The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-03-21
CASAEO SERIES OF CHECKS
IN GUTHRIE AND ELSEWHERE
Utilized His knowledge Of the
Cotton Business to Temper
aTy Advantage

Charged with series OF very clev
er and unusual forgerias done OF
cotton checks, Roy Cunnmg CHAM, Z
young man widely known in Logan
ana Lincoln courties, was arrested
by Sheriff Bart Murphy Saturday
night. He is held to be given an ex
animation tomorrow by Justice Seton
Cunningham amazing industry is
said to date from early in last Sep
tember when the first of the checks
was cashed here Nothing was sus
pected for several weeks. It is said
that eight checks, drawn on he Coyle
company were cashed in all For a
greater part Of the time Cunningham
mas been in hiding. Following inyes-
legations by detective of the Ameri-
can Banker association the case was
taken up by Sheriff Murphy, who was
assisted in watching for Cunningham
by the Anti-Horse Thief association
with the inevitable result
The Officers and The victims say
that Cunningham stole lot Of checks
out of the check book of the company
at Merrick There is a general form
for all the Coyle offices ana Cunning
ham knew the system
Checks from places where there are
no banks are paid here. The checks
said to be bad show that the man who
made them got the idea OF consecu-
tive numbers and made some first
class limitations of signatures
Forqer Operated in Guthrie.
The first check was cashed at the
Bank OF Indian Territory here. early
In September An officer Of the bank
said today that the cotton checks are
not given very close scrutiny, as
there Is hardly a case on record in
which any cotton check has been tam
pered with. This check and two
others, cashed at Guthrie stores, were
dated from the Mewick office, OF
which s. A. Vandeventer is manager
Vandeventer and Cunningham grew
up together and they are related by
marriage. The handwriting of the
two men is similar, and the forgery
Of the name is said TO be well-nigh
perfect.
About three weeks elapsed before
any more bad checks were cashed. ii
is said. Meanwhile there had been
mo suspicion Then two more were
cashed. one being at Saltwater where
the w II Coyle company has an ex-
pert at the bank 1t was found. a
month after the first check, that
something was wrong. Il. C. Guss
and detective for the american
Bankers association got cr the trail
and sl4spicioned Cunningham. whp
had, as a matter of fact, sold a great
deal Of cotton for himself his mother
in-law and others.
How Cunningham aGot Wise"
cunningham was put wise" in the
most innocent and effective style. He
started home from a railroad station
one right with a neighbor in a wagon
The neighbor causually remarked (.
DID yon hear that somebody has been
getting funny with Vandeventer's
checks2 There Is trouble. The
neighbof had no suspicious whatevel
as TO Cunaingham Instead of going
home. it Is said. Cunningham went
to Falls and telephoned his wife that
he was going away On business. HC
went TO New Mexico.
Late In November Cunningham ap
.peared for a day or SO and got in three
more checks, two on Goodnight and
one on Saltwater Then he disapper
ed again he appeared in the coun-
try Saturday and that night the sheriff
got him
The arrest was at the home of Mrs
Ben Boyle, mother Of Cunningham's