Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1915-10-15
$500 Certified Check
Stolen From Highland Man

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union station on Thursday night,
after the train that carried him
there had been searched through
at half dozen different points be-
tween Harrisonburg and the capital
George A. Lowry, of Clifton Forge,
was brought to Staunton last night
by Officer Sutton to explain how
he happened to cash here an $500
certified check drawn by Henry
Jones, of Goshen, and made pay
able to his own demand. Detective
Vermillion, of the Washington
force, made the arrest. Chief
Lipscomb brought Lowry as for as
GJrdonsville, where, after turning
the man oyer to Officer Sutton, he
w mt in to Richmond to take a
1T lie rest. Lowry-best known to
his intimates as "Biff" is popular
with many friends in Clifton Forge.
Told in proper sequence the cpl
sode occurred in this wise. Jones
appeared at the National Valley
Bank, where be keeps all account,
andsecureda certified check for $500.
He left for Ronceverte Wednesday
night, ostensibly to invest his $500
in sheep. George Lowry, who hap
pened to be in the city at the same
time, left on the same train. A few
hours later, at about II a. m. Thurs
day to be nearer the mark, Lowry
appeared at the National Valley
Bank with the Jones check and
asked that it be cashed. Paying
Teller w. B. Miller told him that
lie was unknown to the bank and
would have to be identified. Lowry
eft and soon returned with Fred
Earman who once run drugstore
n Clifton Forge. Mr.. Earman
identified Lowry as the man ne
claimed to beaand teller paid out to
him $500 in perfectly good money
on the Jones certified check.
Lowry had hardly been away
from the bank ten minutes wh' n
ZONES called up Cashier Cbas. S.
Hunter from Ronceverte and asked
him to stop payment on the heck
He was told that the check had
lust been cashed and that b. sid S,
he could not stop certified check.
Jones excitedly declared that the
check was stolen from him and that
he wanted the man who had cashed
it held until he could get here.
Then the bank officials got b sy.
Through the police they learned
that Lowry had departed for Har-
risonburg in a jitney and they were
soon hot On his trial. At Harrison.
burg they were informed that he
had caught a train for Washington.
They sped on to Mt, Jackson
where they had the train intercept.
ed and searched but could not find
the fugitive. F;:iling here, they
wired the Washington authorities
a description of Lowry and asked
that the Harrisonburg train ht
watched for him on its arrival. The
same instruction where flashed 70
every police chief along the diff
ferent railrays for hundred miles
At night came the news hat the
Washington sleuths had shared
Lowry, that had S7S653 on bis
person, in the exact denomii:ati
paid out by the National Walls J
teller and that he claimed to have
won the money in poker game
Chief Lipscomb left on night
train for Washington to bring Low.
ry back and in the meantime Mr.
Jones is on hand to deny the poker
story, tell how he lost his check
and regain what is left after the
expenses of the chase and the Low
ry Joy ride are deducted.
It is thought that Jones will re-
cover about seven of the eight hun
dred dollars and he said that he
will be mighty glad to get that, for
Ind it not been for the promptn ess
of the bank officials, his chances OF
recovering anything would have
been remote. The bank it was
stated, stood to lose nothing by
the transaction as they merely
cashed perfectly bona6ed certified
check on proper Identification, but
they were actuated in their deter
mined and expeditions pursuit OF
Lowry, by desire to protect a
customer and punish criminal
/ should the circumstances prove him
to be one.
Lowry's on story of the trans.
action, as was told to a group OF
policemen and bank officials on bis
arrival here last night, is a most
emphatic denial that he was guilty
of any irregularity. According to
his version, he and Jones left the
train at Clifton Forge to get some
food and while they were there, SO
Lowry says, Jones gave him the
check with instructions to return to
Staunton and have it cashed. Fol