The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-09-21
ARCHER SAYS
LIQUOR CAUSED
HIS DOWNFALL
FORMER PROMINENT LUMBER.
MAN, WELL KNOWN IN THIS
SECTION, WHO is NOW IN JAIL
IN ST. LOUIS, SAYS THIS CAUSED
HIM TO RESORT TO BOGUS
CHECKS.

Commenting upon the arrest of
Waldemar B. Archer, a lumbern1an,
formerly well known in this section,
having been manager Of the Geo. E.
Wood Lumber Co., the st. Louis Post
Dispatch says:
Waldemar B. Archer, lumberman,
81 years old, who says he has squan-
dered his fortune Of $4,000 in five
years, is under arrest at police head
quarters and admits having passed
eight bogus checks with st. Louis lum-
bermen as the victims in the last four
weeks.
Reduced to want by drink. he resort
ed to the check scheme only after he
had borrowed from friends in St Louis,
New Orleans and other cities until he
was ashamed to ask for more, he told
Post Dispatch reporter. The sum of
all the checks, according to his state
ment, is only ss2.
Six Checks on Texas Bank.
Six of the checks were written on
the First National Bank of Beaumont
Tex, and two on the First National
Bank of Pensacola, Fla. They were
cashed by James w. Bemis off, the
Ozam Lumber Co., 1900 Wright build
ing; w. B. Switzer, 1912 Wright build
ing; Harry Wagner of the Wagner
Mercantile Co., and Clarence CURLY of
the Smith Davis Manufacturing Co.
Archer got s32 from Benis, $50 from
Switzer, SIS from Wagner and So from
CURLY. All these men, he said, had
known him for years and had faith in
him by reason of past business deal
ings.
Archer was arrested in the baggage
room of the Maryland Hotel Tuesday
evening when he called there to ask
for a parcel. The baggage man went
to the desk to identify him and was
told that Archer was being sought by
the police. The baggage man detained
Archer until the clerk telephoned for
Detectives Mealey and White.
Had $1,000 Annual income.
Archer says Pickering, La, is his
home, but he told reporters that he
VS. born in st. Louis and resided here
until he was IA years old. From St
Louis he went to Arkansas where, a
few years later, he became secretary
of the Malvern Lumber Co., with an
income of more than $4,000 year, he
said.
It had saved $4,000 when I retired
from that company five years ago." he
said. Then don't know how it
happened-I began drinking and in the
next three years I was sober only six
months That was when 1 was on
Texas ranch where I couldn't get
liquor"
Archer said he traN e1ed aimlesslv
from coast to coast and from the
northern to the southern boundary Of
the United States in the three years
he was wasting his fortune. In 1910,
he said, he went to Caryville, Fla, and
became vice president and general
manager of the George E. Wood Lum-
Der Co. A year later he became man
ager of the Pickering Lumber Co.,
Pickering, La.
Borrowed From His Friends.
Almost without funds, he said, he
left that position last May. He bor-
rowed more than 5000 from friends in
New Orleans and other sums from ac-
quaintances in Beaumont and Pensa-
cola. He arrived in st. Louis four
weeks ago, he said.
When Archer was taken at the
Maryland the key to room 30S Of the
Beers hotel was found in his pocket
He admitted to the detectives that he
had visited nearly all the big hotels
during his stay in St. Louis and that
he had twice registered at the Beers
as P. d. Scott.
A Post Dispatch reporter learned at
the Beers that P. D. Scott had a room
there Thursday night and that he Wis
tied the hotel again Saturday night
and was assigned to room 308. In
each case, the clerk said, Scott" paid
in advance for the room, but he took
the key to room sos when departing
Sunday.
Archer was thoroughly repentant, he
said, when he talked to reporters from
his cell. He declared that he had been
ruined by drink and that he could do
nothing more than take the conse-
auences of his acts. He said he had
intended to repay the sums his friends
lost through the checks as soon as ne
could get on his feet.
Archer says his mother and his sis
ter reside in New Orleans.