Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-26
BELIEVE MAN
HAS CHEATED
MANY HOTELS
ARRESTED IN BAY CITY FOR
CRIME IN LOS ANGELES
POLICE SAY THEY HAVE CROOK
WIDELY WANTED
Alleged Professional Passer of Forged
Paper Charged with Defrauding
Proprietor of Hayward with
Fictitious Draft

NEORGE w. TAYLOR, alleged by
eT the police to be a professional no.
VI tel crook and to be wanted all
over the country for defrauding hotels,
was arrested in San Francisco Monday
afternoon by Detective Frank McGray-
an of that city on a telegraphic request
from Chief of Police Edward f. DISH
man, on the charge of having passed a
forged draft on Harry C. Fryman, pro-
prietor of the Hotel Hayward. The
National Hotel Mems association, with
it's $4,000 fund for the arrest and con-
vction of hotel beats, is back of Mr..
Fryman in his prosecution of Taylor,
and If the San Francisco prisoner is
the man he is believed to be his prose-
cution will be merciless.
To Captain Anderson, chief of the san
Francisco detectives, Taylor stated he
was of a prominent family in New Or
leans, had stopped in Los Angeles on
his way to San Francisco, had been
drinking heavily, and did not know
what he was doing.
Taylor arrived here May 10 from the
east and registered at the Hayward,
representing himself as a travelling
man. 1t is said he had a companion
while here, who was registered at an
other of the big hotels, and the two
men spent a great deal of time and
larly the Bristol, Imperial and Palace,
and that Taylor's companion is wanted
by the police in connection with num-
ber of check transactions by both Of
them.
Passes Forged Check
Around the hotel on the day of his
arrival Taylor comported himself in an
ordinary manner, but the next day be-
gan drinking and acted queerly. He
approached Proprietor Fryman with a
request for money, and offered what
purported to be aScashiers S check drawn
by the Pioneer bank of Porterville, CAL,
on the glo-Californian bank of San
Francisco in the sum of $65.
Mr.. Fryman cashed the draft with
out question, and had no suspicion that
the paper was not all right until he
got rumor of other transactions of Tay-
lor that looked queer on their face. He
then telephoned to the Porterville bank
and asked about the draft. The bank
replied that no such draft had been
| issued, and asked to see the piece of
paper. The draft was sent north at
once, and on it's receipt by the Pioneer
bank a telegram was sent back stating
that the draft was forgery
A warrant was then sworn out by Mr..
Fryman for the arrest of Taylor, who
had in the meantime paid his bill at
the hotel and departed for the north.
1t is believed that Taylors method of
procedure was to visit small inland
town with banking connections and
there purchase a small draft, removing
with acids or other preparation the
written portions of the draft and then
reproduce blanks by photograph. These
Photographic reproductions would then
be filled out in any sum and properly
stamped, and with a forged signature
of the bank cashier at the bottom be
presented and eashed at a hotel in an
other city than the one on which it was
drawn. Cashiers drafts are cashed by
hotels without question and without
other than reasonable evidence of the
identity of the payee.
While Taylor alleges that his home
is in New Orleans. where he says he
has a wife and four children he is be-
lieved by the police to be dangerous
hotel beat who is wanted in almost
every big city in the country. He an
swers the description and his method
of work is the same as of a man of
many aliases who has long been
wanted by the Hotel Mems association
for defrauding hotels in San Jose, Sac
ramento. Denver, Memphis, Tenn.;
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Rock Island, ILL.,;
st. Louis, Mo-; Indianapolis, Ind, and
other eastern cities.
Taylor is also wanted in Porterville,
according to the police, for defrauding
the hotel keeper there at the time he
purchased the draft which formed the
copy of the counterfeit and forged in
strument with which he is alleged TO
have defrauded the Hotel Haywards.
An officer will be sent north today to
bring Taylor back to this city, and 1t is
probable that an attache of the hotel
will go north with him to identify the
man in case he makes an attempt to
escape there on writ of habeas
cOrnlIS.