The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1916-02-23
CATCH FORGER
IN CALIFORNIA
BURNS DETECTIVES RUN DOWN
CELLIEST WHO FORGER NAME
OF FATHER PECOUL
Monick, Alias Smith, Alleged to Have
Committed Similar Offenses
Elsewhere

That check forger who tries to op
crate his swindling games in Moscoy
can not long evade justice and tha
the authorities of Latah county cal
was. proved by the arrival of lette
at the sheriff's office last night il
which it was stated that Leopolt
Jocelyn Monick, alias L. Y. Smith, tn,
cellist who forged Father Pecoul
name to a check for $40 on Novembe
16 last was apprehended on Februar.
II in San Bernardino,, Calf, by tn,
Burns detective agency.
In the custody of Sheriff McMinn
Monick, or Smith, has been returned
to Los Angeles, CAL, where he will
stand trial for forgeries amounting te
5000 committed in Pasadena.
The detective agency suggests that
the sheriffs office here lodge de-
tainer with Sheriff j. c. Cline of Los
Angeles for Monick's return to Mos
COW in case he is not committed in
California; or detainer with the war
den of the California penitentiary in
case he is convicted there.
Sheriff Campbell has been very as
siduous in the pursuit of this Grim
inal and has left no means untried by
which the fugitive from justice might
be apprehended. The success of his
search is matter of great gratifica-
tion.
On November goth after Father Pc
coul had reported the forgery,
Sheriff Campbell distributed broadcast
postals describing the offender and
notifying the public Of the forgery.
Star Mirror readers will recall the
main episodes of the case as published
in the issue of November goth last.
Leopold Monick, a Partisan by birth,
the son of a dentist, appeared in Mos
COW last fall and represented that in
order not to be harrassed by people
who had designs on his inheritance of
100000 francs, he was going by the
name of L. Y Smith. Because Father
Pecoul is a Frenchman, he made ad
vances towards friendship and told
Father Pecoul that he wished to bring
his family here and that he would
invest $4,000 in a suitable home for
them. He stated that he would have
the money sent in Father Pecouls
name to the Moscow State bank, with
which Father Pecoul was in the habit
of doing business; and in order to get
accurate directions as to the way in
which the money should be directed,
he secured from Father Pecoul his
signature and address 1t was this
signature which he initiated in the
check for $40.
- Father Pecoul paid a visit to Spo-
kasN, on November 10th and two and
half days after his return discovered
that Monick had suddenly left. State
ments made by Monick in regard to
real estate transactions which he had
made were known by Father Pecoul
to be false, and the suspicion immed
lately crossed his mind that the fell
low might be swindler and might
have drawn on his own account at
the bank He repaired at once to
the bank and found that his suspicious
we're confirmed, seventy dollars hav-
ing been drawn on a forged check by
Monick on the very morning on which
Father Pecoul went to Spokane. The
loss was, of course, borne by the bank,
and they took steps at once to put
he sheriff on the trail of the forger.
Monick operated successfully in Ia /
coma where he fraudulently secured {
lilo from a young lady there, and he r
llmost succeeded in perpetrating a a
800 forgery in Ell Paso by signing the f
lame of the vice president of one of S
he banks there. E