigated fraud
The Chicago. Burlington 6. Quincy
people felt disposed to pocket all
losses and repair the damage claim I'd
by the Michigan Central & Michigan
Southern roads. They were par
ticularly anxious, however, that the
matter should be kept from the public
that their special detectives might
trace out the imposter. "
Passes as Special Agent
ut is hardly possible that they
| would have hnpn FIJI ;,, h
dertaking had 1t not been for an un
looked for occurrence, which came
about in this way: 1t appears that
the smooth toneued stranger aft, j
working the railroad circles in this
city, struck out for Adrian. Mich. II
the guise of a special agent from
Washington. His first step was t;
call upon Postmaster Fee, Of thai
town, to whom he presented al
official letter purporting to have beer
issued by Mr.. Lowell, superintendent
OF railway mail service Of the nin;f
division, at cleveland, Ohio. The let
ter instructed Postmaster Fee to ex
tend all the assistance required by tn.
bearer, Mr.. w. T. Henderson, who
came in special service of thu
postmaster general Mr.. Henderso,
desired to look into the workings O
the postoffice of Adrian and count tn
money and stamps on hand HI
counted the cash and overhauled ever,
department in the postoffice, all 0
which he pronounced satisfactory
Postmaster Fees suspicious, how
ever, had been aroused in some man
ner, and he forwarded dispatch t,
Washington, and also to Mr. Lowell
at Cleveland, making inquiry as t.
the special agent in charge of hi
Office
Discharged Postmaster.
Before the postmaster received re
plies to his dispatches, the 'agen
, from Washington took his departure
carrying with him $50 of the post
Office funds. The dispatch from tn
assistant postmaster general, pre-
nounced the agent fraud and orde.
ed Postmaster Fee to secure his II
, rest 1t was learned that Armstrons
. alias Henderson, had boarded
. freight train for Hudson, Mich, an
, thither Postmaster Fee and tn