The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-12-02
NOT KNOWN TO NAVAL men
Clever Forger Sends Checks Clear to
Los Angeles for Cashing and Manages
to Make Good His Escape Before
His Victims Find Out Mistake.

The sheriff of the county is searching
for Z. E. Lewis. He is a clever fellow
who wore while he was in Kenosha a
natty naval uniform and represented
to be member Of the United States
Navy and connected with barracks way
out in California. Lewis spent several
days about Kenosha ten days ago. He
was fine Of figure and glib of tongue
and had a liking for nice things to wear.
He had young lady with him who was
just as particular about her wearing APP
parel. On account Of these last men
toned traits Lewis and the woman are
now being sought on charges of issuing
worthless checks to the value of $85 in
Kenosha. 1t is possible that more Of
the checks were turned out but it is a
long ways from Kenosha to Los Angeles
and it is probable that the other bad
zones have not reached the point of pro-
I test.
Lewis was a handsome fellow and he
claimed while he was in Kenosha that
he had formerly been connected with
the United States training station at
[ Lake Bluff. He stated that he left the
/ Lake Bluff station about two years ago
and went to one of the naval stations
on the Pacific Coast. A week ago last
Saturday night he went to the Isermann
store. His uniform with the brass but
tons and all that at once centred him
out as a man who had climbed up quite
way in Uncle Sam IS service. 81 want
to get an overcoat,0 he told one Of the
clerks in the store. HNothing too good
but something that I can use while I
am on civilian duty. You know the
brass buttons of the navy are pretty
snowy and I want something else.'' He
finally decided that coat worth six
teen dollars would be. good enough to
knock around in and in payment Tor Id
| he proffered a check for $50 drawn on
the National Bank of California located
at Los Angeles. 1t was signed by
l"Captain D. w. Scott U. S. Navy.
/ It looked like good check. The cleo
trotyping on it was faultless and it had
the appearance of having been carried
in pocket for some time. M. j. Iser-
mann WASH It taking chances without
investigating. "Oh yes I remember
you'' Lewis said. You remember [
was with the fellows up at the Elks the
other night Isermann looked him
over and the check went through. Lew
is got the coat and $34 in hard Ameri-
can dollars in change and he talked a
while and left the store. There was no
cause for hurry as he probably suspect
ed that it would take week for the
check to be protested in Los Angeles.
Later on the same evening with the
lady in question he went to the Thomas
Sullivan store. He wanted a coat for
| the young woman in whom he showed
an especial interest. She was hard to
please but finally selected thirty dol
lar coat and in payment for it out came
another of Captain Scott s checks this
one for $35. The clerk at the Sullivan
| store took the check without murmur
and handed over the five dollars change.
That same night Lewis and the young
woman disappeared so far as the mer-
chants were concerned and they have
not put in an appearance as yet. The
check given to- the Sullivan store came
back this morning with protests stamp
ed all over it and telegram announc-
| ing that the larger check given to the
Isermann Company had been protested
| by the government officials in Los An
geles.
Sheriff Stahl believes that Lewis may
be somewhere in the neighborhood of
the training school at Lake Bluff and
| he notified the officials in Lake county
| to 90 to the station and make a search
this afternoon. It is just possible that
Lewis is a clever forger who has been
working this same scheme all over the
country. The government officials have
been looking for man in naval uni
| form who has been uttering worthless
checks for many months but they have
not been successful in landing him.
While in Kenosha Lewis claimed that
he had one time lived here but this IS
considered part of his clever story to
get the money.