The Washington times., 1908-11-27
College Graduate ConfeSSeS
Long Chain of
SWindleS.
NABBED AT STATION,
READY TO LEAVE
Police Elated Over Capture of
Latshaw, Cleverest Confidence
Man in Business.

sits easy money; the world is fun OF
suckers" j." said L T. LatshaW. who mas
a string OF aliases that would extend
from coast to coast. and who, the police
say. is the cleverest and most successtuI
worthless check operator with Wnom
they have ever come in contact.
Il have worked every State IN the
Union from New York to Florida ad-
mitted Latshaw this morning. They We
got the goods on me now, and might as
we'll confess. I've been 10 Washington
before. too. Yes, / got OF some checks
here on my last visit
~ didn't have a bit of trouble get
ting them cashed at the Raleigh, the
National, and the St. James. don't re
member whether 1 passed all three my
self, or whether my brother got OF some
of them. Anyway, we got the money
NV brother and I have been travelling
together since last July. We always
worked the towns together.
Brother Escapes.
"It was my brother who was register
ed at the Johnson and got the check for
s65 cashed yesterday. ] am glad he got
away. tt was bad enough for ne to
get caught. It's been so easy that 1
i
Washington.
I'VE have never experienced any trou-
bic in keeping away from the police
The closest shave ever had was when
I was arrested in Dallas, Tex, last
summer, and was being taken back to
Chattanooga, Tenn. I thought they
had me then for sure, but managed 10
break -avvv from the officer
Wearing clothing OF excellent qualitg,
and a man OF pleasing manner LaJsIt5W
easily created the impression that ne
was a travelling salesman. de says ne
is nifty years of age but ne refuses 70
ter who he really is, or where he lives
Is College Graduate.
He is well educated, and the poiiee
sav he admits being a college graduate.
while the arrest was made at the Union
Starion nv Central office Detectives
Rarbee and VermilIon. Detectives Bur
rngame and Weedon had been working
on the case all OF yesterday, and 1t
was through information furnished by
them that he was traced to the hotel
I,afshaw had been stopping at the 81
lanes Hotel, where he admits passing
a had check last summer Just before
he left the city yesterday afternoon
he attempted to get draft for so CASH
ed but the police had previously warn
ed the clerk against the man.
"Best Catch in Years"
s~r,fz Is the best catch that any OF
NV men have made in years." said In
peetor Boardman this morning. ITO
nv mind this man is the cleverest
check operator in the country. How
many thousands OF dollars he and his
mariner have obtained from hotels all
over the country may never be known,
but it seems certain that from his own
confession there will be from fifty to
100 cases against him. In my expert
ence I never came across a cook who
was so well equipped TO carry out his
profession"
Iatshaw also admitted that on
Wednesday he cashed a check for $3.50
at the Riggs House. The man who
passed the check for $65 at the John
son was registered as r. W. Conners,
who represented himself as the sales
man for q plumbing supply company.
Latshaw was arrested late yesterday
afternoon by Central Office Detectives
Barbee and Vermillion, just as he was
boarding a train for Cumberland, Md.
a man who went to the station with
him, and who the police say passed a
bad check for S65 on the Johnson Hotel,
succeeded in eIuding the detectives.
Orders Printing Done.
The arrest was made after the pro-
prietor Of a printing establishment had
called at headquarters, and reported
that a man had called at his establish
ment and ordered twelve drafts and
fifty letterheads printed. The drafts
were on the First National Bank OF
Chicago. and the letterheads pUrported
Continued on Eleventh Page)