The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-08

This man has been in the county
Jail since Saturday of last week in the
custody of ]. w. Wilkerson, the sher-
iff. Mr.. Wilkerson believes that he
has landed, in the arrest of the man
in question, one of those fellows who
operate throughout the country and
gain a livelihood by preyIng on the
sympathies of persons in distress. Mr..
Wilkerson thinks that Robertson, or
Dixon, has a variety of games that he
has worked with success to obtain
money under false pretenses. 1t would
not be surprising to the sheriff If more
than one woman claimed him as her
husband. He had boasted around his
haunts in the city for a couple of days
before his arrest that he was about to
marry prominent widow of consid-
able means who lives al Rossville. He
had told folks, whose acquaintance he
had made, that he was to marry her
on Saturday night, but his arrest in
terfered with this one plan of HIS
He was taken into custody by the
sheriff on what is believed to be a new
'skin" game in these parts-one of
getting money from parents of run
away boys under the forgery of their
that money be sent them to give them
a chance to get home.
During the middle or last week
Sheriff Wilkerson received a letter
from s. B. Weir of Aline. Ok, stating
that his son Claude B. Weir, who had
been missing from home for some
time, had written him-or letter
had been received purporting to come
from him-saying that he was i'll in
Topeka, suffering from a sunstrok<e
and asking that money be sent him
to pay his board bill here and pur-
chase his passage home This pur-
ported letter from young Weir asked
that the money be sent by letter in
care of D. H. Robertson at III West
Fifth street Mr. Weir. senior, stated
in his letter to the sheriff that he had
Il fCkn Cd
letter as directed but that his son had
not appeared at home and that no
further word had been received from
him. Mr.. Weir wrote that he believed
he had been duped by some sharper
and asked the sheriff to act.
AS is his custom. Mr.. Wilkerson lost
no time in getting busy He found Mr..
Robertson. OF Dixon. living within
and placed him under arrest. Although
Mr.. Wilkerson had no warrant for the
gentleman he jailed him and has kept
him there until he could get the neces-
sary documentary evidence from Mr..
Weir that Robertson, or whoever he is
receipted for the registered letter which
Mr.. Weir supposed he was sending to
his son with the money to bring him
home
Investigation made by the sheriff
leads him to believe that young Weir
was never in this city and that Rob-
ertson got acquainted with him in New
from. and then came to Topeka where
he proceeded to bunco the lads par
ents in the manner described
Robertson has told the sheriff that
he wrote the letter to Mr.. Weir and
receipted for the registered letter but
he says that he did so with the con-
sent of young Weir. He has been un-
able to give young Weir'S whereabouts
in the city and. as stated. the sheriff
is positive that the boy has never been
here.
Robertson has told the sheriff and
others that his real name is Dixon and
that the reason he used the name Rob-
ertson was so a former wife of his
erson took the matter up first with the
federal authorities and mentioned the
mans name, deputy in the United
States marshaFs office spoke up and
said. why thats a fellow we want, |
or else his wife. She used to live at |
1921 West street and styled herself as |
an agent for a machine to extract |
ozone from the air.
This particular woman has not been
living at that address since March last |
and 1t is not known whether Robert |
aon or Dixon, under arrest was in a1v
way affiliated with her. But the coin |
cidence is a rather peculiar one.
The prisoner has made statements
that he is a Mason in high standing in |
his own community. but where that
may be is doubtful. He has claimed
Lincoln, Neb., as his place of residence
as we'll as several other places in thr
an inmate of the Soldiers Home at |
Leavenworth within the past year but
Sheriff Wilkerson is doubtful If he even
was entitled to this privilege, there he |
ing considerable skepticism in the sher-
IFS mind as to whether or not the man
Is really a war veteran.
Robertson has been so i'll during the