Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-27
.POLICEDfCLARE
TAYLOR IS ONE
OF CLEVER GANG
MAN ARRESTED IN BAY CITY
IMPORTANT CAPTURE
CONNECT PRISONER WITH MANY
FORGED CHECKS
Believed That Accused Is Wanted, in
Several States for SwlndIing
Hotels with Counter
felt Drafts
TN THE capture in San Francisco

In THE capture in San Francisco
of George W. Taylor on the
i charge of passing forged bank
draft on the Hotel Haywards of this
city, the Los Angeles police has
brought to book, it is believed, one OF
the most expert check swindlers III
this country and a man believed to
be a member of a gang of six OF the
cleverest forgers and hotel crooks
known to America.
When Taylor arrived in Los Angeles
and registered at the Hotel Haywards
he was accompanied by a companion
who registered under the name of IL
M. Stanley They said they were tray
cling representatives of big cot1ee
importing house in New Orleans, the
president of which was a relative ol
Taylor's. Taylor asserted Stanley and
himself were on their way to San
Francisco on business for their com
pany and had merely stopped off IN
Los Angeles to see the sights.
The only sights they saw were the
interiors of the all-night cafes ano
wine rooms, and Stanley, who was with
Taylor on all of his visits, is alleged
to have paid their bills with bank
drafts which are as worthless as the
one passed on the hotel by Taylor
The police are anxious to secure the
arrest of Stanley also and 1t is be-
lieved that they will have him in some
Jail before the end of another week.
Uses Name of Booth
Chief of Police Dishman yesterday
received information that four days
previous to the arrival of Taylor and
Stanley in Los Angeles, a man giving
the name of D. II. Booth and who was
of the same general description as
Taylor, passed a forged check on an
Ell Paso hotel for a considerable
amount When Taylor was first ar
rested in San Francisco at the request
of Chief Dishman, he gave the police
there the name of Booth. Afterward
he admitted that his name was ray
lor and stated that he had been IN
Los Angeles, drinking heavily and did
not know what he was doing.
Taylor of Los Angeles and Booth OF
III Paso are believed to be one ano
the same person.
From reports received IL has beer
learned that for the past year gane
of men, believed to be six in number
have been swindling the big hotels OF
the country by means of counter1elteC
and forged cashiers drafts, and Aprl
a man giving the name of Lieut.. H
Mcfarland, United States army, swim
died the Hotel Schenley of Pittsburs
of 5000 on a forged draft, and he also
obtained nearly $1,000 worth of jewelry
from a leading Pittsburg jeweler by
means of forged checks.
Answer Descriptions of Crooks
The Lieut.. Mcfarland of Pittsburg
and H. NJ. Stanley, the companion OF
Taylor in Los Angeles, are 1dentlcal
in description, and men going under
other names, but of the same descr1p-
ton of Taylor and Stanley, are wanted
for passing forged and counterfeited
drafts on hotels in Salt Lake, Denver,
st. Louis, Chicago, Memphis, Clncln-
natl, Indianapolis and Cleveland.
Other men using the same method y
sWindlng are wanted in various other
cities and as the method used is the
same and the forged drafts are all
counterfeits OF some small country
banks from which a genuine draft was
purchased previous to the appearance
of the forged article, the men are be-
lieved to be banded together.
1t was these facts forced on them
in a most expensive manner which led
to the Hotel Mems association to pro-
vide the $4,000 fund for the running
down and conviction of this gang OF
swindlers and the capture by the Los
Angeles police of Taylor is the first
success met with in the pursuit OF
these men.
Detective Thomas H. Zeigler left on
the Owl train for San Francisco last
night to bring Taylor back to this city
for trial, and in the meantime Chief
Dishman has redoubled his efforts TO
capture Stanley.