The daily sentinel., 1907-07-30
HIS SCHEME FAILED
HE Is NOW IN JAIL HERE
Bogus Check Dealer Cleverly Trap
ped by VI. Ii. Loeffler
and Now Faces
Penitentiary.


/ possibly at forgery, went up against
the wrong man last night and soon
\ found himself in the clutches OF the
officers and behind the bars
About $50 O'Clock last evening a
/ heavy set, fiorid man, accompanied by
Il a young woman who has been en-
! ployed for some time as a waitress in
one of the local restaurants, entered
/ the Loeffier clothing store and were
/ greeted by the proprietor himself
"If l buy a suit of clothes from you
will you cash a check for me? ask
ed the stranger. NO replied Mr
/ Loeffier, Not unless you fully iden-
/ tify yourself for you are a stranger
/ to me-" The man then informed Mr..
| Loeffler that he had been in town
! but a few days had deposited some
money in the Mesa County nation
al bank and as the bank had closed
was unable to get the money out
unless he could get check cashed.
Mr.. Loeffler insisted that he Identify
himself. The girl said something
about getting Harry" to identity
Z him, but her companion protested
that "Harry's" word would be no
better than his. The man finally
said that Jim Purcell could and
would identify him. Mr.. Loeffier said
all right to get Mr.. Purcell to do so
and he would cash the check, Cowle
as he gave his name, stepped out for
few minutes and returned stating
that Mr.. Purcell was not in just thea
but would be in soon. He then sug-
gested that he look over the suits
pick out one, have it fitted, then Mr..
Loeffier could do it up and he would
come in at eight o'clock. Mr.. Loef-
fer who was gradually growing sus-
picious. agreed. The man and girl
then left the store
Before leaving the store Cowle
told Mr.. Loef1er that he had cashed
check for s4.75 at the c. P. Bliss
store during the afternoon and this
proved Cowle's undoing. Mr.. Loef-
fer informed him that that woul II
not be sufficient to identify him. Mr.
Loeffler states he also saw a numberI
of loose Mesa County bank checks in
blank form, in the mans outside coat
pocket.
AS soon as the couple left the Store
Mr.. Loeffler called up C. p. Bliss and
asked him If a man named Cowle had
cashed a check there in the afternoon.
Mr.. Bliss replied that Cowle had not
but man named Henry Smith had
cashed one for S4.75. The descrip-I
tion of Henry Smith tailed exact
ly with that of Joseph Cowle ~
Mr.. Loeffer called Sheriff SchraderI
who was soon at the store. Orson
adams, cashier of the Mesa County
National bank. and Daniel Hill. clerk
in the bank, were also summoned. I'll
was found that neither Joseph Cowiel
OF Henry Smith had any account at
the bank. The sheriff and the other
gentlemen, excepting Mr.. Loenler
kept in the background along about
eight O'Clock. However Cowle fall
ed to show up for the suit Mr. Loef-
fer saw the girl who had been in the
store with Cowle pass the store with
'another girl and a strange man.
they went up into the rooming house
over the Brunswick. Mr.. Loeffler fol-
lowed them expecting to see CowleI
and just as he got up the steps Cow
lie came upon the stairway. Mr.. Loef-
fler told him his clothes were ready.
Cowle said he would be down for
them presently, sure enough he did
return to the store but declined to-
offer the check for payment just then
saying that to show he was alright
he would give Mr. Lloeffler a dollar
to hold the clothes till this morning
after cashing the check he would
come for the clothes. Mr.. Loeffer
handed him back his dollar. Sheriff
Schrader then walked up and accost-I
ed a check at the Bliss store. He ad-
mitted that he had and asked, What
is the matter with the check" On
being told that 1t was no good he got
very Indignant, declared he had mon
ey in the bank, was ready to bet
ten dollars he did, told the officer
bring on your bankers and I will
prove it," Cowle didn't know that
the bankers we're standing near and
gv. -. L..
ed the man who he was and then
told him he had no account at his
bank. The fellow still tried to run
his big blum and even when taken
over to the bank declared that he did
have an account there
Cowle was taken to the county Jail
and is there today.
1t was afteward found that he had
cashed a check for $1,000 at the Nor
lin restaurant where he had been
stopping for a week. He signed
Henry Merch" to that check.
The fellow is not clever or he
would never have told Loeffier that
he had cashed a check at Bliss's.
when he intended to use a dfferentI
name at Loefflers. He really did
bungling business.
1t is uncertain upon what charge
Cowle had been arraigned. As there
was no account in the bank to the
craNit of CowA or Smith. he is
hardly guilty of forgery in these
cases. He will probably be held for
practicing fraud and securing money
under false pretenses.
So far today Sheriff Schrader has
been unable to run down additional
| checks issued by the man. The check
cashed for Cowle at the Norlin res
taurant was issued by him presumab-
ly to allow Mrs. Norlin to take out
$3.50 for his room rent. this was
done and $3.50 was given Cowle by
Mrs. Norlin. At Bliss store Cowle
bought some things for the girl who
was with him and gave the check in
payment, with several dollars cash
balance coming to him. When ar
rested he claimed that he had de-
posted S65.30 in the Mesa Coun-
ty National Bank but stated to Mr.
Adams that he had received neither
n pass book or a deposit slip, and
Mr.. Adams at once informed him that
i.