The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-26
CHILD A FORCER
Charlie Henningson, an Orphan,
Tries to Pass Checks.
The Boy Is But Fourteen Years
of Age.
HAD POOR SUCCESS
Check So Bunglingly Made 1t
Was Refused.
Accordingly, Forger Is Headed
for Reform School.

An attempt was made today to give
Topeka merchants another siege of
forged checks by a mere lad of IA
years who began his operations with
a pocket full of German-American
State banks checks written in a child
ash hand. Charlie Remington, the boy
forger, was caught by Patrolman Eng
land shortly after he started business
end is now in charge of Juvenile officer
Lucas to be tried in the juvenile court
Monday morning.
At the police station the little fellow
spoke Of the checks with the calmness
/ of an oId-timer. Dressed in a good knee
pant suit and soft hat, the lad an
swered all questions without the slight
est hesitancy and seemed an exception
ally bright boy.
He is an orphan and does not know
where he came from or who his parents
were. He has been in Kansas over
four years in charge of the Rev. o. S.
Morrow. superintendent of the Home
less Children's society and during that
time has been in the homes of five diff
/ ferent families over the state, never
making good. Recently he says he has
been living with BENZ. G. Unruhe on a
! farm near Pawnee Rock in Barton
county. The last place and where he
1 has been content has been with the
Garrett family about II miles south
west of Topeka.
The incentive for his forgery was fur
nished him, he says, by small boy
friend, Harry Teeters. who lives with
the Jordan family peighbors of the Gar
retts. Teeters had told the boy of
/ having passed many checks which he
= had made himself, told Of the ease with
which one could get rich. and explained
Just how to go about the business. After
that the farm was no good place in
Charles eyes and last evening he walk
ed to Topeka without making any ar
engagements as to his return, firmly
: believing that he was on the road to
fortune.
At the feed yard on Quincy street
last evening he met and talked to the
son of John McGivern, blacksmith at
628 Quincy. The boy wandered over to
the shop and it was in the office there
that Henningson saw his chance to lay
81. a supply of blank checks and also
he decided upon the first name to use
that of the blacksmith whom he had
always heard called Jack McGivern.
The first check which the boy at
tempted to pass and which caused his
arrest was made out for 81 payable to
himself and signed with the name
Jack Givern, the boy either not
knowing how to use the INC" or new
er having heard it. After spending
the night in the feed yard in a pile
of hay Charlie had written two
checks, one for 81 and one for IS. He
then proceeded to the pawn shop of
Robert Moody at 112 Kansas avenue.
There he drew out one for 81 and
asked that it be cashed. The little
check and the infanti1e~ handwriting
would not stand the scrutiny and a
big blue coat was called in.
The goods purchased by Dolman,
King and company during their forgery
were returned to the merchants this
morning. Nothing of much value was
IN the lot; graphaphone records from
Harding's bicycle shop, handkerchiefs
and socks from the Cash Bargain, hair
brushes from Waggoner's, and such. A
detective will today visit the places
where the checks were passed, learn
s. the value Of articles purchased and the
amount of the check passed there. De-
auctions will then be made ascertain
ing the actual loss and the $52.95 which
the men had will be prorated back to
merchants.
A ban on pool halls as wrong places
for paro1ed prisoners from the reform
atory to hang around Is established by
Parole Officer Crawford who was look
ing up some of his paroled charges this
morning
The officer made personal investi-
cation of the Vaughn and AlVa hall in
the basement of the colored Masonic
building. but returning to the station
said: Il could see nothing there out of
the ordinary though of course do not
know what is on the side" One of
lIl6 OluCoT Buys was at
the place and he wanted to know if the
reports We're correct as to the fitness
of the position for the reformation of
the young man.
The chicken, bicycle and horse and
cow situations having been threshed
out in police court the last month in
absence of better work the hog propo-
sition is now before the court.
Oda Scott is charged with keeping
the swine inside the city limits on Lime
street.
Robert McLain is charged with keep
ing some on Washington near Fiji
tenth.
Both parties are colored and live very
near the limits of the city but a miss