Arizona republican., 1910-08-23
POLICE HAVE 0LD.T|ME
 CROOK AGAIN IN TOLLS
T. 4. RYAN IS ARRESTED WHILE IMPERsoNATING GEORGE
 B. RYAN.
Was Trying to Cash Checks and Had
 Opened Other Mans Mail.

arrested yesterday afternoon by off cer Pfaley, the police believe they have one of the cleVerest crooks apprehend- ed in this section in many months. His actions of yesterday coupled with his previous unenviable police record. has caused Marshal Moore to insist that his officers leave no stone unturned in the effort to unravel the facts in con nection with his history and his al- legged crookedness.
 Impersonating one of the best known commercial travellers of the southwest, Ryan registered yesterday at the Com merCial hotel and asked for the mail of George B. Ryan. The new clerk at the desk, not knowing one Ryan from the other, promptly passed over letter or two which had been forwarded here from Benson. Soon after being assigned room, Ryan appeared at the desk and presented a check for S60 drawn upon Mesa bank and asked that it be cashed. The clerk called in Manager W. D. Dodeenhcff and asked for in structions. Manager Dodeenhoff ad- vised Ryan to go to the Valley bank where he would probably be accommo- dated
 When Ryan appeared at the window of the paying teller in the Valley bank he was informed that he would be obliged to have the check indorsed by person known to the bank. A few minutes later Ryan again appeared at the bank with an employe of the Bart lett Heard ranch, who offered to iden- tify Ryan, but declined to indorse the check. The bank still refused to cash the check without the indorsement and Ryan again left.
 About fifteen minutes later Ryan once more approached the teller and presented the check, this time with the indorsement of the Bartlett Heard man. The check was taken to the cashier, who compared the signature upon the check with that on file in the bank, finding several discrepan- cies. It was claimed that the hand writing was not the same as the sam pie signature and that the given name of the indorser was misspelled.
 With the same check and its indorse- ment, Ryan once more attempted to have the Commercial hotel manager advance the cash. But Manager Do deenhoffs suspicious were now thor oughly aroused and he made some pretext of putting the man off, in the meantime calling up the police sta tion. Officer Fraley responded and i'm mediately recognized the man as one whom he had twice before arrested upon charges implying crookedness.
 Searched at the police station, two letters were found upon his person ad- dressed to George B. Ryan, from the Hubbard Spencer Bartlett company, wholesale hardware dealers of Chica- go. These letters instructed the real George B. Ryan~in matters pertaining to his business, and evidently gave the man under arrest the inspiration for his subsequent actions. He had no money. but there were found two blank checks of the Phoenix National bank in one of his pockets.
 As soon as it was reported at the Commercial hotel that the man claimed to be George B. Ryan, the representa- tive of the Chicago house, the man ager stated emphatically that he knew the real George B. Ryan and that he was not the man under arrest. Several local hardware merchants who have had dealings with the real Ryan
 
 been making" Phoenix, laughed when they were asked if the man under ar rest was thu one who called upon them periodically with samples and an or der book from the Chicago firm.
 After Ryan had been locked up for a short time, he began asking that word be sent to the telegraph office that any message received there should be sent to him promptly. An hour or so later a message addressed to George B. Ryan was given to the pris oner and as soon as he had torn the envelope open, the telegram was taken from him. The message was from the Hubbard Spencer Bartlett company and read, Draw on us for seventyfiv dollars"
 Ryan, all the time insisting that he was the accredited representative of the Chicago house, was asked what line he sold. He parleyed for some time and gave no definite answer. When asked by Marshal Moore if he had many customers among the local druggists. he said that he sold nearly every house in town. Asked if he knew any hardware travelling statesmen, he said his line did not bring him in con- tact with men fhom those houses. He said he represented one of the biggest drug houses in Chicago.
 The police will today communicate with the Hibbard- Spencer Bartlett company in the hope that the real George B. Ryan may be in the vicinity and available to clinch the case against the alleged impostor. There are dozens of people living in Phoenix who know George B. Ryan personally and it will be no difficult matter to show conclusively that the man in the tolls has no connection whatever with him.
 Ryan was first arrested in May by the local police. charged with having flimflammed an employe of the Pa cific Gas & Electric company out of $1O. He was said, at that time, to have had a confederate with whom he en- gagged in a mimic quarrel one Saturday night. His companion abused him un- mercifully in the presence of a large crowd and when Ryan was asked why he did not fight the man. he stated he would only he did not have the money with which to pay fine if ar rested for fighting on the street.
 Later the employe of the Pacific Gas S, Electric company volunteered to ad- vance the ten dollars which might be necessary to get him out if arrested z la xnra,,Id ero a flor tha man and give