Arizona republican., 1909-07-08
FLOOD OF CHECKS
 DELUGES PHOENIX
Most Ingenious Preparation For It. How Confidence Was Planted and Plans Laid for a Getaway.


 It was found yesterday morning that Phoenix had again been deluged with worthless checks. and it was later de- veloped that the job was distinguished by greater longheadedness than any of its long array of predecessors. The checks had been cashed last Saturday by the following firms: The Hub, McDougall Cassou company, Selim Nicholson, Goldberg Bros and Salim Ackel The check cashed by the last named was for $4S; all the others for $36 each.
 The checks bore the name of John D. Brown. who had been represented to be a contractor. They were drawn on the Phoenix National bank. which returned them with the information that there were no funds in the ac- count of MT. Brown. Beach check had been made payable to a different payee represented Brown to be the pro- person, who said that he was a car penter in the employ of MT. Brown and the check represented a weeks wages. at the rate of 5000 a day. In the case of the Ackel check, the payee represented Brown to be the pro- prietor of a threshiIlg outfit, who had just paid his crews off that after noon.
 It was learned later that John D Brown had opened an account at the bank a week ago last Saturday. but that it had been exhausted. It was supposed on this bare announcement that Brown was a real person and a contractor, as he had been represent
 1l1 ,.E all other contractors and of the lumber yards and material supply houses, but he had been heard of nowhere.
 Further inquiry regarding the iden tity of the payees failed to disclose that any of them had ever been heard of in these parts. Additional informa- ton regarding the character of the bank account of Brown brought out the ingenious manner in which the fraud had been accomplished.
 As has been stated that account was opened a week ago last Saturday. The checks against it bore the same date and all of them had been issued to precisely the same firms as were aft erwards victimized and the amount of the deposits was divided as nearly as possible among them equally. The check in each case had been given in payment of a small purchase Ii was then that it was represented to the in tended victims that the signer of the check was a contractor.
 Thus the way was paved for larger and more remunerative operations Last Saturday afternoon the fictitious checks were offered at the same places, and in each case the payee was the same who had dealt at the same place before. and always the check was of- fered in payment of some article whose value never exceeded $2.
 It was too late in the day to make inquiry at the bank if any of the vic tims had been doubtful about the checks, but it appears that none of them were, for the previous checks of MT. Brown had been found to be as good as gold. On Monday the banks were closed. On Tuesday afternoon some of the victims learned that the checks were worthless, but most of them did not find it out until yester- day morning. The supposition now is that only one man figured in the entire transaction; that he issued the checks and made them payable to himself under differ ent names, the same names as he had assumed the week before at the differ ent places where he was planting the seed of confidence which should grow and mature into ripe fruit one week hence