The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-07
GEORGIA MAN HELD
 ONFORGERY CHARGE
Attempted to Get Checks
 Cashed Here
WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL
". LeRoy Dekle, When Arrested, Had Numerous Cheeks on Banks in Alabama, Tennessee and
 Georgia

was arrested yesterday afternoon by De- tectives Nation and Gray, charged with trying to pass forged checks. After in- vestigation at headquarters, it was de. eided to turn him over to the Atlanta. Ga, authorities, as they had wired the local authorities several days ago to cap ture him.
 It is said that Dekle went to the First National bank of this city several days ago and presented a letter of indorsement along with a check for $1S3.75, purporting to be from Mir. J. H. Eddy, sales man ager of the Kaul Lumber company Of this city Dekle asked the teller for MT. Will Robinson, to whom the letter was addressed, but upon being informed that ME Robinson was out, handed the letter to Teller Johnson. The latter read the letter and noticed particularly that the signature was not that of MT. Eddy, al though 1t was his name.
 However, it seems that it is customary for Mir Eddy's stenographer to write let ters of indorsement for employees of the firm, signing his name to the letter, but also, the teller had previously noticed that she always marked such letters as dictated by Mir. Eddy, signing her own initials in flower easel letters. The in- itials on this letter were signed in caps. ' Consequently the teller turned the letter down and refused to cash the check for him. He later called up MT. Eddy and informed him of his action, and MT. Eddy denied that either he or his stenog- raphe- indorsed the check or wrote the letter.
 Yesterday morning, it is alleged Dekle went to the Birmingham hotel and in- formed the clerk that he wished to move to the Birmingham from the Mecca hotel on Seventeenth street and Third avenue, but that the Birmingham would have to cash his draft in order that he might pay his bill Tkis the clerk refused to do, inasmucfs as he had never seen Dekle before. The police. were notified by the hotel authorities. This had also been done by the bank Detectives Nation and Gray were assigned the case. Dekle had signed himself as J. R. Lane of Atlanta The letter to the bank was purported to indorse J. R. Hall of Sheffield, Ala, for the amount mentioned.
 At the police station, DelSle maintain ed for a while that his name was Hall but later admitted that his name was Dekle. after an insurance Identification card was found upon his person. He stated that his home was in Thomas vile, Ga. In large pocketbook Dekle had checks on banks all over Georgia, Ala bama and Tennessee, many or them signed and others blank. There was one check made out to M Bowling. pur- ported to have been signed by Walter Chamberlain. manager of the Chamber lain Architectural company of Bir- mingham for S53.40. This check was indorsed on the back by M. Bowling name being written there
 l Another check on the First National Ss Mashytidf < ytidfeF TePbGa ba bore the nam. name or amount
 1 There were two checks on the Third I National bank of Atlanta, purported tc I have been signed by. F. S. Arkwright one for $50 and the other for s63.4 | The S63 40 check was made payable tC H. H. rift, Jr., and was indorsed on the back with Tfts' name. However | this was identified as not being MT Tift's signature by one who was ac- quainted with MT. lift. MT. rift Is one l of the wealthiest capitalists in south Georgia, residing in Triton, Ga, a town that was named in his honor. Another check was on the Farmers National bank of. Winchester, Tenn, bearing the name of Jesse M Littleton, signed on the back The rest of the
 
 on the First National bank of Nashville. Ga, for $54.S0. signed Keife & Bullock.
 Dekle explained his possession of these checks by saying that he was fix ing to go into business and had col 1ected few samples to select from and had amused himself by signing these names to the checks.
 He is accompanied by his wife, who he states was Miss Lora Kline of At lanta, Ga, where they married in Octo- ber 1910. She is much affected by her husbands arrest and declares that she will stick to him. Dekle does not fully appreciate his position and is constant ly talking of taking some treatment in Atlanta
 After a search through the records in the police department 1t was found that there was telegram on file from Chief of Police Beavers of Atlanta, Ga, asking him to arrest Dekle for forgery there. Dekle is said to have admitted the truth of the Atlanta charges, stat ing that the checks were for $50 and s20, but that he did not remember the names of the people he signed to them
 He will be held in the city jail here awaiting the arrival of an Atlanta of ficer to take him back to the Georgia capital, there to answer the charges. It Is said that the charges here will not be pushed as he did not realize from his attempts.