Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-04
Ministers Victimized By Would
be Smooth Individual Whose
Work is Coarse
REV. c. W. M'coRD is "sTuNe'
Gives Money and Help 10 Young Man
Who Wants to Be Good, and is Re-
paid by Having Name Forged to Or
der for Goods-Tries to Be Smooth,
But Victims Are Smoother.

Turning on the nand tnaL leu uilH'
after being befriended for a week as
a stranger in a strange land, Harry w.
Wilson or Fred Upper, as the case
may be, alias Fred Atwood, F. A. Will
Jams, f. A. Tucker, and Harry Willard,
is in the county jail charged with
forgery. Wilson secured 1915 worth of
merchandise on an order to which he
signed Rev. &C. w. McCord's name, and
tried to work the gag second time
Attic he tried to be smooth, his In
tended victims were smoother, ana
took only a few hours time to show up
how coarse the young; mans work
was.
A week ago last Saturday, in the
evening, a young man, friendless and
penniless, called on Rev. c. W. Nc
Cord, pastor Of the Presbyterian
church, at his home, and told him
that his name was Harry Wilson, that
he lived in Albert Lea, and had just
come from Mason City, where he knew
Rev. Leroy c. Cooley, pastor OF the
Presbyterian church there. Mr.. Cooley,
he declared, had sent him to McCord.
The pastor easily recognized that his
young friend had been drinking, and
Wilson admitted 1t, but said he was
fighting the nabit in an attempt to
master 1t. McCord wrote an order to
the Y. M. C. A. for g. nights lodg-
ing, while Mrs. McCorG, in the good
ness of her heart, busted herself in
preparing meal for the hungry young
vagrant.
Returns to Good Thing.
Wilson evidently figured that he had
q good thing, and that little sys-
tenn on his part could develop profit
able results. He came to Mr.. NC
Cords residence again Sunday morn
ing. and later went to church. He
attended church again in the evening.
In fact he was very religious. Nom
day Mr.. McCord found him work, and
during all the past week, thru the eff
forts Of the pastor. the young man has
been given work at different homes, in
Guiding those of Rev. Merle N. Smith,
George w. Gilbert and Mrs. A. NJ.
Loree. He was a good worker. Mr..
McCord noticed, however, that he had
been drinking again, and talked to him
about it. He expressed all the evil
dences Of contrite heart, and told
how hard he was working to overcome
the habit, which he claimed he had
contracted in the army
Used Many Names.
After first presenting himself to
Mr.. McCotd under the name of Will
son, as a cousin Of Rev. DR.. Wilson,
pastor of the Central Presbyterian
church at ST. Paul, the young man con-
fessed to the pastor that he had He'd,
and that really his name was Harry
s. Willard, and that he was q son of
Willard, the actor. Since then ne
has told to others that his right name
is Fred Upper, and that he is son
Of Albert Upper. q Hartland, Wis,
shoe merchant. To a T.-R. man he
claimed to be Fred Atwood, of Albert
Lea, and said that his father was killed
in the San Francisco earthquake. He
signed his name as F. A. Tucker on
package that he left In a saloon
Saturday evening, and had registered
for the night at the Y. M. G. A. as F.
w. Willard
FORCES Name to Note.
Saturday evening Wilson started out
to edo things" First he visited the
A. NJ. Friend & Sons store, where he
presented an order, purported to be
siened by Rev. Mr.. McCord, instructing
that the bearer have not to exceed
SO worth Of merchandise. Mr.. A. M.
Friend waited on him, and in a nice
package wrapped up a. pair Of trous-
ers. derby, collars, neckties. and
other furnishings, amounting in all to
1915. When the young man left the
store with the goods, Mr.. Friend called
up Mr. McCord, and told him the
amount the bill figured up.
'What eill?' Asks McCord.
'.wflat bill?" asked McCord.
''Why, the one on that order your
friend presented here rhis evening""
Now, Mr.. McCord had anticipated
spending quiet evening in his study,
preparing his Sunday nights sermon
on Marshalltown church life. 1t didn't
take him long to get down town and
see Mr.. Friend, and then the mayor.
To the mayor McCord told all the cir
cumstances, and then, in company
with OFFICER Edgar, began the round
Of all the saloons and billiard halls,
and depots to watch the outgoing