Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-12-30
Four Worthless Checks Are
Cashed in Local Stores
for Various Amounts
USES NAMES OF WELL
KNOWN JOBBERS
Appends Signatures Of Big
Wholesale Houses to
Spurious Paper

Four Ottumwa merchants were vic
Tins OF forger who in the past few
days worked cleverly in each store
and made his escape with about $65
The checks used by the man were
drawn on four leading wholesale firms
and that the forger was acquainted
with the men employed In the differ
ent places was evident when he
answered questions put to him by Nhe
store owners. A good description o!
the man has been turned into the po
lice department but the authorities
have been unable to locate him.
Four stores vIctlmIzed.
8. G. Cullen & Co., Creswell & frost
N. F. Friedman and ]. e. Scase & Co.
were the stores that cashed the worth.
less checks. An attempt was made to
cash check at the w. j. Donelan &
Co store but failed. The checks were
drawn on Harper & McIntire Co., Haw
Hardware Co., American Mining Tool
Co., and ]. w. Edgerly & Co., and each
check was countersigned with the
name OF q member Of the firms.
Have Description.
The man who forged the checks,
was dressed in a pair of blue bib over.
alls, blue flannel shirt, plaid cap and
Is said by some of those who saw him
to have been wearing a sweater. He
void call at store make a purchase
and tender the check In payment. AT
one store he purchased pair of silk
hose and asked that they be packed In
a Christmas box.
The man called at the w. J. Donelan
store and told the clerk he wished tC
purchase some socks II check would
be taken. The clerk inquire of w. j.
Benkert, in regard to cashing the
check but Mr.. Benkert refused to cash
the check unless the man was identi-
fed. He called the American Mining
Tool Co., and asked II plain bank
check had been issued and when he
learned that the company put out
checks only on their own blanks he
called Robert J. Shanahan, secretary
of the Retail Merchants association
The matter first came to the police
when Mr.. Scase called at the station
Tuesday afternoon.
Knew Men in Firms.
When the man entered the Cres-
well and frost store and submitted the
check, which was drawn on Harper &
McIntire Co., Mr., Creswell asked him
as to who worked in the office at that
place and where their desks were sit
uated The man told Of how the desks
of each man were arranged and so
concisely that Mr.. CresWell cashed the
check.
When the check was refused by Mr..
Benkert at Donelan's the man went to
the Scase store where he cashed a
check for 1880 drawn on the Ameri-
can Mining Tool Co., in favor of r. e..
Morgan, and countersigned. F. H. s..
The check submitted at the N. B..
Friedman store was drawn on Harper
& McIntire Co., and was made payable
to L. E. Woods and was for $16.50. The
check cashed at the Cresswell & frost
store was drawn on Edgerly & Co.,
made payable to r. e. Moore for $12.50
and was countersigned w. H.
Think There Are Two Men.
The man that cashed the check at
Cullen's is supposed to have been
different man than the one that oper-
ated at the other stores. He Is describ-
by Mr.. Cullen as being tall while at
the other stores the man Is said to
have been short. The check cashed
here was drawn on the Haw Hardware
Co., bore the. initials CT H. and called
for 1850.
The police department believes that
there are two men working together
as the endorsement is much different
from the handwriting on the face Of
the check. This theory is substantial,
ed by the fact the man who cashed
the check at Cullen's is said to have
been tail.