The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-03-17
FRAUD UNcD ERED
Participants Caught Following
Depot Fire 1t Bardett.

Larned, KAN, March 17.-It was .
tale, of many crimes that Thomas A.
Cheatham told before Judge w. r.
Wynn here in the trial of J.. e. Liv-
ingstone OF Burdett for arson In con-
nectfon with the burning Of the Santa
Fe depot at Burdett late in January.
.Cheatham was to have been tried at
this term Of court on the same charge
but the arrest of Livingstone caused q
postponement of his case. according
to his story OF confession, told to q
crowded court room. Livingstone. r.
A. Norris. son Of r. NJ. Norris, the
wealthy Burdett banker. and himself
were members Of a conspiracy which
for about two years has caused enOr-
vator company OF Hutchinson. the
Burdett office of which Chatham
managed. Cheatham was a good grain
buyer and managed to bank up mar
gins of grain in the elevator In excess
of expenditures for grain as shown by
the office check book. 1t was also
possible to explain shortages by alleg-
ing considerable shrinkagey of the
grain on hand. Cheathams says he
would issue checks for wheat to fic-
ritious parties and R.eA. Norris would
cash them at his fathers bank the
proceeds being split between the two
men. In other instances Livingstone
aided in handling the deals and came
in on the split with Norris and him.
self. These embezzlfng and forgery
transactions covered a period Of some
10 months previous to Cheatham's ar
rest in February.
According to Cheatham many farm
ers in the Bdrdett neighborhood have
been shorted repeatedly when selling
grain to his elevators. When he was
absent from the elevator Norris or
Livingstone: ran the business. All
three men were shrewd buyers and
successful in underweighing. The ex-
cess grain gained by these operations
was shipped to Hutchinson to cover
shortages created by the fictitious
checks.
The game progressed nicely following
the big wheat crop of 1912, as the men
handled much grain at the elevator
and could easily cover the check trans
actions. But when the almost total
crop failure Of 1913 struck western
Pawnee county business at the eleva-
tor suddenly came to a halt and the
men had greater shortages than they
could cover.
It was then than trouble arose
among them. About January 1, the
Rock Hill company ordered cleanup
Of all grain in the elevator and the
men realized something must be done
to cover the shortages on the Burdett
books. Cheatham says he insisted to
the last on buying grain in the eastern
market with their private IuuOS anu
using the grain to cover the shortages.
He urged that this method would avoid
all possible suspicion But Livingstone
wanted to cover the shortages in an
other manner, Chatham says. Liv-
ingstone had formerly been Santa Fe
agent at Burdett and was sore at the
RAILROAD company. Revenge could be
attained and the shortages covered by
burning the elevator and coal sheds OF
the Rock Mil and Elevator company,
some cars Of grain and the depot. which
contained records Of grain shipments.
According to Cheatham's testimony,
Norris does not appear to have been In
the arson scheme and Cheatham AYERS
he counseled against 1t to the last.
The depot was burned. Chatham
says, by Livingstone. Investigations
by County Attorney W.. H. Vernon, jr.,
Special Prosecutor o. 8. Samuels of
Emporia, State Fire Marshal Harrison
Parkman and Santa Fe attorneys and
detectives resulted in the arrests of
Cheatham and Norris in February.
Norris was tried on one of the check
transactions and pleaded guilty about
ten days ago. Judge A. 8. F'oulks pa
rolled him under sentence OF 1--WE years.
Livingstone is a grocer at Burdett
and. it il understood. will make a
strong fight against the charge of ar
son.