Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-19
NKOVN|S FIRST Trial
Famous Prisoner Will Face
Court Monday on Embezzle-
ment Charge
HAD 4 METEoR'c CAREER
C CAREER
Lived in $4,000 Per Year Style on a
$1,000 Salary, With Inevitable Result
circumstances That Directed sus-
nicion to Him After Destruction Of
100000 Plant.
10 rimes-Republican.

snec,al to Times Republican.
Webster City, Oct 1s-Monday III
This city the trial of central Iowa
& most famous alleged criminal, George
hrackown, will begin. .Mackown, who
is under IS years Of age. was brought
back to this city three months ago
having been captured at Bakersnelo
col after a chase of nearly four years.
He is charged with having embezzied
thousands Of dollars from the North
western Felt Shoe Company IN TINS
4 CITY and then with cool del1beratloh
and remarkable success to have burned
to the ground the company's Sloo'VoV
n1ant to remove every vestage OF evil
dence of his alleged embezzlement. II
the man is guilty, he is one OF the
most remarkable criminals ever caught
within the meshes Of Iowa laws, for
Ii his career here was brief one, eA-
tending over but thirteen months OF
4 time.
The story of his crime in brief is
that old. old tale Of a breach OF trust.
4 highly successful foreman in a felt
shoe factory in Dolgeville, n. y, on
y a salary Of less than 500 per month,
fthe man was discovered by number
Of Webster City capitalists while IN
the east looking for competent man
{ to come to Webster City and assume
the complete management OF the
{. Northwestern felt shoe factory. 1t
was in the year 1902. MackoWn nad
been saving and had accumulated
small sum of money. He was induced
to come to Webster City by the offer
Of salary of 800 per month and the
opportunity to invest his small saw
ings in the concern he was to man
age. He came out in May OF that
year.
He was a dapper young New York
er with plenty Of business ability and
acuman and a beautiful wife. He at
once entered into Webster City's high
est society. BY an extensive system
Of advertising in the trade papers and
by putting out large force OF travel
Ing statesmen. Mackown sold an i'm
nlense amount Of goods. The company
was capitalized at $4,000. and near
the close of the first year when the
young business manager who mad
been booming things so successfully,
asked that the company double It's
capitalization in order to permit him
to make additions to the factory and
Increase the output, there was not a
dissenting voice. The capitalization
was doubled and the amount paid In.
When the years business was closed
up, however, and the books gone over,
there were number Of discrepancies
which Indicated things were not just
right. The directors began to question
Manager Mackown. About this time
Mrs. Mackown and the baby left tor
the east on visit. AS the investiga-
ton proceeded things began to look
worse, and finally eliminated in the
dismissal Of the manager. AS the
company was without practical man
to run the plant, however, they per-
mitted him to remain as foreman. His
final dismissal came Saturday night
and on Monday night the big plant Of
the company lay a desolate and smok-
ing ruin with not dollars worth of
goods saved from the flames, and but
$4,000 insurance to cover fully $780,
900 loss.
Mackown did not leave the city until
nearly two weeks after the fire. In the
excitement and state of chaos the COM
pany found itself in, he stepped into
the breach and seemed to do his best
to straighten out the tangle. AS time
passed, however, evidence began to ac-
cumulate which placed the manager in
an ugly light and one day he fled the
city, never to return until he stepped
off Northwestern coach four years
later in charge Of the sheriff and an
accused criminal.
Mackown's embezzlement is alleged
to have been accomplished thru the
use Of false invoices. The Indictment
against him charges specifically the
by the members of the felt shoe COM
pany that from $4,000 to $4,000 was
enbezzled.
Mackown's downfall is laid to high
living On salary of $1,000 per year
he lived at a $4,000 pace and during
the brief thirteen months that he lived
here he and his beautiful wife cut a
wide swath. During the four years
that have interviewed between his flight
and capture, thousands of photos and
riptions Of the man We're sent
cast over the land. He was also
with the Pinkertons and it was
sf these men that finally found the
man and placed him under arrest His
trial in this city next week promises
many sensation and will create more
interest than any criminal action tried
in central Iowa in number Of years.
WOMAN GoRED BY COW.
Mrs. Anti, Near Kellogg, Almost Killed
by Maddened Animal,