The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-02-14
Police Discover Scheme to Loot
Business Men by Use Of Forged
Checks Of Simmons Mfg. Co.
FRANK }. KlPP FIRST VICTIM
Unknown Swindlers Secured Printed
Checks Supposed TO be Issued by
the Well Known Company. but
Bank Refused to Pay,

The police of the city yesterday
afternoon unearthed a conspiracy in
Kenosha by which it is claimed that
band Of swindlers had planned to loot
number of local merchants by means
Of false checks which we're supposed
TO be pay checks issued by the
Simmons Manufacturing company.
The first check reached the bank on
Monday afternoon and it was prompt
~ stamped as a counterfeit and a
targery and turned over to the officials
81 the company who at once asked
the aid Of the police in stopping the
working Of the gang.
The check is most dangerous
fergery. While the Simmons COM
pany has never paid its employees
other than in cash it is not known to
many of the merchants and business
men of the city and the gang of
swindlers have secured printed checks
bearing the name of the Simmons
Manufacturing company and marked
as 'pay checks. 1t is feared that
the checks were printed in quantities
and others will be brought in by un-
suspecting merchants later.
FranktJ. Kipp, the well known west
side general merchant, was the first
man to be caught with the check.
Just after ten O'Clock Saturday even
ing an unknown man entered the
store and presented one of the checks
IN payment for pair of shoes and
Kipp took the check without a ques-
ton. It was drawn to the order of
Henry Moss and was for $28. il was
signed by z. G. Simmons, Jr., but the
signature was the rankest of>forgeries
and as soon as the bank received the
check It was promptly thrown out.
The swindlers are crafty, for the
check bore every mark of genuiness.
It had even been faced with check
protector and every other artifice had
been used to deceive the unwary.
Kipp had worked for years at the
Simmons plant before he went into
the mercantile. business and he should
been we'll aware of the fact that the
simmons company always pays in
cash.
I. The man who presented the check
was stranger in the city and Kipp
seemedgto be.so sure of the genuine
ness of the check that he did not take
particular notice of the man and the
police did not secure a very good de-
scription ofihim. The man secured
the patriot shoes and $40. so in cash at
the Kipp store.
AS soon as the forged check was
turned over to the police telephone
messsgesswere sent to police offices
in Racine, Waukegan and Milwaukee
and every lpossible effort is being
made to prevent the gang of swindlers
cashing any large number OF, the
checks. It is alleged that the check
is sinilar.to false check recently is
sued by men who worked at Gary, @In-
diana, when the checks were sup
posed to have been issued by the
American sSteel and Wire company.
The checks are very dangerous for
geries and it would be an easy matter
to deceive merchants who were not
with the conditions at the
Simmons factory. z. G. Simmons,
Jr. conferred with the police on
Tuesday and the company will do all
in its power to assist the police in
huntingi down the members of the
gang Of tforgers and having them
punished. Insthesmeantime the bank
is keeping a close look out for the
comingsof other similar checks. The
company can lose snothing by the
checks and the loss will fall upon the
men who leash them. Merchants of
the city have been warned by the
police that theISimmonsrcompany is
sues no pays checks to its employees
and that a11Esnch presented for pay
are forgeries.