The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-12-25
]. Miller unprecedented Travel
ING Representative For
Chicago Fur House
From Thursdays Daily.

| quay y odNfs
by prompt action, after receiving
n telephone call from Winnebago
yesterday afternoon, Chief OF Police
KlugherZ an hour later had under
arrest a young man who later con.
fessed that he had been working q
swindling game by impersonating O
travelling representative OF the Chi.
cago firm OF Charles Friend &c Co,
dealers In hides and furs.
The telephone message came at
$3.50 O'Clock. The young man was
placed under arrest at $3.50 from
the description given over the tele-
phone. This occurred at the Manka.
to Hide and Fur store. George VIE.
denmann. the proprietor, was Just
closing a deal for the sale of hides
and furs to the Chicago house
through the agreeable youth for
about $500. The young man had OF.
fered something more than the top
price of the market.
Confessed His Swindie.
The prisoner confessed his swlndle
shortly after he was placed under
arrest. He gave the name OF J.
Miller and said his home was at
Waterloo, Iowa. He said he also had
relatives at Omaha, Neb. While buy.
ing furs he gave the name of W.
d. Wicker. who actually Is a travel.
ing buyer for that Chicago house.
About two weeks ago Miller got po-
session OF a grip. belonging to Wick.
er. at Waterloo. This may have been
an accidept. The prisoner so states.
Rui Whnn hn .a a
Wicker's stationery, the finder con-
ceiyed a plan Of taking advantage
OF what he thought was a grand OPP
portunity.
Would Borrow Small Sums.
He began travelling about this
part Of the country, impersonating
Wicker and buying hides and furs
for the Chicago concern at liberal
prices. lie paid for them with drafts
on Charles Friend & Co, and from
time to time would borrow small
sums from the hide and fur people.
making the drafts large enough to
cover both the purchase prices and
the borrowed sums. The furs were
shipped on to the Chicago house and
in due time the drafts were present.
ed for payment.
1t did not seem to occur to the
foxy" youth that the real Wicker
would show up at the Office of
Charles Friend G. Co. or would re-
port that his grip and papers bad
been lost Nor did he seem TO think
any investigation would be started
when the fancy-price drafts came to
be paid. But such things soon occur.
red and the firm began some detec-
tive work to get the impostor round.
ed up.
Among the sums borrowed by the
impersonator were s25 at Owatonna
and $50 at Winnebago.
Sheriff Frler Notified.
\ message was sent late yesterday
to Sheriff Frier of Blue Earth, Fari.
bault county, i'm which Winnebago Is
located, acquainting him with the
fact that the young man had been
arrested. The sheriff replied that he
would come to Mankato to take po-
session of the young man. The war
rant was issued on the complaint of
Froelich. n Winnebago butcher from
whom some Of the hides were pur-
chased. the charge being thai Of get.
ting money under false pretenses
A message also came from the
sheriff at Owatonna Il at the young
man was wanted there.
The prisoner Is neatly dressed
and of gentlemanly appearance. He
says he is only twenty years old. .
Sheriff Frier came to Mankato this
morning and left later In the day
with Miller for Winnebago, where
Miller will be arraigned.