Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-22

telegram was received at the hotel ad-
dressed to Eugene G. Ford, and 1t was
handed to him a few moments after ms
return late in the afternoon.
Ford, or Hadsell, opened and read the
telegram and then walked out of the
office, being gone but a few minutes. On
his return he walked up to the desk and
presented a check drawn to the order OF
Eugene G. Ford and purporting to have
been signed by r. H. Miller, manager OF
the Western Union Telegraph company,
in the sum of $780, which he asked the
clerk to cash for him.
The check was Autographed one in
form similar to the checks used by the
Western Union Telegraph company, ex-
cept that it was printed on white paper
instead of the pale blue safety paper used
by the company.
The check in form was as follows:
mot over one hundred dollars. S100. No.
1887.
"Los Angeles, Cal, Sept. q, 1907.
western Union Telegraph company:
PAY to Eugene c. Ford or bearer $10O.
One hundred dollars
''R H Miller, Mgr. First National bank,
Los Angeles, California"
Limit Stamped
The mot over one hundred dollars was
stamped across the top of the check by q
sefety device machine. The date was
printed in with a rubber stamp in black
ink and the body of the check was filled
out in black ink in a schoolboyish hand.
The signature was written in the, same
handwriting, and the words First Ma
tional bank, Los Angeles, California
were stamped in the lower right hand
corner of the check in red ink.
When he presented the check and asked
thatiit be cashedRfor him there was nc
low Hr,, rt the clerk that III
was not genuine. Following rule of the
house. however, 1t was referred to Man.
ager Mitchell.
Mr.. Mitchell detected that the check
was false He knew that the real checks
issued are on blue paper, and he saw the
signature was forged.
''Where did you get this check?" asked
Mitchell
'I received it few minutes ago at the
telegraph Office" replied Ford Here is
my telegram" He presented the tele-
gram which read
Pasadena, Sept. 21.-Eugene C. Ford,
Hollenbeck hotel. Money wired from
Yuma yesterday-W. G. Adams
Mitchell told Ford that he would have
to wait for few minutes until the cash
ier of the hotel returned from his lunch
con. Leaving Ford, he called up the
Western Union company and received the
information from Manager Miller that
no such check had been issued.
Ford in the meantime was standing
quietly near the window of the cashiers s
office and chatted in a casual way with
the clerk.
Mitchell summoned Reginald .Cowan,
house detective, and they waited Tor
Manager Miller of the telegraph COM
many. accompanied by his cashier, e. b.
Merrill, to arrive. They pronounced the
paper forgery.
Faces CuIprlt
Mitchell took the check and with Cowan
walked lrp to Ford. Mitchell said: This
check is bogus and you know 1t. Wnat
have you to say for yourselfF
without a word Ford reached for the
( check and before they could anticipate
him had taken it from Mitchells hand
and thrust it into his mouth in an enort
to swallow it and thus destroy all evil
dence.
X Cowan, crying to Mitchell to choke him,
seized Ford's arms and twisted them be
hind his back. Mitchell grabbed the man
by the throat and literally forced the
check from the mans mouth.
Blue in the face and gasping for breath
Ford finally opened his mouth and spat
out the check, torn and chewed. There
was enough of it left to plainly show the
forgery.
The nolice were notified and Detectives
Ritch and Roberd went to the hotel and
placed Ford under arrest.
AS soon as the detectives saw the man
they recognized him as Hadsell and re-
called the fact that three years ago he
had flooded this city with forged pay
checks of the Sunset Telephone company,
with which corporation he was connected
at the time.
The recognition was mutual and Had
sell laughingly said to the detectives: II
guess you have got me this time, Roberds,
but I gave you the slip before"
"That is what you did" replied Rob-
erds, "but I don't think you VIII get out
of this as easy as you did the other"
"Oh no" coolly responded Hadsell
arm q goner this time and there is no
use CRYING over spilled milk"
On his way from the hotel he slipped
onother forged check Identical in every
respect with the one which he tried to
mass on the hotel except that itewas
drawn for $50 from his pocket and
dronned it IN the bottom. of the wagon.
Iater n was found by Wagonman Fred
Hnrt and turned over to the detectives.
Plan Prepared
From evidence gathered by the de-
tectives it seems that Hadsell had
carefully prepared for campaign OF
cashing the forged cnechs al oNei .nis
section of the country He had had
printed the checks in the form of the
Western Union company's regular
drafts. The omissions in the printing
he supplied with rubber stamps and
punches.
After he registered at the hotel yes
terday he went to Pasadena and sent
himself the telegram stating that the
money had been wired him, from Yuma.
CONTINUED ON Page seyenl