Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-04-06
Sheehan's Story Told in Savannah.
1cn0nial to rimes-Recorder.l }

Especial to Times-Recorder)
Savannah, Ca, April 81 have
had nv fun and am ready to pay for
it,"
so announced F. M. Sheehan upon
his arrival in Savannah yesterday
from Wilmington, where he was ar
rested charged with circulating bo-
gus railroad checks in Savannah, Co
lumbus, Americus, Tampa, Montgom-
ery and Birmingham. Sheehan was
brought back to Savannah by Special
Agent Hodges of the Seaboard.
As calmly as if he were relating al
every day adventure and without any
evident appreciation of the fact that
he is a serious offender against the
law, Sheehan, told a reported the sto-
nv of how he perpetrated the forge
ries. the methods he pursued in es-
Gaping detection and the efforts he
made to evade the authorities.
Il was tempted by chance to get
some easy money" said Sheehan. Il
was working for the Seaboard in
Americus when | discovered that /
could 'swipe' a batch of discharge
pay checks. l filled in a few Of
the checks in Americus, where | am
we'll known and got them cashed
there. Before they had a chance 70
detect the fraud | skipped out.
Went From Americus to Savannah
From Americus l came to Savan-
nah. The people here were easy but
was cautious and left after a short
stay. l haven't any idea how much l
got in Savannah, but | remember that
the biggest check | passed was for
$13. | worked off a number for
amounts smaller than this. | repre-
sented myself as a travelling man and
won the confidence of a man before
| asked him to cash a check. A rail-
road check evidently looked good as
| didn't have any trouble getting them
cashed.
i went to Memphis from here. Thai
town was as easy as the rest. | don't
know how much | got there, but the
amount was considerable. From Mem
phis | went to Jacksonville and work
ed on several checks there. | took a
TRIP up in Virginia next, and after
working several towns in that state
came back to Savannah If the au-
thorlties here had gotten wise to me
oy that time l don't know 1t as | was
not molested. / next went to South
carolina and then jumped back to
Fiorlda, spending some time in 81.
augustine. From there | went to
New Orleans and Montgomery and
then to North Carolina winding up
IN wilmington, where was arrested.
Sheehan said when he got into
North Carolina he discovered the au-
thorltles were after him. He had plan
ned to raise as much as he could IL
wilmington and then go to Richmond
ana from there he intended to try ana
Iose himself somewhere in the nortl
Ut go west. In conjunction with the
Nnatnam county sheriffs office, Spec
lai Agent Hodges had been trailing
0heehan for some time. The first mer
cnant Sheehan approached in Wi!
"lngton notified the police, and h,
was promptly arrested. Sheehan
"hen arrested, confessed every de
TAIL OF his escapade and said he wa
wiling to come back to Savannah o
anywhere else without requisition pa
,, pers. Sheehan says he is 20 year
'2id and that this is his first ventur
from the straight and narrow patti
was particular that every ma
VINO cashed my checks could afford
stand the loss" he said 81 didn
want anybody who couldn't afford
10 suffer" When arrested he has $5
IN his pocket and % of the fifty-si
Vhecks he stole He is locked up
Ine county Jail and efforts will
made to have him tried here first.
Sneehan. is a native of New O.
leans, and claims to have friends
mat city who will help him out of h
present difficulty.