The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-02-04

TOUCHED
FOR COIN
In Jail Awaiting Trial
on Charge Of False
PretenSe

Ills body stopped and walking with
an appealing, shuffling gait, piety and
simplicity written large over his ebony
oonntenance, pollteness personifled
and with tale 81 woe that would coax
tears from a telephone pole. possessed
Of a grade OF genius that enabled him
TO Jay at least three astute Oklahoma
lawyers loose from considerable
amount of perfectly good coin, An old
negro is ~ jail at Perry, Okla, await
ing trial N the district court on the
charge Of pulling of one of the
smoothest gratis ever perpetrated III
Oklahoma.
The old darky blew into Chlckasha
over week ago and soon concluded
negotiations whereby he acquired ss5
from local lawyer and then moved
on to fresh fields At Oklahoma City
he repeated the operation on one Of
the best known lawyers in the state
and at Perry he gave another exhibit
ton Of his skill, an attorney again be-
ing his victim, his collection In each
distance amounting to sS5 But the
troupe" broke MP AZ Perry. where the
lawyer got wise 10 the game in time
have the smooth one nabbed by the
minions Of the law before he had time
to make another deal
When arrested at Guthrie. the me-
30 gro gave his name as Dan Smiley.
but later, arraigned in the district
court on the charge Of obtaining money
under false pretences. when asked
what his real name was, lie replied.
@My real name Is either Dan Smiley
OF John coleman-I don't know
which" When he gaze his perform
ance 10 Chiclasha he said his name
was Lee Williams.
When Dan appeared at the office Of
the Chickasha lawyer he brought what
purported to be a letter from his wife
al Auskogee where tbe letter said
Dams SON had been killed in a street
railway acoidenf The latter said tine
street car company bad offered to pay
$3.50 damages ior DIS death, but Dan
and bis wife wanted $4,000 and they
didn't want to entrusi she case to a
Muskogee lawyer but wanted a home
attorney, Dan sayIng be lived two
miles south Of chickahsa IN pitlinl
tones the ola darby told his story ia
great detail and be wanted lhe Chieka-
sha lawyer TO take his case. which
the latter touched By the sorrowiul
narrative consented to DO Then Dan
said he was broke and was i'm dire
need OF SS5 to prepare hts dear sons
body for burial and bring it back
home. Would the kind lawyer be good
enough 10 sign a note with him at
the bank for that amount? No, the
lawyer wouldn't do that, but if Dan
had any property and would sign a
mortgage, he would give him his own
check for the amount Sure Dan had
properiy-among other things, bay
horse. a spring wagon and two cows.
The horse alone was worth Si25, he
said. and the lawyer said the surety
was sufficient SO the mortgage was
written and signed X specified the
property, including eene red COW,
named Mollie. and one spotted cow.
named Margaret Dan said be would
bring che horse and COWS 70 town the
next day If that was desired, but the
lawyer assured him il wasn't neces-
sary.
And TINT was the last the generous
lawyer saw or heard OF Dan TIL he
read OF the arrest Of a negro who
played the same game at Perry AZ
Perry, Dan told precisely the same
story, even 10 the names and deserip'
ton OF the COWS, but he went little
too strong when he told the lawyer
that he would have the property on
the street within half an hour That
was In the morning and when Dan
failed TO show up again, the lawyer
notified the sheriff who Immediately
got busy with the wires, with the re.
suit that Dan was picked up by the