Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-11-10
ARREST 2 men
AS SWINDLERS
Alleged Bogus Cheek Passsrs
Arrested in New York by
Detective PsItier.
MERCHANTS BUNC0ED
East Side Gtngsters Are to
be Brought Here for
Trial.!

Two of the alleged bogus check
passers who worked in this city,
Woodbridge and South Amboy the
past several months, were captured
at their homes In New York City yes
terday by County Detective Richard
A. Peltier. They are Henry Fella,
of Seventy-first street, and Paul
Howath, of Ninety-sixth street. Ac-
cording to a confession, which De-
tective Peltier says one of them made
to him, they are members of an East
Side gang Of seven makers and pass
ers of worthless checks, who have
been operating about New Jersey and
on Long Island. AS told, their latest
victims were John Lasko and Martin
Wiatr, cafe proprietors in South Am
boy. They will be arraigned in the
Fourth district court in Seventy-sixth
street, New York City, today and
probably committed to jail for thirty
days to await requisition so that they
can be brought here for trial.
The county authorities worked
quietly on the case when the opera
tions first became known several
months ago, but 1t was not until the
two South Amboy liquor dealers
were victimized that a good descrip-
ton was secured and it was learned
definitely that the swindlers hailed
from New York. Both Lasko and
Wiatr had excellent descriptions of
the men who swindied them and they
wanted to go to New York to get
them the same day they made COM
plant before Recorder Pickersgill
here.
In compliance with New York
laws, indictments were found for the
men in this county before their cap
ture was effected. Mr.. Peltier then
went to New York and located the
trail of the men. He chose yesterday
to pick them out of their respective
homes and succeeded. When arrest
ed by New York detectives under the
supervision Of Peltier, Fella gave his
name as Tony Mehilick and Howath
said his name was Frank Carman.
When confronted with positive evil
dence, one of the prisoners confess
ed, Mr.. Peltier declares.
The authorities have learned be-
yond a doubt that they are members
Of a gang of seven East Side crlmi-
nails whose specially in crime has
been to make and pass worthless
checks, going from place to place
choosing the name of some we'll
known and prosperous man or firm
for a signature. Their game con-
sists of remaining in a locality for
about week and going each evening
to see their intended victims. They
have usually disguised themselves as
carpenters or masons and made VIC
tins of saloonkeepers mostly, oper-
ating each day at an hour which
would indicate that they had just
stopped work and were enroute to
their homes. After thus gaining con-
fidence they present checks the fol-
lowing Saturday purporting to come
from their employers. They were
invariably accepted. The amounts
ranged from $40 to nearly $40.
The police learned today that one
of their victims, who has not yet re-
ported his loss to them, was Theo-
dore Lenchiski, a saloonkeeper of
this city. They were informed that
he cashed a check for about $37,
gave $25, practically all the cash on
hand, and promised to forward the
remainder when the men returned.
Thus far they have not returned for
the balance.