Arizona republican., 1911-08-18
CHECK TRANSACTION
OF NOVEL CHARACTER
A FRAUD IN WHICH THREE PER-
SONS SEEM TO HAVE
CoNSPIRED.
The Most Guilty of the Three is Now
In Jail.

One would think that with all the
work for laboring men there is going on
in the capital city, the way of the Ia
boring man would be comparatively
easy and that forgery. that class of
crime so natural to many MeXicans,
and some Indians, according to the lat
est reports from the sheriffs office
and the courts, would be comparatively
light. On the contrary, there has sell
dom been a time when the schemes of
that kind worked have been so numer-
Gus. so successful, or so original in
conception.
one of the most uniQue-if such an
expression is allowable gramatically-
schemes in the check line was played
in Phoenix yesterday. 1t began in the
Salim Ackel store. shifted to the New
York store. then to the banks, and
wound up where nearly all Of such
schemes do wind up, in the Jail and the
court
According to the story told by the
police. after hours of investigation,
Mexican. giving his name as Francisco
Vanenzula. a woman supposed 10 be
went into Salim Ackers store in the
morning Valenzula had in his hand a
check for s21. which he asked a clerk
in the store to sign his name for him
in endorsement, as he could not write.
The clerk signed. ValenZula then gave
the check to his wife.
A girl clerk took the check and laid
it down on the counter pending other
transactions. When she went for the
check it was nowhere to be found.
Neither was Aguis. Both had seeming
~ disappeared at the same time. The
clerk blamed the woman for the disap-
pearance of the check; the woman
blamed the clerk for it. There was
warm time about it, as to who should
make it good.
About that time some one in the
store called the police. PatrOlman Egg
ley was sent to the sescue. He took
the clerk who had been so free in as
siSting Valenzula to endorse, and to-
gether they followed the natural clew
and went out on the street to find the
one of the trio who had disappeared.
They soon came to a man whom the
clerk thought was the one. though he
was not quite sure. AMI he was ar
rested by the officer. on searching
his pockets at the police station there
was found in them s2O.75. Still no
check
BY this time it was well on in the
afternoon. Chief Moore took a hand
and directed that the banks be ap-
preached in the effort to find the check.
The search was more than successful.
At the Phoenix National a government
check to F. Valenzuela was, found
which had been deposited by the An
heuser saloon, endorsed to it, of course.
Though the National Bank of Arizona
and been previously approached and
had denied the possession of any re-
cent check made to F. ValenZuela, on
Patrolman Egley reporting to head
quarters the finding of such a check
at the Phoenix. Chief Moore was able
to report back to him that the National
Bank of Arizona had just reported to
him that they did have such check
This check had been deposited by the
New York store and was for s21.
To the New York store the policeman
and the prisoner went and when con-
frOnted by the clerk who had received
the check, and no identified the pris
oner as the man who gave it, the pris
oner Aguis, confessed to having
done so, but said that Valenzuela gave
him the check. He had made a two-bit
purchase to cash il.
BY this time active responsibility for
the disappearance of the check from
the store of Salim Ackel had been pref
ty clearly placed, and Mr.. Luis Aguis
will have to answer in Judge Darker's
court at a date that is still indefin
itely in the future, to two complaints n
connection with the affair, one charg
ing him with obtaining money under
false pretenses and the Othe: with
false impersonation. Meanwhile he Is
in the city Jail, pending removal to
tie county jail