The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-12-08
|kEOKUk VICTIM
/ OF CHECK PASSER
Central store cashed $3.50 Check
For Sailor Who Made Pick.
ing In Hamilton
Friday.
DESCRIPTIONS ARE SAME
Told Charles Sehenk That He Was
Visiting Wife's Relatives Near
HamiIton-straight
Story.

of the Central store, read In The
Gate City last evening the exclusive
story OF the passing Of q worthless
check for s42 on the Wetzel hardware
store at Hamilton last Friday by
young man in navy uniform, he sud
denly remembered that he had been
vict1mized on just the same game,
only the check was for $3.50.
! And now he Is prepared to receive
the news that he is out $14 IN mer-
chandise and $3.50 in cold cash. The
check was deposited at local bank
on Saturday and sent out to Chicago
to the Union Trust company on which
| 1t was drawn, Monday morning.
The stranger, who gave his name as
Edward L. Davidson, the same one
he used at Hamilton, made his pur-
chases at the Central store on Friday
afternoon about o'clock. These
amounted to $14 and he offered Mr..
Schenk the check for $3.50 made out
to him and stamped with the navy
seal and signed by Captain W. c.
! Castleman. almost identical with the
one passed at Hamilton.
Told Good Story.
! Davidson told such a straightfor-
ward story that Mr.. Schenk thought
that he was perfectly safe in cashing
the check. Davidson told him that
his wtfe's relatives lived six miles
from Hamilton and that he was on a
furlough to visit them. He said that
he had to report at Chicago on Jam
uary l.
He showed Mr.. Schenk five gold
strsps on his sleeve, saying that they
stood for twenty-five years service in
the navy. The uniform was new and
the same as that given by Mr.. Wetzel
of Hamilton.
| 1t is plain enough that Davidson
then went over to Hamilton and pulled
on the same game. The police de-
ipartment IS making every effort to
find some clue to the check passer
and it is expected that he will event
.ually be captured by his operations in
other cities
Wanted by Police.
| r. r. Wallace, the Hamilton bank
,er, who telegraphed Wetzel Of Ham
flton, on Monday afternoon from Chi.
cago, that his check was worthless,
arrived home today and supplied some
additional facts on the forgeries
He found that Davidson was known
to the police, being wanted in Chicago
cleveland, Macomb, H., and several
other cities on the same charge. The
checks he passes are all the same and
photographs Of them are in the pos
session Of the Chicago police.
, All the checks are made out to him
and signed by Captain W. C. Castle
man. In one corner is stamped c. A.
iP. D., e. S. Z. 8. navy Is also
stamped on the checks with rubber
stamp.
| 1t is evident that Davidson is pref
ty smooth crook The purchases he
made at the Central store were enough
TO ward of suspicion. He first asked
for corduroy suit for his little boy.
When told that the suits were not
kept in stock, he bought material to
he made I'D. also buttons and thread.
John NJ. Kenney, chief OF police, be-
lueves that he will be caught sooner o.
later by his operations in other cities.
He believes there fl a possibility that
there NAV be a confederate with him
as he was seen talking to two men in
Hamilton on the night he cashed the
check there. He carries valise con-
tanning his citizens clothes, for
i,,1{ck change.